Four people, two to start with

We began by defining the scope with the NovacsHealth team and splitting the work into phases, because the first version of the app was hard to grasp: too many features, named in inconsistent ways. Following Design Thinking, we audited what existed, studied the competition and listened to users. Managing health data meant something different to each of them, so I defined four archetypes. The first release focused on two: Anna, a busy patient who wants her health under control without losing time, and Dr. Max Mutterman, a cardiologist who needs his patients’ information at hand. Laura and Carlos would come in later phases. Pick any of them below to see what they wanted, what got in their way and how they worked day to day.

Select a persona to open their card

AnnaMaxLauraCarlos

Anna Miller

The busy patient · Phase 1

• 34 / Female
• Miami, Florida
• Sales Manager
• Married / 1 kid

“I really need something that simplifies my health management in the middle of my busy life: scheduling appointments, tracking medication and easily reaching my medical history.”

Goals

• Keep a healthy lifestyle and catch medical issues early.
• Book appointments easily and get care on time.
• Get reminders to take her medication as prescribed.

Pains

• Little time to manage appointments around her job.
• Prescriptions that take too long and get in the way.
• Medical information scattered across platforms, with no clear history.

Day to day

Plan my appointments

Communicate with doctors

Manage prescriptions

Devices

iPhone 80%, MacBook 20%

Apps

Outlook, Phone, WhatsApp, Google Calendar, Reminders

Dr. Max Mutterman

The time-pressed specialist · Phase 1

• 58 / Male
• Miami, Florida
• Cardiologist
• Married / 1 kid

“I need a solution that streamlines my daily tasks and gives me quick access to my patients' key information, so I can focus on personal, better care.”

Goals

• Deliver cardiovascular care with a focus on prevention.
• Reach complete patient records quickly during each visit.
• Spend less time on admin and more with his patients.

Pains

• A demanding caseload with little time to spare.
• Admin tasks that take time away from patient care.
• Patient records that are hard to reach when he needs them.

Day to day

Review patient profiles

Manage medication

Real-time alerts and reminders

Devices

iPhone 65%, Tablet 5%, MacBook 30%

Apps

Outlook, Outlook Calendar, WhatsApp, Phone

Laura Gomez

The family caregiver · Later release

• 47 / Female
• Hialeah, Florida
• School administrator
• Married / 2 kids

“My dad sees three doctors and his pills live on a list on my fridge. I need to see all of it in one place and know he did not miss a dose.”

Goals

• Follow her father's appointments and treatments from her own phone.
• Keep his prescriptions, results and history in one place.
• Keep her siblings updated without endless calls.

Pains

• Juggling her job, her kids and her father's care.
• His treatments are spread across clinics and paper.
• She hears about changes late, often at the pharmacy.

Day to day

Track appointments for others

Manage prescriptions

Share updates with family

Devices

iPhone 85%, Tablet 10%, MacBook 5%

Apps

WhatsApp, Google Calendar, Gmail, Phone

Carlos Rivera

The clinic coordinator · Later release

• 36 / Male
• Miami, Florida
• Front desk coordinator
• Single / No kids

“Half my day is phone calls to confirm, move or cancel appointments. If patients could do it themselves, I could focus on the people in the waiting room.”

Goals

• Keep the clinic's schedule full and on time.
• Cut the calls to confirm, move or cancel appointments.
• Make sure patients arrive with their forms and insurance ready.

Pains

• No-shows and last-minute changes leave gaps in the day.
• Insurance and payment details often arrive incomplete.
• Doctors' calendars and the front desk are rarely in sync.

Day to day

Manage the schedule

Answer patient calls

Coordinate with doctors

Devices

iPhone 25%, Tablet 15%, MacBook 60%

Apps

Outlook, Excel, Phone, Teams

One map for the whole app

With Anna and Max in mind, we listed what they needed to know, do and feel in the app and chose what made the first release. I turned that into a single map in FigJam, using Jesse James Garrett’s visual vocabulary, and numbered every screen from day one so designers and developers always talked about the same thing. Tap any screen below to read the note I left for the team.

A brand built on a cross

Alongside the product, I designed the brand. The symbol starts from a medical cross, a sign of trust and care, and bends its horizontal bar into an n for Nova, a nod to the name and to the idea of renewal. I first sketched it on paper and then refined it on the iPad over its construction grid, as in the photo below; after it, the animation shows the final mark taking shape until the full logo appears.

From sketches to screens

With the map and the brand in place, I went back to the screens and worked top down. Before opening Figma I sketched the home, the doctors list and the doctor’s profile by hand, noting what each element should do. Those sketches became wireframes, and in the animation the wireframe grid turns into the annotated home and the options menu.

From grey to colour

Before adding colour, I built the main flows in greyscale to test structure and content with the team: a doctor’s profile with booking, the summary of the appointment, the payment confirmation and the chat. Once the flows held up, the brand’s teal and the photography came in.

First steps

The app opens with the novahealthcs mark, a short onboarding that explains what it does in two screens, and a clear choice between logging in and signing up.

A home that leads to care

The home greets the patient by name and puts doctors, booking, prescriptions and clinic calls one tap away, with every other service behind the central button. From there, the doctors list shows the recent ones, the specialties and the specialists available.

Finding the right doctor

Search can be narrowed by specialty, location, experience, language, rating and consultation fee, each one with its own control, and the results show who is available and when.

Booking in a few taps

A doctor’s profile shows their specialty, experience and reviews, with booking one tap away: pick a day and a free hour, then check the date, the reason and the cost before confirming.

Paying without leaving the app

Patients choose a saved card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Amazon Pay, or add a new method, and get a clear confirmation with a shortcut to message the doctor straight away.

Every appointment in one place

My Appointments lists upcoming, completed and canceled visits. Each one shows its status in colour, confirmed, pending or canceled, with the options to reschedule or cancel right there.

Talking to the doctor

Every conversation with a doctor lives in its own thread, opening with a reminder of the next appointment. A video call starts from the same screen, and after the visit the patient can leave a review in a couple of taps.

Prescriptions under control

Prescriptions are listed by status and can be filtered by medicine, provider or date. Each one carries a QR code the pharmacy can scan, the full indications and a button to order it again.

The impact

In a few months we designed NovacsHealth for iOS, Android and desktop, and every screen kept the promise we made at the start: fast, clear and accessible. The new identity made the company feel modern and reliable and set it apart in its market. For me, working with NovacsHealth was a reminder of how much design can change the way people deal with their own health, and of how good it feels to build that with a passionate team.