Senior Healthcare Digital Solutions
My Role
Senior Service Designer and Lead ResearcherThe Team
Cross-functional (service designers, business partners, IT)Scope
Discovery research, concept development, roadmapping, stakeholder facilitation, co-creation workshops, concept testing, experience visioningOverview
A large healthcare organization sought to reimagine how digital tools could better support seniors as they age. With rising competition in the Medicare Advantage market and evolving expectations from digitally-savvy older adults, leadership recognized the need to move towards life-centered digital experiences.
This multi-phase strategic initiative aimed to answer a complex question:
How might we help seniors and their care networks feel more confident, supported, and empowered through key life transitions—using digital in a way that feels human?
Our team was brought in to shape this vision and chart a path forward. Through research, co-creation, concept development, and testing, we partnered with the organization to identify high-impact opportunities, align leadership, and create a shared digital roadmap for the next 5 years.
Challenge
Designing digital tools that truly support people through health-related life transitions is complex. Many existing solutions are fragmented, hard to navigate, or fail to address the needs of individuals and their support networks.
Approach
We led a multi-phase strategic effort, starting with foundational discovery and culminating in a fully developed service vision.
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We began by identifying 8 critical “moments that matter” in a senior’s healthcare journey, spanning from retirement planning to end-of-life navigation. To align leaders around which moments to pursue, we hosted a full-day in-person prioritization workshop.
Prioritization Workshop Summary
Audience: C-suite and business unit leaders
Agenda Highlights:Welcome & Framing – Shared project goals and research insights
Transformational Potential – Assessed opportunities for innovation and differentiation
Foundational Readiness – Evaluated feasibility, timing, and strategic fit
Group Share-Out – Captured themes, points of alignment, and tensions
Final Prioritization – Aligned on the 4 moments to explore in concept development
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We conducted three ideation workshops with senior leaders across business, marketing, and experience strategy. Each session focused on a prioritized moment in the senior journey and moved participants from divergent idea generation to aligned concept directions.
Ideation Workshop Summary
Round 1: Crazy 8’s – Individual idea generation through rapid sketching to explore a wide range of possibilities
Round 2: Mash-Up Prompting – Teams used brand provocations (e.g., “What if Spotify designed this?”) to stretch their thinking
Idea Clustering – All ideas were grouped into thematic clusters based on patterns or emerging themes
Voting on Clusters – Participants voted on the cluster they felt had the most potential
Fresh-Out Round (Subteams) – Participants split into small teams to build out one idea from their selected cluster, refining the concept with more detail
Share-Out (Full Group) – Each subteam presented their refined idea back to the larger group for discussion, feedback, and strategic alignment
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We synthesized the strongest ideas into four testable concepts—some expressed as illustrated storyboards, others as low-fidelity prototypes—and tested them with a mix of seniors and caregivers.
Recruitment Strategy
To ensure representation across different life stages and care needs, we intentionally recruited a diverse participant pool.
Participants:
8 seniors (ranging from independent to those requiring daily support)
9 caregivers (supporting loved ones with health, finances, or logistics)
Total: 17 participants
Platforms:
dscout – Recruited 4 caregiver/senior pairs for remote testing
Human8 – Recruited 9 additional participants for in-person sessions
Testing Methods
Storyboards – Illustrated end-to-end experiences for participant walkthroughs
Low-Fidelity Prototypes – Simple interactive flows for concept interaction
Card Sorting & Feedback Prompts – Helped uncover mental models, expectations, and concerns
Live Synthesis – Clustering responses into themes (e.g., usefulness, confusion, unmet needs) in real time
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Following testing, we refined concepts and partnered with IT and initiative leads to co-create a 5-year implementation roadmap. The roadmap balanced foundational improvements with longer-term transformation and clearly outlined ownership, sequencing, and feasibility.
Frameworks
Prototypes
Wireframes for Iphone and Ipad
Storyboarding the Concepts:
After our ideation workshops, we created illustrated storyboards for each idea, using simple visuals and captions to map out the user experience step by step.Wireframing for Feedback:
We translated the storyboards into wireframes to test with members, providers, and subject matter experts—gathering insights on usability and relevance.Iterating & Refining:
Based on feedback, we refined the concepts—improving flows, visuals, and language to better meet user and business needs.
Storyboards
Iterating & Refining
Outcomes
Roadmap Development
Following testing, we refined concepts and partnered with IT and initiative leads to co-create a 5-year implementation roadmap. The roadmap balanced foundational improvements with longer-term transformation and clearly outlined ownership.
My Contributions
Co-created the digital experience vision alongside stakeholders.
Facilitated executive workshops to identify and prioritize key “moments that matter”
Led concept testing with seniors and caregivers to refine ideas and validate value
Synthesized insights into a 5-year implementation roadmap grounded in real needs and organizational capabilities.