2025

MedReminders – Healthcare Companion App

A medication reminder app designed for real users—built for simplicity, accessibility, and empathy, inspired by real-world struggles of non-tech-savvy patients.

HealthTech
Mobile
Wellness

Case Study Overview

A comprehensive breakdown of the product management approach, from problem discovery to measurable outcomes, following proven PM frameworks.

Problem Discovery

This project started not in a user research lab—but at home. I saw my father struggle to use medication reminder apps:

  • Too many steps
  • Small fonts and cluttered screens
  • Ads that blocked functionality
  • Interfaces clearly not designed for older, non-tech-savvy users

He gave up midway through every app we tried. That was all the user research I needed: real behavior, real frustration.

So I did what a PM should—observe, listen, and understand. I just happened to be doing it across the kitchen table.

Business Alignment

This wasn't a commercial product, but I treated it with the same discipline I'd apply to any MVP:

  • Primary goal: Deliver the right reminder at the right time—without confusion or friction
  • Design priority: Build for a non-technical user, with minimal taps, no setup complexity, and maximum reliability
  • Secondary outcomes: Validate how fast a PM can go from insight to functioning solution using modern dev tools and a user-first mindset

Solution Exploration

Without a formal roadmap or Jira board, I leaned on instinct—but grounded in product principles:

  • Created low-fidelity sketches of flows my dad could follow without asking for help
  • Applied the PET Framework (Persuasion, Emotion, Trust) to shape copy, tone, and visual calmness
  • Designed for an offline-first, no-login, and no-data-collection experience
  • Prioritized:
  • - Custom reminder creation with minimal taps
  • - Local notifications with visual and vibration cues
  • - Option to add pill photos for visual confirmation
  • - Clear scheduling UX (daily, weekly, or as needed)
  • - Large fonts, high-contrast buttons, and touch-friendly layouts

I intentionally excluded anything that didn't serve the core job: no charts, no integrations, no gamification.

Execution

As the sole builder, I wore every hat—PM, designer, and developer. But I kept my PM mindset front and center:

  • Mapped user flow on paper before opening the code editor
  • Built the frontend using React Native + Expo, and connected to local storage for persistence
  • Used AI tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor to learn and implement just enough code to bring the idea to life
  • Tested directly with my father, observed his behavior, and iterated with rapid changes
  • Documented learnings to explore future enhancements (e.g., voice reminders, WhatsApp integration, care-team sharing)

This project also became a sandbox to explore how PMs can build using modern no-code/low-code/dev-assist tools without waiting for resourcing.

Outcomes & Impact

Outcomes:
  • A usable, lightweight reminder app that my father now uses daily
  • Near-100% task success for the core use case: setting and getting a reminder
  • Eliminated the drop-off frustration he experienced in other apps
  • Validated that with empathy and curiosity, a PM can directly build a functional tool—even without deep technical experience
Reflections:
  • You don't need a roadmap to build something useful—you need a problem worth solving
  • Watching someone struggle with a product is the most valuable kind of user research
  • Building something yourself, even something small, forces clarity and trade-offs
  • With tools like Gen AI, Copilot, and Cursor, PMs can be self-sufficient builders—not to replace engineers, but to explore solutions with speed and empathy

Project Artifacts

Supporting materials, frameworks, and deliverables created during the product development process.

Adherence Strategy

document

Patient medication adherence improvement framework

Mobile App Prototype

image

Interactive prototype of the MedReminders mobile application

These artifacts demonstrate the systematic approach to product development, from initial discovery through execution and measurement.