01. Overview
Remote healthcare is vital for patients with neurodegenerative conditions, but it often fails those who need it most.
For people living with Parkinson’s, managing care through digital platforms can be overwhelming, inaccessible, and lacking empathy. Clinicians, in turn, struggle with incomplete data and time-consuming dashboards.
nQ Medical sought to change that.
Their passive monitoring solution transforms daily keyboard activity into tremor detection signals, turning routine typing into a window into neurological health. But to succeed, this innovation needed a radically human-centered experience.
02. Design Process
03. Research
04. Key Cross-Touchpoint
To understand how similar tools support Parkinson’s patients, I analyzed both their technical approaches and the surrounding service delivery experience—onboarding, data feedback, caregiver support, and trust.
This landscape scan helped identify critical gaps in the user journey that nQ Medical could address.
06. Application Map
This structured application map was created based on stakeholder interviews, accessibility research, and onboarding pain points identified in user testing. It visualizes the end-to-end app journey—from account creation to typing activities—and incorporates trust checkpoints, accessibility setup flows, and support channels that are essential for a public-facing digital service.
07. Service Blueprint
This blueprint shows how patients, caregivers, and clinicians interact with the nQ Medical service—from referral to ongoing care. It maps each step of the journey, including what users see, what happens behind the scenes, and the systems that support it. The goal is to ensure a smooth, accessible, and connected remote care experience.
08. The Designs
Personalized Home & Activity Experience
The nQ Medical app makes it easy for users to track their activity sessions. The Home Screen gives a quick view of session count and time spent.
The Activities Screen lets users choose tasks like tapping, typing sentences, or conversation-style writing—designed specifically for neurological assessment.
This clean and accessible layout ensures ease of use for patients with motor challenges and supports real-time monitoring for clinicians.
Smart Setup for Individual Typing Patterns
Before use, users answer a few questions to personalize the app.
This setup helps identify:
Typing style (one or both hands)
Motor strength or difficulty
Preferred interaction type
This enables more accurate tracking, symptom detection, and keyboard adaptation for Parkinson’s patients.
Typing Tasks That Measure Function
Users complete 3 simple tasks:
Finger Tapping – checks motor coordination and tremors
Paragraph Typing – tracks speed and errors
Conversational Typing – evaluates communication style and rhythm
These tasks help detect early signs of cognitive or motor decline and support personalized care planning.
09. Prototype videos for better understanding of the flow
11. Final Survey
TWe conducted a usability survey with 5 participants, including Parkinson’s patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, to evaluate the nQ Medical Keyboard's ease of use, effectiveness, and overall value.
1. Ease of Use
Average Rating: 4.6 / 5
88% found the keyboard easy to use
92% said setup instructions were clear and simple
🗣 “The interface is intuitive. A quick video guide could make it even easier.”
2. Effectiveness of Insights
Average Rating: 4.4 / 5
82% found the insights helpful in tracking motor symptoms
87% said the typing data reflected real challenges accurately
🩺 Clinicians suggested a trend comparison tool for tracking progress
3. Impact on Quality of Life
Perceived Improvement:
78% of patients and caregivers said the insights helped them better understand symptoms
80% of clinicians believed it could enhance care planning and treatment tracking
4. Overall Satisfaction
Average Rating: 4.5 / 5
84% were satisfied with their experience
80% would recommend the tool to others
