The Power of Data and Design

In this week’s episode, we learn about Meg Dryer, the General Manager of the Consumer Business for Evidation, a healthtech app offering health tracking, reward features, and access to research institutions. Meg is an individual who uniquely blends engineering and design, having started her journey in engineering before pursuing art and design. This shift towards experience design has lasted throughout her career, and you’ll hear how profoundly it has impacted her work.

Evidation leverages health data from wearables and smartphones to impact healthcare decisions, setting the stage for objective, data-informed discussions between patients and doctors. With Data Privacy Day on the horizon (January 28th!), Meg emphasizes the importance of data transparency in crafting a delightful consumer-grade healthcare experience.

Meg offers valuable insights throughout the conversation. She advocates how she and her team have found success in designing for the ‘off moments’, allowing their users to disengage when they need to and re-engage easily on their own terms. She also emphasizes the importance of allowing users to switch their focus, whether it’s from activity level to sleep patterns. These strategies maintain long-term engagement.

Meg also shares advice for listeners who aim to improve their own practices. Intensive user involvement, maintaining a beginner’s mindset, and practicing patience forms the crux of successful design. Meg insists on going beyond the present app scope and envisioning the future experience based on deep qualitative research, ensuring that the product is tailored to meet both the obvious and unspoken needs of the users.