McGill University School of Physical & Occupational Therapy

My Role: UX Design Lead

My Responsibilities: Lead the Design Process, User Research & UX Design

Team: 3 UX Designers & researchers, 1 Product Manager, 2 Developers

Tools: Figma, FigJam, Color blind, Contrast Checker

Design Process

• Identified design issues through Heuristic Evaluation.
• Refined and enhanced the design system to align with accessibility guideines.
• Conducted design iterations to address usability and accessibility concerns.
• Created high-fidelity mockups to validate and communicate the final design versions.

Project Overview

Jooay is driven by the goal of connecting individuals with disabilities to leisure activities through its platform.

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What was the problem?

Despite a strong rate of user acquisition, Jooay struggles with a low retention rate, indicating that users are not staying engaged with the app over time.

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What was the initial hypothesis?

To develop new features to increase user engagement and retention.

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What did I do?

Led the design process to redesign the entire application to enhance usability and ensure compliance with WCAG guidelines, which received positive feedback and high satisfaction during usability testing.

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What was my impact?

Evaluated initial design hypothesis through heuristic evaluation and user interviews and identified misalignment with user needs; advocated for a user-centric redesign, resulting in a strategic pivot that saved time and resources.

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Who are we designing for?

We analyzed 18 interview transcripts provided by the user researcher.

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Children and Youth with Disabilities

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3–18 years old

Gender: All genders

Occupation: Students

Behaviors:

• Use mobile apps to find activities matching their interests
• Engage in social groups for recommendations.

Pain points:

• Inaccessible digital tools and platforms
• Limited access to assistive technology
• Difficulty finding inclusive activities
• Difficulty making friends
• Anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem

Needs from Jooay:

• Advanced filtering
• Personalized information
• Community connection
• Friendly user interface
• photo sharing

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Parents and Caregivers

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20–55 years old

Gender: Predominantly female

Occupation: Parents, guardians, or caregivers

Behaviors:

• Provide safe, enriching experiences for kids
• Motivating their kids to go out and stay active

Pain points:

• Limited information about programs and services
• Struggle to find accessible resources accommodating their child’s needs
• Getting their child to appointments
• Tracking their child’s progress and self assessment

Needs from Jooay:

• Reviews for reliability
• Easy registration
• Detailed information
• Tracking child’s activities
• Adding appropriate activities to the community
• Community support and shared experiences.