Sema4 Pregnancy Journey
Pregnancy Journey is a comprehensive educational resource for both pregnancy and postpartum stages, offering valuable insights to help users navigate their pregnancy with confidence. Through our platform, users can gain a clearer understanding of their current stage of pregnancy, make informed decisions concerning their baby and their own well-being, and foster more meaningful dialogues with their healthcare providers.
Year
2020 - 2022
Design
Daniel Alcala, Alex Vessels,
Jackie Colognesi, Lauren
Mancuso, Stephanie Arnold
Engineering
Keith Augustsson, Keith
Thompson, Jwun-Da Lu,
Phil Kubiak, Sharon Chang,
Erica Li, Andrew Cohn
Product / Program
Divya Raghu, George Wong, Avi Jonas, Rohil Shah, Samantha Violante
01 Overview
The challenge
Sema4, a digital health and genetic testing company which was started at Mount Sinai and later became GeneDx, was looking to improve the connectivity of its patient portal users with their electronic health record (EHR) data. Recognizing that reproductive health patients already utilized the patient portal to review pregnancy-related test results, the company sought to further engage them by integrating a pregnancy tracking tool within the portal. The greatest challenge was how to distinguish our service amidst a crowded market of numerous pregnancy tracking apps.
02 Goals
Our main objectives
1
Craft a unique experience in a crowded space of pregnancy apps
Increase patient EHR (Electronic Health Record) Consent rate and data connection rate
3
Collect longitudinal health data (clinical and genetic) for an understudied patient population
4
Provide non-test related value to patients helping us to better serve and assist them
5
Give both Sinai and Non-Sinai patients consent to Sema4 ‘My Health’ and access health data
6
Increase patients' interactions with the portal beyond tracking clinical test progress to offer more support and added value
03 Discovery
Some of the questions we asked ourselves
To initiate the project, we began with extensive secondary research. The product team and I conducted a comprehensive exploration, including a competitive analysis of both consumer and enterprise pregnancy apps.
We conducted a literature review with a specific emphasis on patient and Electronic Health Record (EHR) utilization, patients and medical devices, and patient pregnancy tracking and outcomes. Additionally, a comprehensive social listening review was given, centering on social platforms such as Reddit, Baby Center, and Facebook.
Competitive analysis
I conducted a thorough analysis of prominent pregnancy apps such as The Bump, Ovia Pregnancy, Sprout Pregnancy, WebMD Pregnancy, Glow Nurture, and more to explore their content and visual identity, aiming to gain clearer insights into the current market landscape.
A common critique we identified, which was later validated through testing, was the overly cutesy and stereotypical nature of their content. The heavy advertising and brand-sponsored material contributed to a perception of less credibility, organization, and information overload within these apps. The lack of personalized information for individual users further detracted from the overall usability.
User Interviews
Following the completion of our secondary research, I collaborated with our Patient UX designer to develop discussion guides and generate a range of low-to-high fidelity design concepts for testing with real users.
User testing goals
1
Confirm research insights and opportunities from desk research
2
Identify any new areas of exploration we had not considered
3
Validate or invalidate value and usefulness of proposed features
4
Use iterative design & testing process to zero in on best user experience
Initial testing phases centered on assessing the viability of integrating a pregnancy tracker within a genetic testing company's services. Subsequent rounds shifted focus towards identifying opportunities for product differentiation and establishing a unique market position. Our user interviews were conducted with a mixture of current Sema4 patients and new people sourced from UserExperience.com to help gather feedback.
User Findings
The results of our study were highly positive, confirming several of our initial hypotheses. Users of the patient portal demonstrated a significant level of trust in content originating from Sema4.
They expressed a preference for the scientific tone of our materials over the oversimplified content common in other applications.Participants identified the vitals tracking functionality as a standout feature, recognizing the value proposition of integrating health data. Moreover, individuals indicated a strong inclination to incorporate Pregnancy Journey into their existing suite of pregnancy tracking apps or even adopt it as their primary choice.
Our users told us that they:
Takeaways
Our main takeaway was that each pregnancy is unique. Expectant individuals seek reassurance that their pregnancy is progressing as expected and that they are making informed choices to promote a healthy gestation. Similarly, postpartum women are eager to learn how to navigate self-care during this sensitive time and effectively care for their newborn.
The CMS system as constructed from the MVP outline
Creating resources
At the outset, we read through a selection of pregnancy literature to assess the essential content required for a minimum viable product (MVP). Acknowledging our limited resources, we knew that we couldn't match the content depth of our competitors. However, we recognized the importance of having quality content to engage patients. Our research also revealed a segment of users seeking a more streamlined experience.
We established four fundamental principles to
guide the development of our content:
Smart
Simple
Interesting
Just enough
Outline and CMS development
The Director of Content spearheaded the initial content outline for the MVP, which served as the foundation for developing our custom CMS platform. Collaborating closely with the engineering and product teams, they led the creation of Sema4's inaugural in-house CMS platform. The collaboration began with product and program members contributing content to the system. Our copywriters conducted thorough editorial reviews before publishing each page. The new system streamlined the process of revising copy, eliminating the need for our traditional ticketing process.
UI Considerations
Due to time, financial, and resource constraints, developing a dedicated app for this project was not possible. However, my primary focus while wireframing was to emulate an app-like interface within a browser as closely as possible.
The design approach began with a mobile-first navigation structure positioned at the top and bottom of the page for easy accessibility. Drawing insights from pregnancy app competitors, I aimed to create visuals that emphasized a medical and academic perspective while steering clear of the gamified-commercial aesthetics of other apps. Finding the balance between educational versus visually engaging elements was always priority.
Pregnancy Journey by Sema4
Pregnancy Journey is the only pregnancy tracker that seamlessly integrates with health records, enabling users to monitor crucial vitals such as heart rate and blood pressure throughout their pregnancies. Pregnancy Journey allows users to:
1
Access to clinically validated pregnancy and postpartum content
2
Monitoring of vital sign information within the pregnancy context
3
Track pregnancy progress on a weekly basis and report significant events
4
Contributing to Sema4's research repository to drive groundbreaking research discoveries
06 Key features
Getting the word out
Many patients discover Sema4 and Pregnancy Journey through their healthcare provider. Initially, they enroll for test results via the Sema4 patient portal. Next, we reach out via email to invite them sign up for Pregnancy Journey.
Feedback from users indicated that they readily signed up for Pregnancy Journey because of the trust they have in their physician and their positive perception of Sema4.
Opting in or opting out
Weekly Updates
Pregnancy Journey is structured as a series of weekly updates. Users can toggle between weeks, which allows them to look ahead or look back - a feature that was requested during research.
Weekly Summaries
Each week contains a summary and updates on the baby’s body, the patient’s body, their vitals (if they linked their EHR records), and exercise and nutrition information.
Weekly Baby Content
Weekly Body Content
Content in each section is concise, limited to a few paragraphs, avoiding the endless scrolling users complained with other pregnancy trackers. Each 'Your Body' section is paired with a list of symptoms for users to learn about.
Symptoms
Vitals Tracking
Our primary differentiator is enabling users to connect their EHR records to their Pregnancy Journey account. This allows them to compare their vitals against a reference range of patients, implementing one of the most requested features during our research.
In addition to showing users how their vitals track over time, we provide them with extra information about each vital sign - blood pressure, heart rate, and weight.
Reference Range
Because users specifically wanted to see how they compared to other pregnant individuals, we plotted their vitals against a reference range. We provide additional information on this range, with the caveat that users should reach out to their providers if they are concerned about how they track against it.
Exercise and nutrition content
Exercise and nutrition were the top user-requested topics during research, reflecting a strong desire for guidance.
The exercise section includes safe activities tailored to each trimester, alongside highlighting the advantages of physical activity during pregnancy. Nutritional information provides scientific explanations of essential vitamins and nutrients, offering guidance on meals and snacks throughout pregnancy.
Resources
Reporting a birth
Once a user reports a birth, Pregnancy Journey transforms into Family Journey. Users are congratulated on the arrival of their new little one with a fun confetti animation and visual interface is updated to reflect the birth.
Family Journey
The categories in Family Journey are the same as in Pregnancy Journey, but the content differs slightly. “Your Baby” content focuses on caring for a newborn. “Your Body, Exercise, and Nutrition” focus on the physical changes that occur after birth and postpartum healing.
Outcome
There was an 83% increase in the connection of EHR records from Pregnancy Journey users versus those who did not use the service.
Pregnancy Journey users who use EHR spend 52% more time on the portal than non-connected Pregnancy Journey users.
Pregnancy Journey was a central focus of Sema4’s Nasdaq video when the company went public.
After acquiring Sema4, the CEO of GeneDx specifically highlighted Pregnancy Journey as a key asset contributing to the excitement about the merger.
1
Monitor feature performance and effect on existing business goals
2
Explore how to expand on existing value prop for connecting health data
3
Develop additional pregnancy and postpartum content
4
Perform user testing to see if we should develop an experience for our IVF patients