AzzyAir
A personalized asthma management app for active individuals seeking better control
Role
UX/UI Designer
Tools Used
Figma
Figjam
Google Forms
Skills & Responsibilities
User Experience Research
UX/UI Design
Prototyping
User Testing
UI components
Timeline
2024 (Sep - Nov)
PIP24C3 Best Product Research
Our design journey began with a team of five including 4 UX/UI Designers and 1 Product Manager, all united by a shared goal to tackle this exciting project. Together, we took on every aspect of the process, from research and design to testing, working collaboratively to overcome challenges and create a solution that truly met the needs of our users.
The Design Brief📌
"A study found that 80% of Australians believe that having access to their health data enhances their ability to manage their health and understand transitions in their care. But a lack of self-care support reduces patient engagement and impacts the demands on healthcare providers, potentially compromising care quality. Additionally, insufficient transparency hinders informed decision-making, leaving a range of various patients disempowered and less engaged with their own health."
01
02
Over 90% of Asthma hospitalisations were potentially preventable with optimised care in the community.
Australians expect digital capabilities to support their health journey.
Design Process ⏳
Empathize
Secondary Research
Online Ethnography x2
User Interviews x5
Discovery Survey x74
Define
Affinity Mapping
Priority Matrix
5 Whys
User Persona
User Journey Map
Problem Statement
How Might We
POV Statement
SWOT Analysis.
Competitive Analysis
Ideate
Crazy 8 Method
Brainstorming
UI Flows
Prototype
Low-fidelity
Mid-fidelity
High-Fidelity
Style Guide
Design System
Test
Usability Testing
Product Roadmap
Understanding the Landscape
people in Australia live with asthma (2023)
believes their asthma limits their daily tasks
people with asthma are affected by poor air quality
2.8 mil
97%
2 in 3
The Opportunity
The health-tech market in Australia is growing rapidly, with the Digital Health sector projected to expand by over 8% by 2029, reaching $62 million. Despite over 1,500 asthma app, adoption is shockingly low, at less than 1%. The two main reasons are:
Limited Value: Most apps focus on basic symptom tracking and lack features like environmental sensing or air quality forecasting.
Lack of Behavioural Support: Effective tools for lasting lifestyle changes, such as exercise advice or activity tracking, are notably missing.
Uncovering the Real Issue
We chose to focus on adults as our target users to explore their perspectives on living with asthma. Through interviews and surveys, we uncovered key challenges, preferences and personal insights. By organizing this data through affinity mapping, we identified recurring themes and patterns, which provided a deeper understanding of their needs and informed our development of targeted solutions.
Priority Matrix
To determine which insights and features to prioritize, we used the Priority Matrix. This tool helped us assess which features were most important to users and feasible for development.
After analyzing the data through the Priority Matrix, we identified the three most critical insights to address in our design solution
5 WHYS
We used the 5 Whys analysis to dive deeper into user challenges, uncovering each layer with every question. This process revealed not just surface-level frustrations but the deeper emotions and systemic issues driving them. These insights played a crucial role in sharpening our focus and guiding us toward a clearer, more meaningful problem statement.
Because asthma episodes can be unpredictable, and the situation may worsen.
#1
Why does the user need to have an appropriate amount of equipment on stand by (hospitalization?)
Because their asthma symptoms is typically triggered by physical activities due to the shortness of breath which makes it harder to breath so they tend to rely on medication when they feel those symptoms.
#2
Why do they depend on their medication only during activities?
Because their asthma symptoms is typically triggered by physical activities due to the shortness of breath which makes it harder to breath so they tend to rely on medication when they feel those symptoms.
#3
Why do current systems not consider the complexities of asthma management?
Visualising insights through User Persona
After diving deep into our research, we created a user persona that brings the story of asthma management to life. This persona highlights the real challenges and needs of individuals like Bob, who struggle to balance their health with an active lifestyle. It shows their desire for simple and effective tools that not only help manage their condition but also allow them to stay active and engaged in the activities they love.
-22 years old-
Bob Benedict Bridgerton
Occupation: Student
Location: Sydney, Australia
Gender: Male
Education: Bachelor of Commerce
Frequent Apps
“I want to fully embrace my love for the outdoors, but managing my asthma prevents me from doing that, especially when unpredictable weather and air quality disrupt my routine.”
Goals & Motivations
Needs & Expectations
Pain Points
Unaware of his condition during exercise, making it hard to prepare for an asthma attack.
Have trouble in remembering to take daily medicine.
Seeks information on how to deal with asthma.
More track history on his current conditions.
Achieve better control of asthma symptoms through effective management strategies.
Lead an active lifestyle, particularly through outdoor activities, and connect with others facing similar challenges.
The Goal
How might we offer personalised digital support systems and improve information transparency to help active outdoor commuters with asthma effectively manage their symptoms and integrate health management into their lifestyle
Do any solutions exist?
While there are fitness trackers like Strava and basic asthma trackers available, none of them fully cater to Bob’s needs. These tools either focus solely on activity without addressing health concerns, or track asthma symptoms without integrating them into Bob’s lifestyle. Additionally, asthma apps offer basic air quality updates and symptom logs but lack proactive tools and personalized recommendation to fit Bob’s routine.
Find Air
Asthma Buddy
85%
75%
90%
80%
Accessibility
Engagement
Insightfulness
Personalisation
80%
70%
70%
85%
The Solution
Activity planner for individuals with asthma
Asthma trigger alerts through heart rate monitoring
Mid-Fidelity
After defining our core solutions, we revisited our initial low fidelity concepts, which included features like medication tracking and direct contact with the healthcare providers. However through further reflection, we realized these features didn’t directly address Bob’s primary needs such as managing environmental triggers and tracking physical activity in relation to asthma. This led us to refine our approach and prioritize real-time decision-making support for asthma management. The mid-fidelity designs showcased here reflect this shift, ensuring our solutions are more aligned with user needs.
Decided to change AzzyAir's design in the final product to better match our intended style and user experience
Usability Testing
To evaluate the mid-fidelity prototype, we conducted think-aloud sessions, post-experience interviews, and a SUS (System Usability Scale) survey. As users navigated the app, they shared their thoughts in real time, revealing moments of confusion and suggesting improvements. While the SUS results indicated that the system was not overly complex to use, some users pointed out inconsistencies in elements such as font sizes, spacing and layout. These findings helped us make design improvements to make the app easier to use and understand.
Through this process, we identified three key usability issues:
1
2
3
Clearer Feature Relevance
“I think having one location as a title can be confusing as I felt that this represents more like a weather application. I think the title could be changed to something else more related to the plan.”
Streamlined Scheduling
“For the schedule page I would want to see my schedule as a whole, like not looking at the weather like it's the first thing you see but I want to check my schedule.”
Smarter Activity Planning
“I think it is better to give the user a better route because from what i'm seeing in the air quality page with the route it shows red which means it is dangerous right? like we don’t want to harm the user so is better to suggest them a better route”
Product Feature
Mobile Application
Dynamic Air Quality Alerts
Real-Time Air Quality summary
Dynamic Azzy colour indicators
Activity Planner
Personalised planner
Explore through safe activity discovery
Safe Route Planner
Clean-zone route planner
Receive alerts for danger zones while travelling
Apple Watch
Heart-rate Detection
Abnormality Detection
Alerts - vibrations & pop-ups
Guided Breathing
Vibration cues and audio
Simultaneous heart-rate detection
Video guidance
Integration
Apple Watch Sync
When abnormal heart rate is detected, mobile app will prompt user to apple watch.
Style Guide & Design System
Learnings and Takeaways
It’s been an incredible journey working on AzzyAir, where I’ve had the chance to refine my design approach and deepen my understanding of what truly matters in health tech. Throughout the process, I learned that innovation isn’t just about new ideas: it’s about making sure every feature is practical, meaningful and seamlessly integrates into users’ lives. Some of our initial ideas didn’t align with this vision, teaching me the importance of prioritization and real-world impact. This project has strengthened my ability to balance creativity with practical solutions, ensuring each feature truly serves the user’s needs.
Looking ahead, we’ll focus on future iterations:
Smartwatch alternatives: The EGM feature in the smartwatch showed the potential of advanced health monitoring. However, we’re exploring ways to provide similar benefits without requiring a smartwatch. This would make the app more accessible to a wider range of users.
User Insights: Continuously gathering feedback to improve features and enhance the app’s impact.
Testing: Conducting user testing to fine tune the app based on real-world experience.
Building community: Creating a supportive user base through loyalty features and personalized engagement.
Global expansion: Adapting AzzyAi for a global audience, ensuring cultural relevance and exploring technologies like AI to improve user experience.