A biopharma innovation group approached us with a conceptual app. They wanted to see if it could be adapted to support people managing complex, niche diseases—and if so, what that experience should look like.

Starting with broad conversations to understand the real experience of living with the disease was critical. We didn’t want to design around the assumptions of the existing concept.

Patients shared how their needs changed across disease states, as well as what information they were comfortable sharing and with whom.

Providers explained what level of participation was realistic for them.

Caregivers admitted to the overwhelming mental load of managing the disease.

We used the Jobs to Be Done framework to pair user goals with the underlying motivations. In total, we identified 36 distinct jobs spanning functional, emotional, and social needs.

These were then prioritized based on their impact to the user, uniqueness to the industry, alignment to business goals, and scalability across other disease states.

This research reinforced an important design principle: accessible design creates better experiences for everyone.

The features and frameworks developed through this work expanded the app’s library of adaptable support tools, creating opportunities for future application across related conditions.