Problem
LifeAlert is known around the world as the company that spawned the "help I've fallen and I can't get up" joke.
In the brief from our instructors, we were tasked with "improving the existing digital solutions for current customers" at LifeAlert. We realized that it was going to be very difficult for LifeAlert to expand their user base with such a negative brand perception, especially with friendlier competitors entering the medical alert device market. We performed a Site Audit, looking at the influence of imagery and text on users.
This realization made us re-evaluate the problem statement in the brief we were given. Talking to instructors, we decided that it was appropriate to shift our focus to altering the public perception of the LifeAlert brand by revamping the website and improving potential customer education to build trust in the brand.

Solution
Clickable prototype. More Images. Slide Deck.
Understanding the core user concerns - remaining active, independent, and secure - was a breakthrough moment. It allowed us to create an underlying structure that would be simple and clear, while directing users through education to purchase regardless of their entry point on the site.
As a way to quantify the changes we could make to the site, we conducted an informal Site Audit of the current LifeAlert website. We identifed more than a dozen fonts on a single page, inconsistent image size and format, use of negative images, and an alarming color scheme.
Contrasting these results with the root issues we identified gave us a good idea of how and where to start with the design.

Role
I collaborated with two other classmates, Jacob Swift and Swapna Kulkarni, on every aspect of this project.
We each took charge of areas of our own specialty. Swapna took on the persona and storyboard sketches, and market research and analysis. Jacob led the user testing side, and was able to create a Net Promoter Score from the responses we got. I wrote user surveys, created wireframes and mockups, analyzed the current information architecture, built a new site map and user flows, and integrated psychological design triggers into our design.
Tools : Omnigraffle, Invision, Zurb Design Triggers, Google Drive.

Process
To find users to interview at every step of the project, we hit the pavement and spoke with a number of friendly people on the street who were happy to share their ideas and experiences with medical alert devices.
We also looked into reports about web browsing and buying trends from the likes of AARP and Deloitte, compared the offerings of other medical alert device companies, and did some prototyping with users.
Honing in on the persona concerns that grew out of our interviews, we developed three main groupings that we present on the new LifeAlert home page : staying active, being safe, and living independently. Each of these segments resonated with the target user demographics during prototype testing.