The project faced several key challenges, including user trust and privacy, diverse user needs, professional integration, and usability.
Parents were wary of sharing sensitive information without clear reassurance on how their data would be used, making trust-building essential. The app also needed to serve a wide range of parenting situations - from medical advice to emotional support - without overwhelming users. Access to professionals was a core feature, but users often misunderstood how and when experts were available, leading to frustration. Lastly, the outdated, cluttered interface was difficult to navigate, especially for less tech-savvy parents who needed quick access during emergencies.
Our strategy combined discovery research, UI redesign, and the development of a progressive onboarding strategy to boost retention.
We began with a Discovery Workshop to align cross-functional teams on business goals, technical limitations, and success metrics. Through stakeholder interviews, we clarified expectations and mapped out the problem space. From there, we conducted qualitative research with parents to understand their needs, behaviors, and pain points when using the app.
The research revealed several recurring issues: confusion around data usage, difficulty navigating the app in urgent situations, and an unmet need for both medical and emotional support. Importantly, we found that comfort with technology varied greatly - some users needed immediate answers in a crisis, while others were looking for ongoing emotional guidance at a more relaxed pace.
To meet these needs, we designed Medi-Chat, a feature that allows parents to quickly connect with professionals by simply selecting their area of concern. The experience was built around speed and clarity: fast response times, clear status indicators, and minimal steps to initiate a conversation. This made expert help more approachable, reduced user frustration, and significantly improved overall engagement.
We also overhauled the onboarding experience. The original, lengthy survey was replaced with a progressive profiling approach that asked relevant questions over time, in context. This kept early interactions light and digestible, while still gathering important information. Paired with transparent, friendly microcopy about data usage, the new flow helped reduce anxiety and build long-term trust.
Finally, the interface was redesigned with simplicity and emotional reassurance in mind. A calming color palette, intuitive navigation, and personalized dashboards offered users immediate access to what mattered most—recent chats, upcoming appointments, and age-relevant content. These changes made the app easier to use, especially for parents under stress, and ensured that different user needs were acknowledged and supported throughout the experience.
A smoother path to parenting support
The introduction of Medi-Chat led to higher engagement and user satisfaction. Parents found it easier to access timely, relevant advice, and clearer UI choices helped them feel more confident in using the app. The redesigned onboarding and transparent communication around data use built trust from the start. By considering a broad range of parenting scenarios and tech comfort levels, we made Parentool more approachable and valuable to a wider audience.
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(2016-25©)
