Design a medication adherence app for chronic patients

Design a mobile medication tracker and adherence companion for patients managing 4+ daily prescriptions for chronic illnesses (hypertension, diabetes, cardiac care).

Context

50% of chronic disease patients fail to take medications as prescribed, resulting in $100B+ in preventable emergency hospitalizations annually.

Clarifying questions to ask first

Does the app integrate with pharmacy databases (CVS/Walgreens)? (Yes, via FHIR health API).
Are there emergency alert protocols for missed critical doses (e.g. insulin)? (Yes).

How to approach it

Patient Personas & Daily Routines: The Polypharmacy Patient (takes 6 pills at different meal times), The Forgetful Busy Professional, The Elderly Patient with complex regimens
Key Friction Points: Pill fatigue, confusing pill names/dosages ("is this the blue round pill or the white oval?"), worrying about drug-drug interactions, forgetting refills until empty
Design Core Capabilities:
1. Pill Bottle Camera Scanner (Scan prescription label for instant schedule population and visual pill photo matching)
2. Contextual Routine Alarms ("Take with breakfast" rather than generic 8:00 AM alarm)
3. Smart Pillbox Hardware Integration (Bluetooth sensor detects when compartment opens)
4. Caregiver & Doctor Shared Adherence Dashboard with 1-tap Pharmacy Refill Sync

Framework: Chronic Patient Psychology -> Routine Friction & Pill Confusion -> OCR Prescription Setup -> Routine Alarms & Hardware Sync -> Health Adherence Metrics

Sample answer

Showing exact photos of the pill eliminates anxiety over taking the wrong tablet
Alarms tied to personal daily habits (e.g. coffee, dinner) have 40% higher adherence than fixed clock alarms

MVP: Pill bottle OCR scanning, visual pill shape/color verification, smart habit-tied reminders, automated 5-day refill warnings, and caregiver miss-alerts

Executive design: A clinical-grade medication adherence assistant featuring prescription label camera scanning, visual pill verification photos, habit-linked alarms, and pharmacy refill automation.

What interviewers look for

Prescription Ingestion Simplicity (OCR Scanning)
Visual Pill Identification (Color/Shape confirmation)
Contextual Routine-Based Reminders
Caregiver Accountability Loops