The evolving role of research in the digital product lifecycle: A case study with a Global health care provider

Room 3 | 3:45 pm - 4:15 pm | Tuesday, March 28, 2023

While digital solutions proliferated in the health care space during the COVID-19 pandemic, many suffered from fundamental misunderstandings of the market. Recognizing this pitfall, one global health care provider approached Nerdery to design and develop digital products that could increase access to screening for mental illness and improve outcomes for patients. Because of the variety of challenges faced by individuals with mental illness and the sometimes conflicting desires of patients, caregivers and providers, we knew from the outset any digital solution had to be grounded in empathy for all stakeholders. Simultaneously, we strived to generate recommendations that provided a clear path forward in designing a digital tool.

Our Insights and Analytics team took a user-centric approach to identify solutions, beginning by conducting qualitative user research to create detailed patient personas and user journey maps. Later in the digital product lifecycle, we conducted incremental usability testing on prototypes to probe user desirability and prioritize areas for improvement. These insights served as a blueprint for digital solutions – currently being built – to help make mental health conditions more manageable.

Drawing examples from our experiences, this session will explore best practices for incorporating research into the product lifecycle while demonstrating how many of the same principles apply across digital and physical product development. Further, examples illustrate potential challenges communicating insights with stakeholders and ensuring appropriate implementation of research findings.

Key takeaways:

1. Every successful digital product is grounded in a real consumer need; thus, research is an essential part of digital product teams.
2. Insights generated from research can inform every step of the digital product lifecycle. We will demonstrate how research can add value at multiple points.
3. Many research methodologies overlap between digital and consumer industries, but researchers need to be cognizant of how they communicate insights across different contexts and applications.

Case Study Presentation by End-Client Technology