NEAT-O

By Connor Steffens UX Design and Research

Executive summary

Justin Anker, PhD, and Linda Rinehart, PhD, from the University of Minnesota, along with Scott Burwell from NeuroType, are developing NEAT-O, a digital CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) program for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). NEAT-O will be a mobile app that helps patients manage their conditions. Initially, it will be prescription-only and aim to get FDA clearance as a mHealth app.

we started by doing some deep-dive research to understand the problem space. Then we had an interview with two stakeholders to see how we could be most effective. Using that information we created a user journey map to help understand the user. We decided to make annotated wireframes to ease the pain points we found in the journey map.

Goals

-Conduct secondary research to identify pain points and opportunities

-Present design documentation illustrating complex interactions

-Create prototypes addressing opportunities in various mediums

-Propose solutions through rapid prototypes

-Visually present design recommendations supporting key goals

Methods

Competitive Audit

Secondary Research

Stakeholder Interview

Experience Maps

Scenarios

Storyboard

Prototyping

Deep Dive Research

As a team, we split up and did a large amount of research. I read different articles, watched videos, and looked at the competitive landscape. We regrouped and shared our newly acquired knowledge.

Stakerholder Interview

We then had a 1:30-minute stakeholder interview with Justin and Scott. Before the meeting, we came up with a variety of questions we wanted answered. Some key takeaways were:

  • 50% of people with OUD also have anxiety and depression.

  • The simplest goal is to get people to stop using drugs; the realistic goal is harm reduction.

  • Privacy is a major concern for the user group.

    With this information, we came up with a strategy statement and guiding principles to help us throughout the project.

Strategy Statement

All patient experience touch points for NEAT-O will help adults suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD) who are seeking treatment by helping them feel supported and hopeful that they will be able to abstain from using opioids. We will do this by focusing on affirming healthy habit formation and providing supportive resources to educate and guide the user to their goal of sobriety.

Guiding Principles

  • NEAT-O’s primary goal is to help people suffering from OUD, driven by mission rather than profit.

  • NEAT-O, the app, is intended to provide greater convenience and accessibility for people suffering from OUD.

  • Recovery is a continuous journey taken one day at a time, and NEAT-O serves as a companion within a larger support system to help manage OUD.

  • NEAT-O aims to provide resources and tools to be able to find what they need without having to meet with their therapist and identify their signs and triggers.

  • People suffering from OUD have often been stigmatized and have been hesitant to get help. NEAT-O hopes to provide a judgment-free experience for these people.

Experience Map

With deep collaboration, we created an experience journey map. To get started, we made a low-fidelity sitemap to understand how users might interact with the app. We chose to use circles to represent the cyclical nature of recovery and the repeated interaction with the app.

Designed by Jonah Wang

Annotated wireframes

I then prototyped a key feature of the app: a tracker. This feature would keep track of your mood, cravings, triggers, and sobriety. Also, I designed a hamburger menu and a pop-up that would appear once a day to remind you to track your various things.

If you are interested, there is a link to my full annotated wireframe and a walkthrough of my interactive prototype.

Video Walkthrough

Next steps/ learning

It was cool to be involved in such a meaningful project. With NEAT-O being in such an early stage of development, it was fun to look at all the different ways you could go.

I learned a lot in this project about recovery, anxiety, depression, and the ability to prescribe an app.

The next steps I would like to do would be to take my current wireframes up a level in fidelity and build out more parts of the app. I was very pressed for time on this project and wasn’t able to do everything I envisioned. One thing I’d like to build out is the gamification aspect.