Cancerbuddy
An app that matches job seekers with relevant postings.
Role
Sr. Product Designer - UX UI
Industry
Health care
Platform
Mobile
Impact
Strengthened patient connections
Reframing the Problem
Patients couldn't always process it.
A cancer diagnosis changes far more than a patient's medical condition. It changes how people absorb information, make decisions, manage uncertainty, and interact with the world around them.
Patients and caregivers are often expected to coordinate appointments, treatments, medications, test results, and support networks while simultaneously dealing with fear, exhaustion, and emotional stress.
Most healthcare products are designed around information management.
The challenge was helping people navigate some of the most emotionally demanding moments of their lives.
01
Emotional overwhelm
Users often interacted with the platform during moments of stress, anxiety, or uncertainty.
02
Support systems
Patients, caregivers, family members, and healthcare professionals often managed information separately.
03
Human Impact
Users spent valuable emotional energy navigating healthcare systems instead of focusing on treatment, recovery, and support.
The turning point
We weren't designing a healthcare app. We were designing for emotional capacity.
Cognitive load became the primary barrier to task completion.
Healthcare tasks 35% faster when information was progressively disclosed
Support systems were fragmented across patients, caregivers, and families
Information density negatively impacted comprehension and confidence.
The Turning Point "When we stopped designing for functionality and started designing for emotional reality."
Understanding the users
Became the foundation for every design decision that followed.
Cancer Patient
Sarah
Recently diagnosed and navigating treatments, appointments, and medications. Often feels overwhelmed by medical information and needs clarity, reassurance, and confidence during stressful moments.
Caregiver
Michael
Supports a loved one throughout treatment while coordinating schedules, appointments, and care decisions. Needs visibility into critical information without creating additional complexity.
Family Member
Linda
Wants to stay informed and provide meaningful support throughout the patient's journey. Needs simple updates, clear communication, and a stronger connection to the care process.
→ How might we help patients process information more comfortably
→ How might we create healthcare experiences that feel human rather than clinical?
→ How might we design for users with limited cognitive capacity?
→ How might we strengthen support systems across caregivers and families?
Information Disclosure
Patients frequently felt overwhelmed when presented with large amounts of information simultaneously. I redesigned content structures to reveal information gradually based on context and relevance.
Communication before screens
Users responded differently depending on tone, structure, and communication style.
Instead of treating content as a secondary layer.
Emotional accessibility
Accessibility extended beyond visual standards.
The experience was designed to remain usable during periods of fatigue, stress, and limited attention.
Prioritize what matters now
Not all information carries the same importance at every moment. The experience prioritized immediate needs rather than exposing all available information simultaneously.
AI Collaboration
Design meaningful support for cancer patients
Research synthesis
Analyzed 24 patient and caregiver interviews, identifying key theme, pain points and emotional needs
Opportunity mapping
Structure the findings into clear opportunity areas aligned with user needs and business goals.
Journey and exploration
Assited in mapping the ideal user journey and core flows to ensure clarity and empathy at every step.
Content & documentation
User stories, acceptance criteria, and UX copy to accelerate alignment and handoff
