Mobility app design in collaboration with AdventHealth Avista
I was part of a five person team who worked with AdventHealth Avista — a hospital based in Lousiville, Colorado — to conduct user research in order to design a solution for high risk fall patients. Our group’s semester long research led us to the creation of Mindful Mobility; an app meant to assist patients during their hospital stay and beyond.
My Role
User Researcher & Designer
Course
ATLAS 5240: Social Impact Laboratory
Length
August 2024 - December 2024
Skills
Figma
User Research
Our team conducted interviews with staff at AdventHealth Avista to understand fall prevention techniques hospital staff use to assist high-risk patients. In addition to meeting staff, we also interviewed four former hospital patients who experienced a loss of autonomy during their stay.
Stakeholder & Patient Interviews
We conducted qualitative interviews with:
Hospital staff to understand current fall prevention practices and patient engagement challenges
Former patients who experienced loss of autonomy during their hospital stay
Questions we explored with staff:
How do you follow up when patients ignore instructions?
What strategies encourage compliance?
How do you adjust communication based on patient motivation?
Questions for patients:
Were fall risks and guidelines clearly communicated?
Which tools or instructions were frustrating or helpful?
Did you feel in control of your mobility or care?
Key Research Insights
Design Goals
Based on these findings, we focused on creating a solution that:
Builds trust between patients and medical staff
Supports autonomy without overwhelming patients
Reinforces nurse instructions in an accessible, patient-friendly way
We also identified risks to avoid:
Solutions that feel too intrusive or clinical
Interfaces that are not intuitive for all patient types
Solution
Mindful Mobility is a healthcare app designed to bridge physical, emotional, and clinical dimensions of care. Key features include:
Mobility assessments and personalized recovery plans
A nurse-facing portal for reviewing and responding to patient activity
Built-in education and reminders to reinforce fall-prevention techniques
Messaging system with future plans for priority tagging
The app encourages collaboration between patients and staff—giving patients more clarity and control, while also respecting nurses’ time and workflows.
User Testing at AdventHealth Avista
We conducted on-site testing sessions with the nursing manager and program director to evaluate:
Feature prioritization
Accessibility for high-risk patients
App flow and architecture
Key Findings:
Patients found the app clear and empowering
Nurses appreciated that it promoted patient responsibility
Some concerns were raised about task appropriateness and message overload
A need to balance simplicity with functionality
Design Iterations
In response to feedback, we:
Simplified the UI with less visual clutter
Redesigned the provider portal to include task filters
Added a feature allowing nurses to silence messages
Proposed message tagging to help prioritize urgent needs