Case Study: Nuvigil Wakefullness App

After the new launch of Nuvigil by Cephalon from a previous version branded Provigil, the client was looking for ways to integrate Nuvigil into the lives of those that could benefit from its use. They wanted to expand the use of the drug to a broader audience. I was involved in the branded release of the web site and other digital awareness products such as banner ads, emails and newsletters so I was well versed in the brand.

Nuvigil is a prescription medicine used to improve wakefulness in adults who experience excessive sleepiness (ES) due to Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA, Shift work disorder (SWD), and Narcolepsy.

Discover, Define, Design, and Deliver
HCD process (Human Centered Design) was used as a starting point. We gathered some insights from basic research and surveys, defined our rough goals, started a brief content outline and preceded to the ideation phase. We iterated through a few brainstorming meetings where ideas were generated and matched to goals and the content outline. Then we jumped into sketches and rough designs.

After our research and interviews with sales representatives, we decided on three main persona types. We identified shift workers in the “all hours” profession of nursing, public service such as firefighters and security.

RESEARCH
Provigil was Cephalons’ previous iteration of Nuvigil but with a slightly different chemical structure. It is non-stimulant medications and was popular product. It had a narrow user base of professional people and was not widely prescribed for other symptoms.

We first conducting a competitive analysis and basic user research. The marketing team had already targeted a persona type to focus on but we wanted to drill down a bit to get a deeper understanding. The competitive analysis showed there were practically no competitors on the market other than a previous version by the same company. The problem then becomes, how to make it easy and efficient for a customer to use. After our research and interviews with sales representatives, we decided on three main persona types. We identified shift workers in the “all hours” profession of nursing, public service such as firefighters and security.

An example of some of our research questions:

Who would benefit from using Nuvigil?

Can we identify a range of people who would be helped by Nuvigil?

How can we help a user monitor their wakefulness?

Is wakefulness something that can be measured?

The data gathered from the app needs to be accessible from the app (mobile) and the cloud (desktop).

Will the user setup an account?

Should the account be voluntary?

Based on our surveys and research, we concluded that our product needed to fit into a Nuvigil users life to help alleviate any wakefulness issues surrounding their lifestyle.

A few of the features requested were: 1) A way to measure wakefulness. How could we measure a users’ wakefulness and numerically notate this value? 2) The ability to see the users wakefulness history. We needed to have the ability to chart a users’ wakefulness patterns on all platforms and have the ability to share this data with others that needed a window into the users issues.

Early Sketches showing basic flow
NUVIGIL Wakefulness App Site Map NUVIGIL User Flow

The app was designed to enable the user to monitor their sleep patterns with a simple digital coach that helps you document your wakefulness. We thought this would help humanize the experience.

PROBLEM #1
The first design problem that immediately became apparent was how to measure your wakefulness in a way that would lead to a system for a quantifiable experience. The idea for a game was the solution we called the "Wakefulness Game". Based on a simple “Simon Says” rules, the response can be timed and quantified into a database with a numeric value based on your response time and accuracy. The user would be timed to a defined set of experiences.

Problem #2
The second design problem we identified was the need to help the user track their sleep and non-sleep patterns and have the data for future reference. The app can track your sleep or non-sleep pattern in a simple, easily viewable data screen. The ability to prompt you to enter sleepiness data is a key feature to encourage the input of valuable data by the user. An alarm system is employed to prompt the user to enter data. This encourages a consistent amount of data for the user report of wakefulness. The ability to upload to the cloud is a user choice but not a requirement. By creating an account, the desktop version can be shared with a physician for discussion of the users condition.

Relfections
Although the Wafkefulness app was never greenlighted by the client, the breadth of ideas and possibilities for this brand were exciting to create. This could be used for a comprehensive tool in the study of narcolepsy or general sleepless shift work.