Case Study

A founder building a mobile app for non-invasive anemia detection engaged NDH Advisory through the women’s health network. The technology was genuinely novel, using smartphone camera imaging of the eyelid to measure hemoglobin levels using AI, with no blood draw required. The addressable market is significant — approximately two billion people globally live with anemia, 58% of U.S. female athletes are iron deficient, and pregnant women represent another major underserved segment. The core product worked, but the UX foundation to support adoption did not yet exist.

Company & Position

NDH Advisory, CEO & Founder (2024–2025)

Details

A pro bono Expert Review revealed an impressive product where the user experience wasn’t keeping pace. Navigation labels were inconsistent with page titles, interaction patterns varied across screens, color and contrast issues were present throughout, and thought leadership content was buried where it couldn’t build confidence. No design system existed — meaning every inconsistency was also future technical debt. The deeper gap was behavioral: the app wasn’t yet designed to guide patients along a clear journey, from onboarding to ongoing engagement.

Actions

• Conducted a structured Expert Review: downloaded, onboarded, tested core flows, and documented findings across application flow, interaction design, navigation, color and contrast, and information architecture.
• Produced a feedback presentation including educational framing on Expert Reviews, usability heuristics, and the case for a design system, all calibrated for a founder audience unfamiliar with UX methods.
• Identified the gap between UI execution and behavioral intent; recommended nudges, micro-content, and a persona-differentiated patient journey to serve those actively managing their condition and first-time users.
• Presented findings to the founder and head of business development; discussed usability testing methodology, design system timing, and potential collaboration models.

Outcome & Impact

• Structured UX review delivered covering core flow, interaction design, navigation, brand and semantic colors, and information architecture.
• Behavioral and journey gaps surfaced that UI polish alone would not fix — giving the founder a clear picture of what adoption requires.
• Identified immediate next steps including constrained usability testing with target user segments, consistent implementation of a standard design system, and persona-differentiated content strategy.
• An Expert Review surfaces what’s visible. The more valuable intervention — earlier, before screens are built — would be to support a technical founder in defining the patient journey and behavioral goals for the prioritized personas the product needs to serve.