How an innovative 24-hour workflow delivered a mission-critical mobile app in 45 days, securing our client's next round of funding.
Client details are private under an NDA.
Duration: 45 Days
Team Structure: Distributed vendor team (US, EMEA, LATAM) integrated
with
client stakeholders.
Strategy & Vision
Design Direction
Team Enablement
Executive Communication
A biotech company faced a make-or-break moment: they needed a "beyond-the-pill" mobile app to support women through the emotional and physical challenges of IVF. To validate their approach, the client partnered with a leading IVF clinic in Singapore. The stakes were enormous, as a compelling proof-of-concept (POC) was required to secure their next round of funding, and they had an immovable 45-day deadline.
The initial plan was to build a simple patient-facing app. However, it was clear that a traditional design process would fail. The project required a radical new approach to delivery to avoid jeopardizing the entire venture.
The project had a make-or-break 45-day deadline. I designed and implemented a novel 24-hour, "follow-the-sun" workflow as the only operational model that could make the timeline possible.
We conducted intense discovery workshops with stakeholders in the US and Singapore. A daily leadership sync enabled us to make decisive trade-offs, prioritizing the medication scheduling flow to address the greatest patient anxiety point.
Discovery revealed a key oversight: the patient's partner. Despite the deadline, I successfully advocated that adding a "Partner" persona was essential to the product's value proposition, making the prototype far more compelling.
The final phase was a pure execution sprint powered by the 24-hour workflow. We delivered a high-fidelity prototype with over 200 screens for three personas within the 45-day window, instrumental in the client's successful funding round.
This project presented two defining challenges that required direct and decisive leadership.
The 45-day deadline was the central conflict. A standard workflow was not an option. My primary contribution was to design and implement a novel 24-hour, "follow-the-sun" workflow, leveraging our distributed team. I pitched this to the client with a clear promise:
"This is the only way to hit your deadline. Our team will operate as a single, continuous unit, handing off work from one time zone to the next to ensure we never stop making progress."
This operational innovation was the key that unlocked our ability to deliver.
Midway through the project, our rapid discovery work revealed a critical oversight. Research showed the patient's partner played a huge role in the patient's well-being, yet their journey was completely unaddressed. Adding a "Partner" persona was a significant scope expansion. Leadership viewed this as a risk, but I presented the case that supporting the partner was not an optional feature, but a core part of the product's value proposition. A supported partner leads to a supported patient. This strategic argument shifted the conversation, and the new persona was approved.
The core challenge was to design a supportive, multi-faceted experience for three distinct roles. Our research identified the Patient as the primary persona. By solving for her needs first, we could create a ripple effect of support for the entire care circle.
| Role | Core Job (JTBD) | Key Platform Workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Patient (Primary) | Navigate the overwhelming physical and emotional steps of my IVF journey with confidence and support. | Access personalized schedules, medication reminders, and a library of mindfulness resources to reduce stress and feel in control. |
| Partner | Understand what my partner is going through so I can provide meaningful support. | Receive guided prompts on how to help, track key appointment dates, and access educational content to become an active participant. |
| Clinician | Monitor my patients' progress and provide timely guidance without adding to my administrative burden. | View a secure dashboard of patient-reported data and key milestones, enabling proactive and efficient care. |
The project's success was driven by the operational model I designed and my direct leadership.
My primary role was to operationalize the "follow-the-sun" model. This wasn't just about different time zones; it was about creating a single, cohesive culture focused on a shared goal, with seamless handoffs.
Beyond senior leadership, I served as the Design Director. I personally ran all design reviews and made critical UI/UX decisions to ensure the final prototype met a high standard of quality. For example, I directed the team to prioritize the medication scheduling and reminder flow over social features for the prototype. This decision, based on our rapid research, focused our limited time on the single greatest anxiety point for patients, which proved critical in demonstrating the app's core value to stakeholders.
The project's intense pace required ruthless prioritization. A daily leadership sync with client stakeholders ensured alignment and enabled rapid, decisive trade-off decisions
The integrated team successfully delivered a high-fidelity prototype with over 200 screens for three personas, complete with a supporting design system, within the 45-day window.
The prototype was a resounding success, convincing the main stakeholders and proving instrumental in the client's successful funding round. Stakeholders noted the design's empathy and clarity as key factors in their decision to fund the next stage. The lasting impact, however, was the validation of a new way of working. The project proved that with strategic process innovation and strong design leadership, impossible deadlines can become successful deliveries.
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