Tunstall Assist
About the project
Tunstall Assist is a modernized version of the SwanMobile app, designed as an alarm management system for residents and healthcare staff.
The app enables users to trigger alarms via the app or a Bluetooth button. Staff can receive, accept, or reject alarms and access critical information directly within the app.
I designed the app and its design system, which is now used across multiple countries.
- Role: Senior UX Designer and Product Owner
- Tools: Figma, FigJam, ProtoPie, pen & paper, screen recording tools
- Methods: Interviews, storyboarding, site mapping, personas, usability testing, think-aloud protocol
Key challenges
- Lack of alarm overview:
When multiple alarms were triggered in the old app within a short time, users struggled to maintain an overview. - Safety concerns outside work areas:
Staff couldn’t notify colleagues or get help when assaulted outside their building.
Solutions
Improved Alarm Overview:
I designed a new screen where incoming alarms were displayed in a vertical list.This approach made it easy for staff to see all active alarms and prioritized the most critical ones with visual indicators.
Enhanced Safety Outside Work Areas:
- Staff could trigger an alarm via the app or a Bluetooth button.
- Alarms included location data displayed on Google Maps, allowing colleagues to locate the distressed staff member quickly.
- A testing feature was added, enabling staff to check the Bluetooth button before leaving the building, ensuring trust in the technology.
- Staff could trigger an alarm via the app or a Bluetooth button.
Results
- Successfully implemented across multiple countries.
- User Feedback:
- Improved efficiency in alarm handling.
- Increased confidence in using the Bluetooth alarm button, thanks to the testing feature.
Learnings
This project underscored the importance of balancing usability with critical safety features. It also highlighted the value of involving end-users throughout the design process to achieve solutions that are both intuitive and reliable.
Design Process
Understand
I began by gathering knowledge to understand the existing app and the challenges faced by stakeholders and end users. I held in-house sessions with the team to explore issues they encountered and gain insights from user feedback.
Sitemap
I then created a sitemap of the existing app to gain insight into its structure and the elements it contained, helping me to better understand the app’s architecture.
Research
I conducted interviews and usability tests to gain insights into user challenges, while also observing healthcare staff interacting with the system. This process provided valuable understanding of their needs and pain points.
Following the interviews, I developed a persona to represent the target users.
Analyze
Insights from Psychiatric Hospital Interviews
To thoroughly understand the challenges with the existing app, I conducted interviews across four psychiatric hospitals, involving a total of 16 participants.
From the data gathered:
- 45% emphasized the need for reliable alarm activation, especially when outside the building.
- 30% pointed out the lack of a clear overview of incoming alarms within the app.
- 15% highlighted concerns about ensuring system reliability.
- 10% reported no additional issues.
Through analysis of the collected data, we identified two key problems.
- First, users needed a simple and reliable way to activate alarms, especially when outside the building.
- Second, they required a clear overview of incoming alarms within the app.
Design and Prototyping
Wireframing
I created wireframes to quickly visualize and iterate on the user flow. This ensured a clear structure and intuitive layout while enabling early feedback from stakeholders.
Wireframing provided a solid foundation for developing a solution aligned with Tunstall Assist’s goals of simplicity and efficiency.
Mockups
After testing and discussions with stakeholders, I refined the wireframes into high-fidelity mockups. These designs incorporated feedback to align with user needs and business goals, ensuring a polished and visually cohesive solution that was ready for further validation.
Problem 1 – Create a better overview of incoming alarms and make it less confusing.
I created a prototype of the mockup, integrated with the physical button, to explore how the solution would function in practice.
This hands-on approach helped us refine interactions and ensure the design aligned with both user expectations and technical requirements.
Problem 2 – Safety concerns outside work areas:
Staff faced safety risks when working outside their buildings, as they had no way to notify others or request help if assaulted.
Through discussions between stakeholders and the customer, two solutions were identified to share location data: an alarm button called “Out Trigger” and the use of a mobile phone.
Out trigger
Activate alarm on mobile
Prototyping mobile alarm activation
I developed an interactive prototype to explore and test how the alarm could be activated on the mobile phone. This helped identify the most intuitive and effective solution.
Alarm activation options
During our research, we found that users were concerned about the reliability of the physical button (Out Trigger) when traveling with their patients. To address this, we offered two alarm activation options: via the mobile app and through the Out Trigger button. The Out Trigger was chosen as the primary option, as it is easier for users to activate than the mobile phone.
To provide users with peace of mind before trips, they can now test the Out Trigger button directly in the app. Based on an interactive prototype we developed, this testing proved successful. Users reported feeling much more confident and secure, knowing they could rely on the alarm when needed.
Test
Observational Studies and Usability Testing
During our visit to the psychiatric hospital, we conducted observational studies and usability testing to understand how staff interacted with the new prototype. The feedback revealed a few minor tweaks needed in the UI cards displayed on the alarm list for incoming alarms, particularly regarding the clarity of information. While I aimed to document the testing process more extensively, I was unable to include more in-depth materials on the testing phase.
High-fidelity prototype with hardware integration (physical button and tablet connected) – it’s a fully functional app. The user cannot distinguish between this prototype and the final product.
