Michigan Medicine: MAIN

Web and mobile application helps patients understand and recover from alcohol addiction


RESULTS:

University of Michigan physicians and researchers developed a decision-making and education model to help hepatology clinic patients who suffer from disease as a result of alcohol addiction. They formed a group, named MAIN (Michigan Alcohol Improvement Network), to further advance their mission and sought NewFoundry’s help to develop the MAIN application for mobile and web.

Based on user answers to a series of questions, the MAIN application helps patients understand the misconceptions they may have about alcohol use, safety, and addiction, then presents three best-fit treatment recommendations which take into account the patient’s personal preferences, lifestyle, and budgetary constraints. The application then helps the patient take the first step toward treatment by presenting the name, phone, and location of treatment centers nearest the patient’s zip code.

NewFoundry’s strategy, UX design, and engineering teams worked together to create workflows that support the needs of patients, researchers, and clinicians. Hepatology patients suffering from cirrhosis of the liver often experience cognitive impairment, so we designed the app’s patient interface with this in mind, adding illustrations and other design elements to improve comprehension and provide as frictionless an experience as possible. To support the needs of researchers, workflows were designed to ensure recording and database storage of user response data at strategic points in patient workflows. Clinicians are able to unlock select application features with a code, supporting their need to have more effective and fruitful conversations with their patients. Clinicians can easily provide patients with a personalized evaluation and treatment recommendation report at the end of their appointment, paving the way to the first step toward recovery and improved health.

PROCESS AND DELIVERABLES:

Discovery
Workflow Design
UX/UI Design
High-Fidelity Design Mockups
Mobile Application Engineering
Web Application Engineering
Testing and QA
User Testing
Deployment