Mia Marlin

Restora

Role

Product Designer

Platform

Mobile App

Duration

5 weeks

Year

2025

Supporting Patients Throughout Their Perioperative Journey

Restora is a mobile app that helps patients navigate recovery after surgery through personalized nutrition, guided movement, and daily symptom tracking.

Over five weeks, I led the end-to-end design process, from research through usability testing, to address gaps in perioperative care. Leveraging my healthcare background, I designed and validated a prototype that reduced task completion time by 30%.

Outcome

Reduced symptom check-in task completion time by 30%, Improved participant confidence during recovery tracking (4 of 5 participants), and validated an MVP centered on nutrition, movement, and recovery tracking through two rounds of usability testing.

Problem

How might we empower surgical patients to safely improve their strength, mobility, and recovery when they receive limited clinical support and struggle with drug-induced cognitive impairment and low appetite?

User Research

To better understand user needs and the market, I conducted 5 user interviews, completed a competitive analysis of existing recovery tools, and conducted secondary research on patient adherence and readmission rates. I utilized AI for interview transcription, assisted data synthesis, and preliminary affinity mapping to help create my persona.

Competitive analysis revealed that existing recovery apps primarily focus on exercise tracking or medication reminders, rarely integrate nutrition guidance, and rarely address the cognitive and physical limitations of post-surgical patients, creating an opportunity for a more holistic approach.

Results

Defining the MVP

Research surfaced many opportunities, including medication reminders, appointment management, and provider messaging. Given the five-week timeline, I prioritized features that addressed the largest unmet needs: nutrition, movement, and recovery tracking, while keeping the product focused and simple for users recovering from surgery.

IA & Sitemap

Based on research showing that post-surgery medications cause disorientation and cognitive impairment, I prioritized a simple, flat information architecture. The sitemap reflects a three-tab structure (Nutrition, Movement, Progress) that minimizes navigation depth and allows users to access core features with minimal taps, critical for users with limited energy and attention.

Wireframes

I explored multiple navigation models before settling on a three-tab structure informed by research around cognitive load.

Design system

To accommodate users experiencing fatigue, limited dexterity, and medication-induced cognitive impairment, I designed a system emphasizing large touch targets, high color contrast, consistent spacing, and clear typography that meets WCAG accessibility standards.

Feature #1: Nutrition Guidance

Problem: Recovery suppresses appetite, making nutrition difficult despite its importance.

Design: Recipe categories + Recipe of the Day.

Why: Reduces decision fatigue on cognitively difficult days.

Problem: Recovery suppresses appetite, making nutrition difficult despite its importance.

Design: Recipe categories + Recipe of the Day.

Why: Reduces decision fatigue on cognitively difficult days.

Feature #2: At-Home Movement Support

Problem: Patients receive little guidance between physical therapy sessions, leaving them uncertain about which exercises are safe to perform independently.

Design: Guided strength and mobility exercises with progress tracking.

Why: Provides confidence between PT visits while encouraging consistent movement throughout recovery.

Problem: Patients receive little guidance between physical therapy sessions, leaving them uncertain about which exercises are safe to perform independently.

Design: Guided strength and mobility exercises with progress tracking.

Why: Provides confidence between PT visits while encouraging consistent movement throughout recovery.

Feature #3: Daily Symptom Check-in

Problem: Recovery is rarely linear. Patients often experience fluctuations in pain, energy, appetite, and mood, making it difficult to recognize progress and understand whether setbacks are a normal part of healing.

Design: A daily symptom check-in that tracks mood, energy, pain, and appetite, with visual trend tracking over time.

Why: Helps patients identify recovery patterns, understand how daily habits impact healing, and reframe temporary setbacks as part of the recovery process, building confidence throughout their surgical journey.

Design: A daily symptom check-in that tracks mood, energy, pain, and appetite, with visual trend tracking over time.

Listening, Testing, Refining

I conducted usability tests with five post-surgical patients to evaluate whether the app felt intuitive during a time when users may be experiencing pain, fatigue, and medication-induced brain fog.

Although every participant completed the tasks successfully, I realized that completion alone wasn't a meaningful measure of success. Because many users were recovering from surgery, I wanted interactions to feel effortless, not just usable.

I conducted 5 usability tests to evaluate how users completed key tasks: daily check-ins, saving recipes, and engaging with movement content. While 100% of participants completed all tasks successfully, testing revealed friction points that reduced confidence and clarity.

These changes reduced average task completion time by 30% and improved accessibility for users managing recovery with limited energy or cognitive capacity.

Before

The term 'Rewards' was ambiguous; some testers assumed it meant an immediate reward rather than a program.

After

I updated the copy to 'Rewards Program' and clarified individual selections as specific rewards to set clearer expectations.

Before

I expected users to understand the pain slider. Instead, 4/5 hesitated before submitting because they weren't sure what each value meant.

After

I replaced the unlabeled sliders with descriptive labels, color-coded indicators, and clear scale markers so users could interpret each option at a glance.

Before

Users struggled to read exercise titles because text was overlaid directly on imagery, slowing navigation and requiring additional effort from users already experiencing fatigue.

After

I increased the size of the movement cards, separated text from imagery, and improved visual hierarchy to make exercises easier to identify and browse.

Impact

After implementing these changes, I conducted another round of testing.

30% faster task completion during the daily symptom check-in.
4 out of 5 participants reported feeling more confident logging their recovery.
Most participants said the updated interface felt easier to understand and required less mental effort.

These changes reinforced an important lesson: successful accessibility isn't only about whether users can complete a task—it's about reducing cognitive effort and helping them feel confident throughout the experience.

After implementing these changes, I conducted another round of testing.

30% faster task completion during the daily symptom check-in.
4 out of 5 participants reported feeling more confident logging their recovery.
Most participants said the updated interface felt easier to understand and required less mental effort.

Before

I expected users to understand the pain slider. Instead, 4/5 hesitated before submitting because they weren't sure what each value meant.

After

I replaced the unlabeled sliders with descriptive labels, color-coded indicators, and clear scale markers so users could interpret each option at a glance.

After

I increased the size of the movement cards, separated text from imagery, and improved visual hierarchy to make exercises easier to identify and browse.

Before

Users struggled to read exercise titles because text was overlaid directly on imagery, slowing navigation and requiring additional effort from users already experiencing fatigue.

Real-World Viability

This project pushed me to think beyond individual screens and consider the broader ecosystem shaping user success. I didn't just design for immediate recovery tasks; I explored how Restora could deliver sustained value while remaining economically viable.

Beyond the user experience, I explored how Restora could realistically reach patients. I considered both a direct-to-consumer subscription model and partnerships with hospitals that could provide the app as part of post-operative care. Thinking through these tradeoffs reinforced that successful products must balance user needs with sustainable business models.

Designing Restora reinforced that solving user problems also means understanding the systems surrounding them. Considering user experience alongside business viability challenged me to think beyond individual screens and design a product that could create a lasting impact.

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