STRIPES is a daily symptom-tracking app for caregivers of people with neurodevelopmental conditions. It turns quick daily check-ins into a clear, consistent health record — capturing the symptoms and patterns that matter most to share with clinicians.
STRIPES is a caregiver-facing symptom tracker for logging GI symptoms, meals, mood, bowel movements, and clinical motility-study data — used by caregivers recording for people with Phelan‑McDermid Syndrome who often can't report symptoms themselves.
STRIPES helps caregivers record health information for people who may not be able to report symptoms themselves. When logging was unclear, the risk was bigger than frustration: entries could be skipped, symptoms could be mis-recorded, and patterns could be missed over time.
This made the redesign a data-quality problem, not just a visual refresh.
Our team evaluated six core tasks using a cognitive walkthrough and moderated usability testing. We compared findings across both methods, then prioritized issues by task impact, severity, and overlap.
This led to 17 prioritized usability issues tied to caregiver confidence, task completion, and data accuracy.
We focused on three core flows:
The redesign created a clearer end-to-end experience: caregivers could better understand where to start, log information with less uncertainty, and return later to review changes over time.
STRIPES depended on caregivers entering clear, consistent symptom data over time. However, the original experience made key tasks harder than they needed to be, especially around finding where to start, understanding the Blue Meal Study flow, logging symptoms accurately, and reviewing past entries.
Before redesigning, our team needed to understand where the experience was breaking down and why. We focused on four questions:
These breakdowns mattered because STRIPES is not just a general tracking tool. Caregivers use it to record health information for people who may not be able to self-report. When the workflow is unclear, users may skip steps, misinterpret instructions, or miss entries — which can affect the quality of the symptom data being collected.
Across the Cognitive Walkthrough and Usability Testing, usability issues were consistent across participants and focused on structure, flow, and clarity. Many of the issues prevented users from completing tasks confidently without moderator support.
Across the research, the issues pointed to five root causes:
Users did not know where the study began or where key study information could be found.
The product model did not match the user's mental model. STRIPES separated study information from recording tasks, but users expected one guided flow.
Medical language, missing onboarding, and weak explanations left users unsure what the app was for and what they were supposed to do next.
Scales, fields, and symptom options did not always reflect real caregiver experiences or edge cases.
Important actions were visually weak, and unclear system feedback reduced confidence in whether tasks were completed correctly.
The current experience led users straight into Start Recording Symptoms without clearly introducing the Blue Meal Study, its purpose, or the required steps. Because the product did not provide enough guidance on its own, users relied on moderator instructions and task prompts to understand what to do.
The recording screen appeared to be the main starting point, so users began logging symptoms before understanding the study context.
Study information, instructions, and requirements were not visible enough for users to follow independently.
Without clear feedback, progress indicators, or step-by-step guidance, users could not tell whether they were following the study correctly.
Users missed critical study requirements, including fasting, timing, and the required wait period.
The biggest issue was not just navigation. It was the way the product separated "study" and "recording," while users expected one continuous guided experience.
Caregivers needed a clearer, more guided way to understand study requirements, log symptom information, and review past entries so they could record health data with greater confidence and consistency.
How might we improve the home, symptom logging, and history review flows so caregivers can understand where to start, enter information accurately, and return later to make sense of what changed?
With the breakdown understood, the work focused on one outcome: turning a fragmented experience into a single, guided flow. Three goals shaped the redesign.
Give caregivers a clear starting point and an obvious next step, so they always know where they are in the study.
Reduce uncertainty during entry with clearer fields, language, and guidance, so the data recorded reflects what really happened.
Make past entries easy to revisit, so caregivers and clinicians can recognize patterns and understand what changed.
The calm check-in didn't arrive fully formed — it started rough, got sharper through testing, and shed steps along the way.
The first build asked for a 1–5 skin rating every day. Testers found it fussy, so it became a single “How's your skin?” tap — the finer detail moved into an optional follow-up.
Testing pointed to one root issue: STRIPES behaved like two products — a study and a recording tool — while caregivers expected a single, continuous flow. So the redesign focused less on individual screens and more on the path between them: orienting caregivers before they log, guiding each entry, and making it easy to return and review. Each strategy below maps to a prioritized usability issue.
Merge the study and the recording experience into a single path, so caregivers always know where they are and what comes next — directly answering the study-vs-record split that caused the most confusion.
Lead with a real home screen that surfaces the study, the day's tasks, and a clear starting point, so caregivers no longer drop straight into recording without context.
Replace medical terminology and assumed knowledge with caregiver-friendly wording and lightweight, in-context guidance, so users always understand what a step is for.
Reshape scales, fields, and symptom options around how caregivers actually observe and report — including the edge cases the original inputs missed.
Make key actions prominent and show what's done, what's left, and whether users are on track — rebuilding the confidence that weak visibility and lingering technical issues had eroded.
A research-backed redesign that moves STRIPES from a web app to a guided, mobile-first workflow built around how caregivers actually log symptoms — quickly, in the moment, often under stress.
From a dense desktop tool where users got lost between study tasks and daily logging — to a mobile experience with one clear home, a guided Blue Meal Study flow, and faster symptom entry and review.
Why it matters: STRIPES supports caregivers recording for patients who can't self-report in GI research studies. Unclear workflows don't just frustrate — they produce skipped steps and weaker clinical data. The shift from desktop to mobile wasn't a format change; it was a workflow change — a chance to rethink navigation, hierarchy, guidance, and feedback around real caregiver use.
The home screen became the caregiver's starting point. Instead of requiring users to search for study information or guess where to begin, the redesigned mobile home focused on showing active study status, daily tracking actions, and the next step clearly.
The Blue Meal Study workflow was redesigned to make study requirements easier to follow. Findings showed users struggled to locate study information, understand required phases, and move through tasks like Transit Time. The redesign focused on clearer study cards, step-by-step guidance, and visible progress cues.
The logging experience was redesigned to reduce uncertainty during data entry. Clearer labels, grouped inputs, selected states, helper text, and confirmation feedback made recording symptoms feel more guided and less dependent on outside instruction.
The history flow was redesigned to make past entries easier to find and scan. This supported STRIPES as an ongoing tracking tool, not just a one-time study task — giving caregivers a way to review what was recorded and recognize patterns over time.
Cognitive Walkthrough helped identify system-level issues in the original experience, including unclear task logic, missing confirmations, unexpected redirects, incomplete task descriptions, and misleading flows.
Usability Testing showed how those issues affected real users. Participants hesitated, became confused by terminology, missed instructions, and sometimes interpreted STRIPES as a short-term or one-time-use tool rather than an ongoing health-tracking system.
Together, the two methods gave the redesign stronger direction. When the same issue appeared in both CW and UT, it became easier to prioritize. When each method revealed different issues, it showed why one method alone would not have captured the full caregiver experience.
The redesign moved STRIPES from a desktop/web experience with unclear workflow moments into a more focused mobile direction built around caregiver needs.
Rather than simply making the interface cleaner, the redesign clarified where to start, how to complete study-related tasks, how to record symptoms, and how to review past information. In a caregiver health-tracking tool, those improvements matter because clearer workflows can support more complete, reliable, and trustworthy symptom data.
The redesigns were developed to address the usability problems found during testing — and to improve how people move through the experience.
Record multiple symptoms through a simple step-by-step flow, instead of jumping between separate sections.
Capture what happened across the whole day in one record, like a diary entry.
Add multiple symptoms, timing, context, and notes in one place so an entry feels complete.
Clear instructions, easy review of past entries, and a simple way to see daily patterns.
A look at the finished product — then a breakdown of each flow, the problem it solved and what changed.
"From desktop forms to a guided, tap-based caregiver workflow."
Turning a confusing setup into a clear, guided start.
Caregivers couldn't tell where the Blue Meal Study actually began.
It wasn't clear what setup steps were required to get going.
Users struggled to tell how to move from one onboarding step to the next.
Care-recipient setup didn't fit situations that weren't clear-cut.
Onboarding opens with a Welcome screen that orients caregivers before setup begins.
Setup is broken into four clear steps, so the next action is always obvious.
Progress indicators show how far along onboarding is and what's left.
Care-recipient setup adds Other and Not Sure options, with required Terms and Privacy confirmation.
The new onboarding flow gives caregivers a clearer starting point, reduces setup confusion, and helps users enter the study with more confidence and less reliance on moderator guidance.
Turning the home screen into a clear starting point.
Nothing signalled where to begin or what the most important next step was.
Blue Meal Study sat apart from recording and read more like a pop-up than an active task.
Vague labels like “Record” left users unsure whether a section was for study info, resources, or symptom logging.
Tight spacing and weak hierarchy made the screen slow to read at a glance.
The moment caregivers open the app, they see where they are in the study and what to do next.
Active Blue Meal Study status, the current day, and the next required step sit at the top — no searching required.
Logging symptoms, meals, and study steps are all reachable directly from the home screen.
Visible progress and completion cues confirm what's done and what still needs attention.
The redesigned Home screen gives caregivers a clearer place to start and reduces confusion between study tasks and daily recording. By making the Blue Meal Study visible, showing its status, and using more specific action labels, the screen helps users understand what to do next without relying on moderator guidance.
This supports a smoother caregiver workflow: users can begin the study, record symptoms, and review today's entries from one central place.
Turning a confusing study process into a guided step-by-step flow.
Key Blue Meal Study information lived in unexpected places like the Study tab or Terms of Service.
Users couldn't tell what step they were on or what action was required next.
Terms like Motility, BMS, BM, Transit Time, and Wait Time went unexplained.
The flow only worked if followed exactly, and didn't match how caregivers track over time.
A dedicated landing page with a clear Start Study action, reachable from the Home screen.
Named phases show where caregivers are and what comes next, each with a short explanation.
A Terms to Know section and a clear timeline, including the 7-day Wait Time, explain what and when to log.
Inline questions, a Next button disabled until fields are complete, clear errors, and a fixed action button.
The redesigned Blue Meal Study flow gives caregivers a clearer path from study introduction to study completion. Users can understand what the study is, where to start, what terms mean, what they are tracking, and how to move through each phase without relying on outside guidance.
By making progress visible, clarifying required actions, and explaining timing and terminology in plain language, the redesign reduces the risk of skipped steps, incomplete entries, and misunderstood study requirements. This supports a more reliable caregiver workflow and helps protect the quality of the symptom and study data collected through STRIPES.
Giving study information a clear home.
Guidance was scattered across the Study tab, Terms of Service, and other areas.
Study information sat alongside Terms of Service, so it didn't feel like help.
Users struggled with study steps and unusual or edge-case situations.
Medical terminology like the Bristol Stool Scale wasn't explained in plain language.
Resources became one clear home for all study guidance.
Blue Meal Study information was pulled out of Terms of Service into its own place.
Pages explain what the study is and how it works, plus a How to Log Different Situations page for unclear cases.
A Bristol Stool Scale page explains stool types in plain language with visual support.
The Resources redesign makes study information easier to find, understand, and return to when caregivers need help. By separating educational content from legal content, clarifying study steps, and explaining medical terms in a more approachable way, the design reduces confusion and supports more accurate symptom logging. This gives caregivers more confidence while moving through the study and helps protect the quality of the data they record.
Making symptom entry more flexible, guided, and connected to the study.
Logging didn't make clear when Blue Meal Study information mattered.
No way to say None, Not Sure, Other, or that the exact time was unknown.
Each symptom type meant a separate screen, even when several happened together.
Terms like BM and GI Symptoms, and the pain and stool scales, went unexplained.
A 4-step progress bar, a persistent date header, and clear prompts show what to do next.
BMS guidance lives inside the Bowel Movement flow, asking about blue dye exactly when it matters.
None, Other, and Not Sure options, flexible date and time, and a body diagram for pain location.
Plain terms and grouped scales, plus picking multiple symptoms at once with one shared time.
The redesigned symptom logging flow helps caregivers record health information in a way that better matches real life. It reduces confusion by using clearer terms, guided questions, flexible timing, visible progress, and stronger input support.
By connecting BMS guidance directly to the Bowel Movement flow, the design helps users understand when study-specific information matters. By allowing uncertainty, edge cases, and edits, the flow supports more accurate and complete entries instead of forcing caregivers into choices that may not fit the situation.
Overall, symptom logging becomes less repetitive, easier to follow, and more trustworthy as a data-entry experience.
Making past entries easier to find, scan, and understand over time.
History wasn't visible enough, and finding a specific past entry was difficult.
Once opened, too much information appeared at once, making the screen hard to read.
Meals, bowel movements, pain, sleep, mood, and GI symptoms read as separate records, not related events.
Users didn't know whether a saved entry could still be changed.
A dedicated review space in persistent bottom navigation: Home, Record, History, and Menu.
Entry-type filters, date navigation, and week/month views with dots marking days that have entries.
Related entries sit together in clean, timestamped cards with color-coded dots, grouped into sections like Midday.
Each entry card has a visible Edit link, plus a prominent + New Entry button.
The redesigned History flow helps caregivers move from simply storing entries to actually reviewing and making sense of them. Filters, calendar views, timeline groupings, and clearer entry cards make past data easier to find, scan, and edit.
By showing related symptoms and events together over time, History better supports pattern recognition. This helps caregivers understand what changed, check for missing or incorrect information, and maintain more complete and reliable symptom records.
Before redesigning STRIPES, we evaluated the existing web app to understand where the caregiver workflow was breaking down — not to validate the redesign, but to define what needed to change.
The research focused on how well the original STRIPES experience supported caregivers during key study and symptom-tracking tasks. Three questions framed the evaluation:
We wanted to find the moments where users could not move forward confidently without help.
We looked for breakdowns in navigation, study flow, terminology, data entry, and feedback.
STRIPES depends on accurate entries over time, so we focused on problems that could cause skipped steps, incomplete entries, or misunderstood instructions.
We used two evaluation methods on the original STRIPES experience: Cognitive Walkthrough and moderated Usability Testing.
Evaluated whether users would know what to do at each step, understand the available actions, and get enough feedback to continue.
Showed how real participants interpreted the app, where they hesitated, and which tasks they could complete independently.
The original STRIPES app was evaluated across core caregiver tasks: finding Blue Meal Study information, starting the study, recording bowel movements, progressing through study steps, and reviewing or editing entries. The main problems were not only visual — they were structural. Users struggled to understand where the study began, how study tasks connected to symptom recording, what certain terms meant, and whether actions had been completed.
Users had trouble locating key study details because BMS information was not placed where they expected it.
Users did not always know how to begin the study or what steps were required before recording.
Users struggled with timing, wait periods, progress, and required study actions.
Users had difficulty finding history, understanding previous logs, and recognizing whether entries could be edited.
After testing, we organized issues by frequency, severity, and overlap between methods. When the same issue appeared in both Cognitive Walkthrough and Usability Testing, it became a stronger redesign priority. The findings were synthesized into five root causes:
Users did not know where to begin or where key study information could be found.
The product separated study information from recording tasks, but users expected one guided flow.
Medical terms, shorthand labels, missing onboarding, and unclear explanations made the app harder to understand.
Some forms, scales, and symptom options did not fully support real caregiver situations, uncertainty, or edge cases.
Important actions, confirmations, progress cues, and edit options were not always visible enough to help users feel confident.
The evaluation uncovered more issues than we could address at once, so we prioritized the problems that most affected task completion, caregiver confidence, and data quality.
The starting point, Blue Meal Study flow, symptom logging, Resources, and History.
Terminology, edge-case support, study education, input guidance, and progress feedback.
Richer reporting, long-term visualizations, and advanced tracking support.
Because this research evaluated the original experience, the measurements helped us understand the baseline problems before redesign.
Could users complete key STRIPES tasks without moderator guidance?
Where did users pause, misunderstand instructions, or take the wrong path?
Which problems appeared most often, and which had the greatest impact on task success?
Which issues appeared in both Cognitive Walkthrough and Usability Testing?
The original prototype scored 73.1 on the SUS — generally good, though task performance showed several moments still needed stronger guidance.
STRIPES didn’t need a visual refresh — it needed a clearer caregiver workflow.
The Blue Meal Study was not visible enough, and users did not always know where to begin.
Users expected one guided flow, but STRIPES separated study information from symptom entry.
Users needed guidance while logging, not only in separate study or resource areas.
Labels like BMS, BM, GI Symptoms, Transit Time, and Wait Time needed clearer plain-language support.
Caregivers needed an easier way to find, scan, edit, and understand past entries over time.
The research gave a clear redesign direction: make STRIPES easier to start, easier to follow, easier to log in, and easier to review later.
Every screen designed for a quick check-in — and out.
Log a BM, meal, or symptom in seconds.
Senso was a self-directed redesign concept — here's what held up, and where I'd push it further.
Cutting logging to a single tap did more for consistency than any motivational feature.
The adaptive plan was the biggest assumption — I'd validate it in week one next time, not week three.
A longer real-world trial, plus the streak-with-a-friend mode testers kept asking for.
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