Medtronic: Patient Portal
Medtronic partnered with our team at Punchcut to architect a comprehensive mobile solution for their MiniMed diabetes management system. The scope of this work was complex, spanning a patient portal, device firmware updates, and automated supply inventory tracking. Serving as the UX Lead, I directed the foundational research, information architecture, and interaction models. Our goal was to strip the anxiety out of chronic care by transforming dense medical data and complex, multi-layered scheduling flows into a calm, highly contextual workspace to empower patients and align seamlessly with healthcare provider workflows.
Role: UX Lead (Qualitative Research, Information Architecture, User Testing)
Agency: Punchcut
Duration: 2 Months (Strategic Design Phase)
Output: Optimized mobile patient portal blueprint and interactive system models
Foundational Ethnographic Research
To ground our strategy in real human behaviors, I led our foundational research in the Chicago metropolitan area, conducting deep-dive ethnographic interviews to learn how diabetes patients managed their care. Instead of just asking questions in a vacuum, we had participants walk us through their active daily routines, showing us exactly how they physically organized, stored, and tracked their diabetes medications and supplies. We capped off these sessions with a feature card-sorting exercise to map out what data points patients actually prioritize when they are managing their health on the go
Synthesis (Yes, More Post-Its)
We captured the raw, real-world data from our participants and mapped it all out on a wall. I will affinity map literally any time an opportunity presents itself. There is simply no better way to sift signal from noise. Grouping these sticky notes by behavioral similarity allowed us to spot clear, undeniable patterns that ultimately shaped our design strategy.
Strategic Research Insights
Our fieldwork and supplemental quantitative data (culled through a survey we ran) surfaced distinct user motivations and massive friction points around supply chains and device care. We synthesized these into nine core themes, falling under three primary pillars: Trust (the need for human touch and system forgiveness), Variability (sticky habits vs. volatile medical needs), and Contextual Awareness (giving users the exact answer they need, at the right time, on the right channel).
Behavioral Archetypes
Rather than relying on generic demographic profiles, we developed three distinct behavioral frameworks based on how patients handle supply friction. We mapped these out into concrete user profiles. First was the Stockpiler, who hoards supplies out of systemic anxiety. Next was the Penny Pincher, who constantly navigates insurance barriers. Finally, we looked at the Strategist, who micro-manages clinical metrics. Structuring our design targets around these specific coping mechanisms allowed us to prioritize features based on real-world logistical failures rather than idealized user paths.
Mapping Emotional and Technical Journeys
We mapped out user journeys to visualize how these archetypes felt while navigating the convoluted healthcare reordering loop. Tracking their emotional highs and lows alongside the technical steps allowed us to pinpoint exactly where the current system caused panic or drop-offs, opening up clear design opportunities to streamline the compliance pipeline.
Information Architecture and Spatial Modeling
With a solid behavioral foundation, I began mapping out the structural layout of the application. Various information architectures were explored, with the goal of simplifying the primary navigation and ensuring that critical medical notifications and daily logs were never more than a tap away. To complement the static IA, we built a spatial model to define how information moves dynamically across the screen. This ensured that transition animations oriented the user and signaled where they were going within the app's ecosystem.
Wireframes and Flow Refinement
The design process began with creating wireframes to define the screens and user flows for the experience. These wireframes served as foundational blueprints, allowing us to map out the structure and interactions without the distraction of visual design elements. This phase was crucial for evaluating the core functionality and ensuring that the user experience was intuitive and logical. By focusing purely on layout and flow, we were able to refine the interactions, identify any usability gaps, and make adjustments early on before adding any design details.
Usability Testing: Reality Testing our Assumptions
To validate our structural theories, we ran a rapid three-day usability testing sprint in San Francisco with local participants. Watching users interact with our prototypes allowed us to evaluate if our navigation and medical status readouts were actually intuitive, or if we were unintentionally introducing new points of confusion.
Translating What We Heard (Even More Post-Its)
Yay! It was that time again. We threw the testing data up on the wall to affinity map out user feedback. Triangulating these insights gave us a clear, consensus view of what was working well and where the interaction model needed refinement to align with real user expectations.
An Approachable Visual Design Language
Direct visual inspiration was drawn from Medtronic’s brand guidelines, but we needed to adapt them for a daily mobile experience. We used intentional textures and soft geometry to build an approachable aesthetic. The main goal was to balance the high stakes of a medical interface by creating a workspace that felt calm and easy to look at every day.