PKD Compass

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Inspiration

PKD Compass was inspired by my personal connection to Polycystic Kidney Disease. My mom and uncle have both dealt with the disease for years, and I’ve seen how deeply it affects everyday life. I also lost my grandfather to PKD, which brought a deeper sense of urgency to everything I’d already seen. Through this, I saw how difficult it is to manage the condition: not just medically, but logistically.

There are over 12 million people worldwide living with PKD, yet there is no comprehensive app that truly helps patients manage their condition. The only existing tool on the market is overly generic and cannot track and organize meaningful health data.

This gap became clear to me: patients are expected to monitor lab values, diet, medications, and symptoms, but they are left without a system designed specifically for that purpose. I built PKD Compass to solve this problem.

What it does

PKD Compass is a patient-centered health management platform designed specifically for individuals living with PKD.

It allows users to:

Track key lab values such as eGFR, creatinine, sodium, potassium, and blood pressure
Monitor nutrition with a focus on kidney-relevant nutrients
Manage medications with reminders
Log symptoms and daily health patterns
Store and organize medical records and appointments
Find nearby nephrologists, dialysis centers, and support resources
Add their lab reports to an encrypted vault and, using AI, get a fully detailed summary of the document and possible future steps the user may want to take

The platform transforms fragmented health data into structured, easy-to-understand insights that help users better manage their condition over time.

How I built it

PKD Compass was built using a modern full-stack architecture focused on scalability and usability.

Frontend: A responsive, intuitive interface designed to simplify complex health data
Backend: A structured database and API system to store, retrieve, and process user data (Supabase and CloudKit)
Deployment: Designed to run beyond local environments, making it accessible across devices

Special emphasis was placed on clean UI/UX design to ensure that even complex data remains clear and approachable.

For example, lab trends such as kidney function can be visualized over time:

$$ \text{eGFR trend} = f(t) $$

where $t$ represents time, helping users understand progression rather than isolated values.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges was balancing medical complexity with simplicity. Health data can easily become overwhelming, so it was critical to design an interface that presents meaningful information without clutter.

Another challenge was integrating multiple systems, such as lab tracking, nutrition, medications, and resources, into a single cohesive experience without making the app feel disjointed.

I also faced challenges in transitioning from a local prototype to a scalable application, requiring careful consideration of data structure, performance, and security.

Accomplishments that I am proud of

Building a fully functional, PKD-specific health management platform from the ground up
Designing a system that consolidates multiple aspects of disease management into one unified experience
Creating a clean, intuitive interface that makes complex health data easier to understand
Addressing a real-world gap affecting millions of people with a practical, usable solution
Developing a project rooted in personal experience with meaningful real-world impact