Upside Side
A New Habit That Makes Personalized Chronic Pain Treatment Possible
Redesigned Branch (pain management app) to encourage patients to record their pain episodes. Used the captured data to bridge the communication gap between patients and doctors.
PRODUCT + UX DESIGN
Early-Stage
9 Months
0→1
Native Mobile
Product Strategy
UX + UI
Information Architecture
HealthCare
Upside Side
A New Habit That Makes Personalized Chronic Pain Treatment Possible
Redesigned Branch (pain management app) to encourage patients to record their pain episodes. Used the captured data to bridge the communication gap between patients and doctors.
PRODUCT + UX DESIGN
Early-Stage
9 Months
0→1
Native Mobile
Product Strategy
UX + UI
Information Architecture
HealthCare
Upside Side
A New Habit That Makes Personalized Chronic Pain Treatment Possible
Redesigned Branch (pain management app) to encourage patients to record their pain episodes. Used the captured data to bridge the communication gap between patients and doctors.
PRODUCT + UX DESIGN
Early-Stage
9 Months
0→1
Native Mobile
Product Strategy
UX + UI
Information Architecture
HealthCare
Upside Side
A New Habit That Makes Personalized Chronic Pain Treatment Possible
Redesigned Branch (pain management app) to encourage patients to record their pain episodes. Used the captured data to bridge the communication gap between patients and doctors.
PRODUCT + UX DESIGN
Early-Stage
9 Months
0→1
Native Mobile
Product Strategy
UX + UI
Information Architecture
HealthCare
The compnay
Bridging the communication gap
in chronic pain treatments.
The compnay
Bridging the gap,
in chronic pain treatments.
The compnay
Bridging the communication gap
in chronic pain treatments.
The compnay
Bridging the communication gap
in chronic pain treatments.
Upside Health builds tools that help patients and doctors treat and manage chronic pain. Their app, Branch, tracks a patient's condition and connects it to their doctor in real time.
Traditional chronic pain management has major gaps. Appointments are months apart, and pain scores are measured abstractly at each visit, so treatment plans are outdated, ineffective, and hard to personalize.
Impact
+60%
User satisfaction
+20%
User retention
83%
Better pain control within a month
87%
Enrolled through a doctor’s prescription
→
Reimbursable by commercial insurance
→
U.S. Pain Foundation naming Branch its official patient engagement app
Highlights
Rebuilt Branch as a trust exchange through weekly check-ins. Patients feel more in control of their condition, and doctors get data they can act on.
Highlights
Rebuilt Branch as a trust exchange through weekly check-ins. Patients feel more in control of their condition, and doctors get data they can act on.
Highlights
Rebuilt Branch as a trust exchange through weekly check-ins. Patients feel more in control of their condition, and doctors get data they can act on.
Highlights
Rebuilt Branch as a trust exchange through weekly check-ins. Patients feel more in control of their condition, and doctors get data they can act on.
The real problem
Onboarding was a
symptom of a bigger problem.
The real problem
Onboarding was a
symptom of a bigger problem.
The real problem
Onboarding was a
symptom of a bigger problem.
The real problem
Onboarding was a
symptom of a bigger problem.
The project was planned to start by fixing onboarding. Drop-off was real and severe. However, after auditing the app, we found the real problem wasn’t onboarding alone.
Branch gave patients little reason to come back, so they stopped opening it. With almost nothing captured, their doctors received nothing. Without their doctors involved, patients got even less out of using the app
It's a dead cycle. Onboarding was one symptom, and simply patching one point wouldn't restart it.
1.0 | User Stories
Project goal
Capture data doctors actually need for personalized treatment plan.
Project goal
Capture data doctors actually need for personalized treatment plan.
Project goal
Capture data doctors actually need for personalized treatment plan.
Project goal
Capture data doctors actually need for personalized treatment plan.
the gap
Describing the same pain
in two different languages.
the gap
Describing the same pain
in two different languages.
the gap
Describing the same pain
in two different languages.
the gap
Describing the same pain
in two different languages.
Clinicians measure pain with a standard clinical questionnaire written in professional language that patients don't understand. The company closed that gap by having nurses call patients, ask the questions, and relay the answers to the doctor. The redesign had to move that process into the product.
Clinicians measure pain with a standard clinical questionnaire written in professional language that patients don’t understand. The company closed that gap by having nurses call patients, ask the questions, and relay the answers to the doctor. The redesign had to move that process into the product.
What patients can tell
→
How the week went
→
What they took
→
What they had to give up
→
Whether they slept
→
Whether it felt worse then last time
What doctors need to hear
→
A standardized score
→
Comparable to the last one
→
Tied to medication and activity
→
Mood
→
Sleep
The solutions
Patients' trust comes first. Earning the data doctors need, one week at a time.
The solutions
Patients' trust comes first. Earning the data doctors need, one week at a time.
The solutions
Patients' trust comes first. Earning the data doctors need, one week at a time.
The solutions
Patients' trust comes first. Earning the data doctors need, one week at a time.
01.
Weekly habit developed for
capturing pain as it happens.
Doctors need records of the flare, ideally captured while it happens, not from memory weeks later. So we created weekly check-ins to capture it while it’s still fresh in memory and to track progress.
01.
Weekly habit developed for
capturing pain as it happens.
Doctors need records of the flare, ideally captured while it happens, not from memory weeks later. So we created weekly check-ins to capture it while it’s still fresh in memory and to track progress.
01.
Weekly habit developed for
capturing pain as it happens.
Doctors need records of the flare, ideally captured while it happens, not from memory weeks later. So we created weekly check-ins to capture it while it’s still fresh in memory and to track progress.
01.
Weekly habit developed for
capturing pain as it happens.
Doctors need records of the flare, ideally captured while it happens, not from memory weeks later. So we created weekly check-ins to capture it while it’s still fresh in memory and to track progress.
Plain language for patient, clinical score for doctor.
Questions are phrased the way people talk about their own pain, and they can be translated back to clinical pain score that the doctor uses.
Plain language for patient, clinical score for doctor.
Questions are phrased the way people talk about their own pain, and they can be translated back to clinical pain score that the doctor uses.
Plain language for patient, clinical score for doctor.
Questions are phrased the way people talk about their own pain, and they can be translated back to clinical pain score that the doctor uses.
Plain language for patient, clinical score for doctor.
Questions are phrased the way people talk about their own pain, and they can be translated back to clinical pain score that the doctor uses.
Baseline capture at signup, then two sections a week.
The full questionnaire runs once at signup as the baseline. Then weekly check-ins rotate two of its eight sections on a four-week cycle.
Baseline capture at signup, then two sections a week.
The full questionnaire runs once at signup as the baseline. Then weekly check-ins rotate two of its eight sections on a four-week cycle.
Baseline capture at signup, then two sections a week.
The full questionnaire runs once at signup as the baseline. Then weekly check-ins rotate two of its eight sections on a four-week cycle.
Baseline capture at signup, then two sections a week.
The full questionnaire runs once at signup as the baseline. Then weekly check-ins rotate two of its eight sections on a four-week cycle.
Weekly routine makes episode logging possible.
The habit lets users see the value of weekly check-ins. When a patient records a flare mid-week, they can choose which sections to answer. It counts as that week's check-in.
Weekly routine makes episode logging possible.
The habit lets users see the value of weekly check-ins. When a patient records a flare mid-week, they can choose which sections to answer. It counts as that week's check-in.
Weekly routine makes episode logging possible.
The habit lets users see the value of weekly check-ins. When a patient records a flare mid-week, they can choose which sections to answer. It counts as that week's check-in.
Weekly routine makes episode logging possible.
The habit lets users see the value of weekly check-ins. When a patient records a flare mid-week, they can choose which sections to answer. It counts as that week's check-in.
02.
The clinician portal that
bridges the communication gap.
The portal Branch had in mind was just too narrow, simply a place for patient entries. I argued it needed more, even for an MVP.
02.
The clinician portal that
bridges the communication gap.
The portal Branch had in mind was just too narrow, simply a place for patient entries. I argued it needed more, even for an MVP.
02.
The clinician portal that
bridges the communication gap.
The portal Branch had in mind was just too narrow, simply a place for patient entries. I argued it needed more, even for an MVP.
02.
The clinician portal that
bridges the communication gap.
The portal Branch had in mind was just too narrow, simply a place for patient entries. I argued it needed more, even for an MVP.
Branch's score and the clinical score, side by side.
The portal displays both scores side by side. This takes translation out of the doctor's hands and makes the data trustworthy.
Branch's score and the clinical score, side by side.
The portal displays both scores side by side. This takes translation out of the doctor's hands and makes the data trustworthy.
Branch's score and the clinical score, side by side.
The portal displays both scores side by side. This takes translation out of the doctor's hands and makes the data trustworthy.
Branch's score and the clinical score, side by side.
The portal displays both scores side by side. This takes translation out of the doctor's hands and makes the data trustworthy.
The record captured in the app is official.
The scores are filed in the EMR and travel with the patient. That makes the app a medical tool and reimbursable.
The record captured in the app is official.
The scores are filed in the EMR and travel with the patient. That makes the app a medical tool and reimbursable.
The record captured in the app is official.
The scores are filed in the EMR and travel with the patient. That makes the app a medical tool and reimbursable.
The record captured in the app is official.
The scores are filed in the EMR and travel with the patient. That makes the app a medical tool and reimbursable.
Alerts & prescriptions within the portal.
The portal alert doctors when worsening trends occur. They can adjust treatment plans or send condition-specific content directly in the portal.
Alerts & prescriptions within the portal.
The portal alert doctors when worsening trends occur. They can adjust treatment plans or send condition-specific content directly in the portal.
Alerts & prescriptions within the portal.
The portal alert doctors when worsening trends occur. They can adjust treatment plans or send condition-specific content directly in the portal.
Alerts & prescriptions within the portal.
The portal alert doctors when worsening trends occur. They can adjust treatment plans or send condition-specific content directly in the portal.
03.
The community shipped
two months late, on purpose.
What existed was a feed, and a visual refresh would have been expensive and added no value.
03.
The community shipped
two months late, on purpose.
What existed was a feed, and a visual refresh would have been expensive and added no value.
03.
The community shipped
two months late, on purpose.
What existed was a feed, and a visual refresh would have been expensive and added no value.
03.
The community shipped
two months late, on purpose.
What existed was a feed, and a visual refresh would have been expensive and added no value.
Shared goals create more meaningful connections.
Time-boxed goals with accountability gave people something to do together. Working toward the same goal is what kept the connections strong.
Shared goals create more meaningful connections.
Time-boxed goals with accountability gave people something to do together. Working toward the same goal is what kept the connections strong.
Shared goals create more meaningful connections.
Time-boxed goals with accountability gave people something to do together. Working toward the same goal is what kept the connections strong.
Shared goals create more meaningful connections.
Time-boxed goals with accountability gave people something to do together. Working toward the same goal is what kept the connections strong.
Held out of the main launch.
The new version needed more users for shared goals to work, so we launched the app without the community section. We brought it back in version 1.5 with new features.
Held out of the main launch.
The new version needed more users for shared goals to work, so we launched the app without the community section. We brought it back in version 1.5 with new features.
Held out of the main launch.
The new version needed more users for shared goals to work, so we launched the app without the community section. We brought it back in version 1.5 with new features.
Held out of the main launch.
The new version needed more users for shared goals to work, so we launched the app without the community section. We brought it back in version 1.5 with new features.
Closing
The structure was
built beyond chronic pain.
Closing
The structure was
built beyond chronic pain.
Closing
The structure was
built beyond chronic pain.
Closing
The structure was
built beyond chronic pain.
Restarting the cycle came down to patients’ weekly check-ins, and almost every feature traced back to it: what the dashboard led with, what the portal displayed first, what got held back from launch. The PM and content designer left mid-engagement, so I ran product temporarily while the CEO raised the next funding round, and the team grew from 2 to 9.
The structure was built to extend past chronic pain. While I was there, we built a standalone app from the shared-goals feature for an arthritis foundation's campaign, and it ran successfully for the same foundation.
Impact
+60%
User satisfaction
+20%
User retention
83%
Better pain control within a month
87%
Enrolled through a doctor’s prescription
→
Reimbursable by commercial insurance
→
U.S. Pain Foundation naming Branch its official patient engagement app
