Joint Academy
Developing a digital treatment program for osteoarthritis, the most prevalent joint disease worldwide
Client: Joint Academy
Year: 2016 - 2018
Joint Academy is a clinically proven, digital treatment program for chronic hip and knee pain. The program provides patients suffering from diagnosed hip- or knee osteoarthritis with individually adapted exercises and educational material. Guided exercises have been proven by research as an effective non-surgical treatment method for hip and knee osteoarthritis, the exercise program is designed to strengthen the muscles around the painful hip or knee joints to facilitate stabilisation and protection. Via the platform, patients are connected to a personal physiotherapist who helps set goals, review progress and regularly provides feedback.
Exercise videos were developed and supported through animations (left) and aside from the patient UI, an UI was developed specifically for the fysiotherapists to manage their patients (right).
Challenge
My main responsibilities when I started as a lead designer at Joint Academy were to design the website and web application. There was a need to develop the brand and a coherent visual identity for the website, digital application, and all printed material. As osteoarthritis predominantly affects people of older age, there was a strong need for extensive user research to fully understand the target demographics and ensure optimal functionality and accessibility. My main focus was on the digital product, improving the user experience, and designing new functionalities for the application from conceptualization to high-fidelity prototypes. Initially being the only designer at a growing start-up, my role demanded the alignment of the design process and workflow throughout the company, and pursuing the development of a design system to ensure a coherent user experience throughout all aspects of the product and brand.
Approach
Starting with a logo and the initial version of the app, my approach was to develop a coherent visual identity throughout the product and website, aligned with the brand. Illustrations were developed with a characteristic and uniform style which added an inviting and personal touch to the product and brand. The developed illustrations supported the communication of exercise techniques and educational material regarding the disease concerning the anatomy of the human body. Dedicated exercise videos were developed and integrated into the application, and clear and intuitive animations were added to the videos to help convey particular exercises. The philosophy of the digital application was to keep things simple, focusing on functionality and user-friendliness while always adhering to accessibility guidelines and recommendations when designing products for a predominantly older demographics.
