Opana is a mobile and smartwatch application aimed at helping adults manage epilepsy. The goal of Opana is to offer adults seizure detection with modern smartwatch features.
The Embrace2 watch by Empatica, detects and alerts caregivers of seizures. However, the device was made for children, and as a result, creates pain points for adults who use the device.
The Embrace2 watch is not consistent with modern smartwatch design. The lack of affordances also means users cannot respond to a false seizure detection.
The app that accompanies the Embrace2 watch doesn't have any features to help a user better manage their epilepsy.
The app doesn't have a caregiver interface, the only interactions a caregiver has are the calls and texts they receive when a seizure has been detected.
Research
To learn more about pain points users have with the Embrace2 experience, I reviewed literature, conducted ad-hoc user interviews, and gathered information from reviews in online Epilepsy communities.
Concept Sketches
Using the research gathered, I worked to create concepts that would address the pain points highlighted by the users.
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Opana Site Map
To help clarify the user flow of the app, I mapped out the features that would be included and where a user would find them based on pain points found while researching.
Lo-fi Mockup
To start planning the user flows of the app I created a low fidelity (lo-fi) mockup that would work through a prioritized user flow. This user flow was highlighted as a pain point with the Embrace2 watch. Users frequently experienced false seizure alerts, this caused frustration for the users and panic for the secondary users: the caregivers.
Opana is a project I am most proud of mainly because it provided me the opportunity to truly practice empathetic design. I was more closely able to connect with the struggles of someone else and try to create a product that might relieve even a fraction of stress. This product helped me to understand the type of impact I want to have in the future.
*The following project was conducted as part of an academic graduate course at the University of California, Irvine. This work is conceptual and has not been developed or brought to market.
