WATCHDOG

Named as a nod to seizure alert dogs, WatchDog is there to watch over individuals with epilepsy. Using cross-referential technology, WatchDog allows users to pair our app from their phone to their Apple Watch, providing educational resources, monitoring care, medical reminders, and seizure alert detection between the two systems.

Metrics

As a result of my design iterations and implementations, we noticed the following performance increases:

Problem

Seizure alert apps, but only for the able-bodied

Approximately 20% of people with epilepsy are users with an intellectual disability. However, the majority of epilepsy-based products such as seizure alert watches and monitoring apps cater to adults without ID.

"How can we help intellectually disabled children with epilepsy become more independent in their self-care?"

Solution

Accessibility is key

Watchdog is an app that helps intellectually disabled users with epilepsy manage their condition by monitoring and teaching users necessary seizure prevention tasks.

The application is also paired with a seizure alert watch, which alerts parents (and emergency staff) whenever seizures occur and documents relevant medical information.

White Paper Research

There are many standard health practices that help epileptic users manage and monitor their seizures, such as

01 Seizure diaries

02 Medication

03 Seizure aid practices

What technological challenges do epileptic individuals face?

Two Interviews

Were conducted with parents of epileptic ID children to get a better understanding of their struggles

Questions pertained to the child's skill level and ways to overcome any intellectual boundaries.

Accessability was made a priority, specifically Overall, flows are kept as similar as possible for both devices, so learning how to use one product unlocks understanding of the other.

Findings

Seizure applications are often inaccessible to ID epileptic users, due to three main accessability issues

Competitive Analysis

Few apps account for how epileptic treatment can differ for ID patients

Digital Architecture

Information Architecture

Taking into account formative connections between our watch and app

Device pairing and emergency walkthroughs were kept most similar for flows across watch and app screens, due to their overlapping nature. Particular focus was given to these screens, as they involved actions users were unfamiliar with (such as device pairing and seizure alert walkthroughs), which required immediate understanding upon viewing due to their serious nature.

Synchronizing the architectural flows of our watch and app screens allowed for a more seamless, 1:1 transition.

System Design

UI

WCAG compliant typography, colors, and components

With the addition of settings that allow users to change typography size to suit their personal preference.

Accessability was made a priority, with all system design following WCAG compliance.

Testing Feedback

Participant walkthroughs of the early prototype resulted in key changes

How it works

Epileptic care for intellectually disabled patients

Onboarding

Caretakers pair the app with their child's seizure alert watch and input medical details

Preventative Care

Through WatchDog, users can create medical reminders that pair with relevant educational games for their child

Educational Play

ID users learn skills to better manage and understand their epilepsy through play

Emergency Detection

If a seizure is occuring, WatchDog will send an alert to the child's caretaker and begin an emergency walkthrough

Bonus Engineering

Figma goodness & considerations for engineering handoffs

Takeaways

Design Impact

Common Q's

Zerin believes in keeping tech design accessable and transparent, so if you have any questions just send an email and she'll be sure to get back to you and add resources to her docs!