CARECRUIT
The Cincinnati Cohort
Biomarker Program
Enhancing Patient Engagement in Clinical Research Through UX Design
As part of a multidisciplinary team, I focused on user research, interaction design, and usability testing. I conducted user interviews to identify pain points, designed wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes, and iterated based on usability feedback to enhance accessibility and engagement.
Tools Used:
My Role
Figma, Procreate, Adobe Indesign & Illustrator
Design Strategy & User Experience Research
Research Process
We began our journey by getting introduced to the Cincinnati Cohort Biomarker Program (CCBP) team, where we gained insights into their mission and the challenges they face in recruiting participants for clinical research. Our goal was to understand the current patient recruitment process, identify key stakeholders, and uncover barriers that prevent individuals from engaging in medical studies.
OVERVIEW
CCBP Mission
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s impact millions of individuals, yet current treatments often fail to address the unique needs of different patients. Traditional approaches group patients under broad disease labels, overlooking the biological variations that influence disease progression and treatment effectiveness.
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The Cincinnati Cohort Biomarker Program (CCBP) aims to redefine neurodegenerative diseases by classifying patients into distinct biological subtypes based on their unique biomarkers. This approach allows for more personalized and targeted treatments, potentially altering disease progression and improving patient outcomes.
Project Goal
​To promote the study program, specifically to encourage patients with neurodegenerative diseases as well as healthy controls to participate in the study for biological data collection. ​
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In this research we tried to apply research methods to identify stakeholders (e.g., patients, caregivers, family members, researchers) and understand their goals and values regarding the study participation. ​
​The research objective extends to understand how they are affected by different conditions (according to the types and development phases of their disease), cope with them, and engage with self-or professional- care. ​
Based on the study findings, we developed a proposal for a future research/design project to motivate patients to actively participate in medical research studies such as CCBP and improve the quality of care and life of patients with neurodegenerative disease.
Initial Research
We initiated secondary research to deepen our understanding of patients' experiences and challenges. Additionally, we examined the materials provided by CCBP to gain insight into their research objectives and specific needs.
01. DISCOVERY
About Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects the brain, leading to a decline in memory and cognitive function. It is the most common cause of dementia, a syndrome characterised by a significant loss of cognitive abilities
that interferes with daily life.
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Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.
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Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. The greatest known
risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with
Alzheimer's are 65 and older.
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Some aspects of the disease:
Memory
Loss
Cognitive
Decline
Behavioral
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Changes
Functional
Impairment
Brain
Changes
Based on our readings, the initial themes we pulled out included:
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Exploring the implementation of wearable technology
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Forming connections with the local community
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Giving patients reasons to participate
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Understanding the role of caregivers and support groups in the lives of the patients.
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Here, we shifted focus to finding ways to increase the
patient recruitment rate for the study.
Our Research Queries
We developed specific inquiry questions tailored to each of our main research subjects and laid them out to initiate our primary research. As we progressed, we began gathering insights from CCBP and expanded our data collection from various additional sources.
Few selected answers from our primary research (CCBP):
Observed Needs From The Insights
Opportunity Space
CCBP would like to have more continuity in participant communication between visits but currently lacks the staff to create social media content and additional artefacts. We can help alleviate this constraint by proposing a plan that is trustworthy and addresses needed resources, templates, examples, and research on targeted users.
The findings shaped our research questions, objectives, and inspired us to brainstorm potential solutions, including the concept of creating a "hope package"
02. EMPATHIZE
Framework
Flow Model
Affinity Mapping
To find major pivotal factors and combining experiences with idea
To synthesize final data codes
Patient Journey Map
From the visit observations
Empathy Map
From the patient visit observations to map emotional state of patient
To create a newsletter template, we brainstormed possible sections to include and identified what resources would be needed from the CCBP. We categorized the sections into two groups: CCBP information and community building. These categories are designed to enhance our focus areas, outreach and retention, and deliver a "hope package" to our audience.
Patient Flow
Affinity Map
Patient Journey
After conducting our preliminary research and visiting the lab, we gathered valuable insights that helped in better understanding towards the patients participating in the research. This allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the current recruitment process. In order to identify areas for improvement, we have mapped out a user journey to comprehensively analyze the entire process.
Empathy Map
We implemented a card sorting exercise to extract insights that would inform potential solutions. This involved active participation from key stakeholders, including doctors and researchers.
03. WORKSHOP
Workshop
Drawing inspiration from the research papers Judgement Call and New Metaphors, which explore gamified co-design workshops, we developed a gameplay that enables participants to empathize with various stakeholders, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of their perspectives.
Designing Workshop
Workshop interaction cards
Role Cards
Need Cards
Worksheet
Situation Sheet
Executing the Workshop
Choosing a Role
Participants pick a ROLE CARD at random, each of which comes with a description of the role of a particular stakeholder. Participants must empathize with the chosen role for the entirety of the game by putting themselves in a situation chosen from or inspired by the SITUATION SHEET.
Ex of Role: "Adult Caregiver" (Direct Stakeholder)
Ex of Description: Someone who lives in their parent's home and is the primary caregiver for one/both parents who are patients.
Step I
Need Mapping
Collect and use NEED CARDS to characterize information that the participants' particular stakeholders would find useful in a potential newsletter. Through principles of card sorting, participants could choose from existing cards, or write down ideas on given empty cards.
Ex. of Need Cards: "It Would Be Good To Know About Speech training programs to re-develop communication abilities."
Synthesizing a Story
Step II
Use worksheets to map out the prioritization of content cards, and why the stakeholder would need the content that is picked. Participants must create a storyline for their characters and prepare to present it to the rest of the group.
Step III
Presentation and Discussion
Participants present their ideas to a group. The other members of the group must put down their ideas or feedback onto post-it notes that are shared with the presenter at the end.
Step IV
Participants were in support of the idea of having a newsletter for the patients and stakeholders to engage with.
04. IDEATE
Developing Solution
Participants actively engaged their imagination, consistently embodying their adopted personas throughout the game. Analyzing the results enabled us to refine our solution, organizing content in the newsletter based on its relevance and usefulness.
Sample Prototype
04. REFLECTION
Project Limitations & Opportunities
This four-month research project provided valuable insights into the barriers and motivations influencing clinical study participation. However, due to time constraints, our proposed solution remains in its early stages. Further iterations and refinements are necessary to maximize its effectiveness and ensure successful implementation.
One promising avenue for expansion is the development of a structured newsletter that enhances patient outreach and engagement. This initiative could serve as an ongoing communication tool, offering clear study information, updates, and testimonials to encourage participation.
Recommended Next Steps
To move toward practical implementation, we propose the following actionable steps:
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Assign a Co-Op Student – Designate a student intern to manage newsletter content creation and distribution.
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Conduct Stakeholder Interviews – Collaborate with Dawn to interview key stakeholders and gain deeper insights into their perspectives:
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Doctors – To understand their role in patient recruitment.
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Patients (with consent) – To explore their hesitations and motivations.
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Caregivers (with consent) – To uncover how they influence patient decision-making.
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Develop Clear Study Communication – Create a concise, engaging study description for the newsletter, ensuring accessibility for a broad audience.
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Engage Community Groups – Partner with local organizations and support networks to expand outreach and foster trust within patient communities.
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Leverage a Canva Template – Utilize a pre-designed Canva template to streamline the newsletter design and maintain visual consistency.
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Establish a Mailing List – Build and maintain a subscriber database to ensure the newsletter reaches relevant audiences effectively.
Final Thoughts
Although this project faced constraints, it laid a strong foundation for future UX-driven initiatives in clinical study engagement. By refining our approach and implementing these next steps, CCBP can enhance participant recruitment and ensure broader access to groundbreaking research in neurodegenerative diseases.
