Summary
Myopia is a growing eye health condition that affects children and young adults mainly, especially in the APAC region. Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a refractive error that can progress considerably, leading to blindness. Some of the risk factors are genetic, such as ethnicity, and behavioral, such as excessive near work or insufficient outdoor time.
Despite advancements in technology for diagnosing and treating the condition, there are still challenges in early detection and ensuring treatment compliance. The client has tasked the design team with discovering potential market-shaping solutions within the patient’s journey of managing myopia progression.
The project was structured into the following phases: problem framing, opportunity areas analysis, concept ideation, customer validation, and concept refinement.
Client
A worldwide technology company operating in the optics and optoelectronics field
Region
APAC – Germany
Duration
5 months
Role
Service Designer
Problem Framing
The aim of this phase was to uncover key pain points for patients and caregivers, and it involved desk research and user research.
Desk research
A group of four designers conducted a comprehensive investigation in five areas: market and competitor analysis, company brand, industry regulations, user behavior and context, and consumer and tech trends. The knowledge gained from this research served as a framework for decision-making. We organized the key information in an analysis matrix that mapped the user journey, allowing us to identify opportunities. For example, we discovered that when patients and caregivers first become aware of having myopia, the information can be overwhelming and few competitors offer support.
User research
Subsequently, we conducted over 20 interviews with various stakeholders, including internal stakeholders, eye care professionals in the APAC region, caregivers/patients, school nurses, and insurance managers. We prepared screeners and scripts for each profile, and the interviews were conducted in English with a duration of about 45 minutes to 1 hour each. During the interviews, the facilitator and note-taker roles were alternated. The insights gathered from these interviews were categorized as highlights, unexpected findings, challenges, and jobs to be done for each interviewee.
As a result, we created a more detailed blueprint of the experience of managing myopia and developed user personas.
Opportunity Areas Analysis
Based on the insights gathered thus far, the design team regrouped them by affinity and developed 13 opportunity areas. These areas helped define a focal point and set boundaries for idea exploration with the client. The design team presented these opportunity areas on cards that included the customer need, the level of comfort zone for the company, the market and competitor situation, and relevant risks and remarks.
In a three-hour online workshop, the opportunity areas were presented to the client, discussed, and evaluated using a strategic matrix where the axes represented the customer need, company comfort zone, and market situation. Based on this mapping, the project team (design team and client) voted for the most promising opportunities, which were then confirmed by the steering committee.
Concept ideation
Ideation workshop
In an onsite workshop, the four most voted opportunity areas served as the basis for ideating potential new offerings, services, and business models. The workshop exercises included idea-collection, “crazy 8’s” (twice), and sharing for each opportunity area. As a result, 18 ideas emerged from the workshop and were developed on cards, which provided a description of the concept, the phase of the blueprint it aligned with, and the target group. The cards also included the value proposition, the impact on the company, and an evaluation matrix covering aspects such as strategy fit, addressing a customer need, business potential, competitive advantage, technical feasibility, and comfort zone.
Concept evaluation
In an online workshop, the design team presented the concepts, and they were mapped in a strategic matrix once again and voted on. As a result, the project team selected five concepts, which were further developed by creating storyboards for each of them.
Customer Validation
The design team validated each concept with different stakeholder groups. Focus group interviews were conducted, supported by the Maze tool for gathering feedback from patients/caregivers and eye care professionals. The same five stories were presented in semi-structured interviews with internal stakeholders. During the validation process, three concepts emerged as the most promising, focusing on solutions that facilitate communication between patients and eye care professionals at different phases of the myopia journey.
Concept Refinement
In the final phase, the design and technical teams collaborated to iterate on the three selected concepts using the feedback received and further developed them with more details. The handover materials included a detailed description of the solution, the storyboards, a mid-level defined blueprint, a business model canvas, and a technical evaluation performed by an engineering manager.
