cura - digital supporter for young people affected by cystic fibrosis
This is my Bachelor thesis ↑
cura is a concept that lays the foundation for an improved quality of life regarding young people with cystic fibrosis and to prevent long-term consequences. The app intents to make day to day life easier and serves as a data overview - an additional service for disease management.

Incurable, congenital metabolic disease
Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common congenital metabolic diseases; around 8,000 patients are registered in Germany. Those affected suffer from thick mucus, which can disrupt the function of many organs.
The earlier the therapy begins and the more consistently it is carried out, the higher the life expectancy is.
- Julia, one of our interviewees, tells us something about her life with cystic fibrosis.
"Most of the young adults surveyed remembered phases in which they rebelled against the disease by refusing to take their medication or no longer feeling like doing physiotherapy and inhaling."
- Studie von J. Schmidt (2016)
Keyfindings
Moving from children’s clinic to adult medicine is a big step for young patients having the same pediatrician for as long as they remember.
When transitioning to adult medicine, there is a risk of undersupply (e.g. therapy discontinuation) and thus short-term and long-term health complications and consequences can occur. Due to the lack of preparation for this transition, emergency “deadline transitions” are unfortunately forced to happen. There are occasional transition programs for adolescents that specifically deal with the transition from pediatrics to adult medicine.
→ In reality, however, these training courses are only used sporadically by the young
people affected.
people affected.

goal definition 🏁
Organizationally - improved disease management in day to day life of a patient.
Mentally - mental growth and increase of better mental resistance.
Social - access to a community and exchange with like-minded people.
Physically - an improved state of health and avoidance of long-term consequences.
We want to create an easier and more intelligent way to connect with young people through the help of an attractive, digital medium.
A app that contains content from training programs and creates incentives for more motivation with the tools of gamification.
The name "cura" comes from Latin and stands for "care and attention".
The name "cura" comes from Latin and stands for "care and attention".

Wireframes
To describe our interaction concept, we tested the most important templates,
views and processes in wireframes.
views and processes in wireframes.



Design principles

Process mapping
We have presented processes in individual scenarios which triggers an action, a reaction or change in the system.

cura. 📱
There are five navigation points: the medication, a calendar, activity, the profile and the dashboard.The Dashboard is the center of the application. It offers quick access to other areas and direct display of data.
The three status tiles provide orientation for the day. First thing in the morning is the morning routine. During the day, the focus is on the progress bar and shows how much of the therapy units you have already done. If you go to the app in the evening, you can end your day using the evening routine.


Morning and evening reflection 🌝 🌚
The user receives a push notification that asks them to start with their morning routine.
Additionally, the resilience training is anchored here, the application reacts according to the mood and (depending on the situation) offers an exercise to create psychological resistance.You focus on the day, which is reflected in the evening routine.
Additionally, the resilience training is anchored here, the application reacts according to the mood and (depending on the situation) offers an exercise to create psychological resistance.You focus on the day, which is reflected in the evening routine.
Medication 💊
Medicines are displayed chronologically and can be re-sorted using a sorting function. If you select a drug you get detailed information, e.g. How many tablets are left in the pack.
Interview tip: The package insert will automatically stored digitally. Often, pill boxes are used and the packaging disposed of. If the user has not linked Cura to his electronic patient record, he can add medication manually.


Challenge 🥇
Anyone can create a challenge in the activity area. Others can then join it and collect points. We want to stimulate ambition with a ranking and reward them with appropriate points depending on the placement.
Cura puts the entire community once a month a challenge that should be achieved together. In this way, we also want to promote cooperation, not just against each other.
Cura puts the entire community once a month a challenge that should be achieved together. In this way, we also want to promote cooperation, not just against each other.

A great project 📣
There was also a big interest in our project and those affected were happy that outsiders were interested in cystic fibrosis. It is still important to draw attention to it and show empathy, many do not even know that this incurable disease exists.
We think cura has a chance in the health system, especially through the planned electronic patient record 2021 (ePA), if various experts are involved in the content.
Credits
Team: Louisa Mantsch
Consulting: Prof. Hartmut Bohnacker, Prof. David Oswald
University: HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd , Summer Semester 2020
Special Thanks: Thomas Malenke
Consulting: Prof. Hartmut Bohnacker, Prof. David Oswald
University: HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd , Summer Semester 2020
Special Thanks: Thomas Malenke