ApolloAI Strategy
ApolloAI came about when I used a unique approach—storyboarding. This helped create our AI-powered platform to empower oncologists, nurses, and patients, streamlining workflows and personalizing care along with design thinking. Storyboarding drove innovative design strategies making a tangible impact on cancer patients' lives and using AI for good.
Overview
In response to Business Development's call to identify a business opportunity, I was able to help the team shape the evolution of cancer care through the creation of an AI-powered platform. I was responsible for drafting a design strategy as a design lead, where I used innovative methodologies such as storytelling and cinematic-style storyboards, discerned the crucial needs of key users in oncology, and confirmed AI's indispensable role in the field.
Thus, Apollo AI emerged, designed to optimize workflows, facilitate collaboration, and provide personalized care. Our analysis and discovery underscored the core principles of efficiency, connectivity, and unwavering innovation, heralding a paradigm shift in the landscape of cancer treatment.
Team + Structure
My Role:
• Design Strategy
• Workshop Faciliator
• Product Design Lead
12 Month timeline MVP launch:
1 Month of research discovery
3 Months of design with user testing
6 Months of training AI models and software development
2 Month testing
Collaborators:
• Business Development Manager
• Product Manager Lead
• 2 Engineer Leads
• User Research
Business Opportunity
“Can AI make a difference in the lives of cancer patients?”
AI has a role and opportunity to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients. The following alignment positions the organization at the forefront of innovation in the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape:
Strategic Imperative: Identifying key users and demonstrating AI's strategic relevance in oncology care.
Measure Success: gather feedback on improved patient care, operational efficiency, and market differentiation.
Design Strategy
Who are the primary users, and can we demonstrate AI's relevance in cancer care?
As Design Lead, I was responsible for drafting a design strategy to assist Business Development in identifying and articulating AI's impact on cancer care. My strategy then facilitated Product Managers in determining which features to prioritize and which AI models to leverage.
Framework used: "Venture Design" with a focus on innovation and strategic exploration. This meant identifying new possibilities and creating impactful solutions that transform the patient experience and improve outcomes. We focus on blending cutting-edge technology with compassionate care, ensuring that every step we take is purposeful and aligned with our mission to revolutionize cancer treatment.
Process Highlevel Overview
PHASE 1:
Research & Discovery
Understand core users through a design thinking workshop
Map out the cancer-care journey and highlight pain points
Leverage knowledge from SMEs and gather all data
PHASE 2:
Scope of Work
Determine which cognitive AIs to use
Establish a roadmap
Decide on team members and resources for an MVP launch
PHASE 1: Research + Discovery
Workshop revelations highlighted the intertwined roles of oncologists, patients, and nurses, emphasizing the need for holistic solutions tailored to their distinct needs and challenges.
Mapping out cancer care journey with subject matter experts (SMEs), 2 oncologist, 1 radiologist and 2 oncology nurses.
Surfaced pain points during the mapping exercise:
Patient Education: Patients and families often don't understand their options or what to expect.
Fragmented Care: Patients see many different doctors, causing confusion and gaps in treatment.
Complex Treatment: Cancer treatment involves many different types of therapy, which can be hard to manage.
Follow-up Care: After treatment, patients need ongoing care, but this isn't always coordinated well.
Data Silos: Patient records are stored in different systems that don't share information, making it hard for doctors to get a full picture.
Care Disparities: Not everyone gets the same quality of care, leading to unequal outcomes.
Unexpected side effects: Care disparities lead to a patient's extreme reaction to a treatment.
Identified Users Based on the Workshop:
Through a comprehensive understanding of the cancer journey, we noticed the indispensable roles of oncologists, patients, and nurses, forming the cornerstone of our user-centric approach.
Storyboarding Helped
Where should the AI help in the cancer care journey and what difference can it make in an illness that’s traumatic to everyone involved?
Storyboarding the cancer care journey resulted in 172 screens which allowed us to determine a platform for the oncologist, nurse and patient.
Storyboarding helped us see how cancer patients receive care and where things can be improved. By drawing out their journey, I was able to show the team areas where AI can help, like automating repetitive tasks or improving communication between healthcare providers. This helped us use AI strategically to make cancer care more efficient and effective.
Storyboarding revealed critical areas inspired the user journey, key screens and types of information to surface for each user.
The storyboard also showed us the following to focus on and the type of information to surface:
User Pain Points: Challenges patients, oncologists, and nurses face during cancer care. This includes delays in diagnosis, treatment side effects, coordination issues, and emotional distress.
Automation Opportunities: Tasks that AI could handle, like admin work, analyzing medical images, predicting outcomes, or giving personalized recommendations.
Data Availability: Data from sources like medical records, imaging, and genetics. AI can use this data to give insights and predictions that improve care.
Decision Points: Critical moments where AI can help doctors make better decisions, like choosing treatments or monitoring patients.
Empowering Patients: AI tools can give patients more control, like personalized health info, decision support, remote monitoring, and support resources.
PHASE 2: Product + AI Planning
Critical areas allowed the Product Managers and Engineers to determine the following AI to leverage to launch an MVP
Apollo AI origins as drawn wireframes which were used for user testing.
Use insights from the storyboard process to inform product development.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to prioritize features and functionalities.
Communicate the vision and goals of the AI-powered product to stakeholders.
Oversee development process to ensure alignment with strategic objectives.
Monitor progress, gather feedback, and iterate on the product.
Ensure AI-powered product effectively addresses challenges in cancer care coordination.
The storyboard process helped engineers by providing a clear visual of the cancer care journey and product goals, inspiring them to understand which AI model to train to create solutions that address real user problems.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Clinical Documentation: NLP can analyze clinical notes, medical records, and patient data to identify symptoms, treatment plans, and outcomes, aiding decision-making and care coordination.
Machine Learning for Predictive Analytics: Machine learning analyzes patient data to predict disease progression, treatment responses, and outcomes, assisting in risk assessment, treatment planning, and personalized care.
Computer Vision for Medical Imaging Analysis: Computer vision examines medical images like CT scans and MRIs to detect tumors, assess treatment effectiveness, and identify abnormalities, aiding in early detection and monitoring.
Deep Learning for Personalized Treatment Recommendations: Deep learning analyzes molecular and genomic data to recommend personalized treatment plans based on biomarkers, optimizing therapy selection and improving outcomes.
Chatbots and Virtual Assistants for Patient Engagement: AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants engage patients, providing personalized health information, support, and resources throughout their cancer journey, empowering them to manage their health effectively.
Conclusion
The integration of Hollywood storytelling principles into business, design, and product development has yielded remarkable results.
This unconventional approach has provided invaluable insights into user experience, business strategy, and product innovation. By blending narrative techniques with our business acumen, we have strengthened our decision-making processes and elevated our ability to craft engaging products. Going forward, we remain committed to leveraging this dynamic approach to fuel innovation, captivate users, and achieve our business goals in an ever-changing technological landscape.