We discovered a major gap: people newly diagnosed with chronic illnesses, especially young adults like Sarah, juggling school, work, and pain, leave the hospital overwhelmed and unsupported. They face scattered care, confusing benefits, and no guidance. We began broadly, aiming to fix chronic care as a whole, but realized the real opportunity lies in targeted, connected care. Our pivot proved that solving fragmented care is Sun Life’s most marketable strategy.
Our goal: design Chronic Care that actually Connects.
The Solution: Sun Life HealthConnect App A Single Point of Control that turns a hospital diagnosis into a proactive, benefits-driven care plan, tackling Sarah’s biggest issues: pain, confusion, and disconnection.
Triage & Flexibility: The Pain & Fatigue Log transforms symptom tracking into triage, sending Proactive Nudges (e.g. “Request a referral for an endocrinologist”) to prevent costly flare-ups.
Community Hub: A Reddit-style space where users share experiences, reducing isolation.
Benefits & Resources: “Policy at a Glance” simplifies insurance, showing remaining coverage to encourage care use.
Profile: A quick-access care dashboard with contacts like her doctor and Sun Life Peer Coach.
How We Built It We focused on Trust and Clarity through: Targeted UX Strategy: Virtual, flexible tools like Virtual Consult to fit busy lives. Leveraging Viability: Built on Sun Life’s proven virtual care app. UX of Access: Placed key tools, like Connect Care Triage, front and center for quick reach.
Challenges Scope: Starting too broad made focus difficult; narrowing to Sarah enabled clarity and cohesion. Data Integration: Merging Sun Life’s provider data with public clinic info remains the biggest technical hurdle.
Accomplishments Marketable Bridge: Proved Sun Life’s potential as a care coordinator, bridging private benefits with public health. Measurable Impact: The Pain & Fatigue Log generates data that tracks reduced pain episodes and lower healthcare costs.
Next Steps Pilot the Systemic Bridge: Test private to public data integration in a target region. Expand Personas: Develop Maria (working parent with Type 2 Diabetes) to demonstrate scalability across chronic conditions.
Built With
- canva
- figma
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