Situation
In 2015-2016, Kroger recognized the need to modernize the pharmacy experience within their mobile application to meet evolving customer expectations and healthcare needs. The existing pharmacy functionality was limited, requiring customers to physically wait in-store for prescription fulfillment. With the growing adoption of mobile technology in healthcare management, Kroger sought to create a more convenient, secure, and accessible pharmacy experience. This initiative came at a time when mobile prescription management was still emerging in the retail pharmacy space, positioning Kroger to be at the forefront of this digital transformation. The project faced significant complexity due to strict HIPAA compliance requirements, accessibility standards, and the need to accommodate various family relationship dynamics in prescription management.
Task
As the sole UX designer for the pharmacy section of the Kroger app, my responsibility was to completely redesign the pharmacy experience while working under the guidance of a UX lead. I needed to create an intuitive interface that would allow customers to refill prescriptions remotely, check medication status, and manage prescriptions for dependents or family members. The design had to protect personal health information and meet AAA accessibility standards to ensure usability for all customers, including those with disabilities with convenience and ease of use and accommodating complex family relationships in prescription management. Allowing parents to manage children's medications, spouses to assist each other, and adult children to help aging parents was a key positioning pillar for Kroger.
Action
We began by conducting extensive research on healthcare privacy requirements and accessibility guidelines, collaborating closely with Kroger's legal and compliance teams to understand the boundaries within which we could innovate. I created detailed user flows that accounted for various scenarios of prescription management, including dependent relationships and authorization protocols. To validate the accessibility features, I coordinated remote testing sessions with visually impaired users, gathering critical feedback on VoiceOver functionality and navigation patterns. Throughout the design process, I maintained continuous communication with the dedicated pharmacy development team, ensuring technical feasibility while advocating for user needs.
Result
The pharmacy overhaul was successfully launched, establishing Kroger as an early innovator in mobile prescription management within the retail pharmacy sector. The new functionality significantly improved customer experience by reducing in-store waiting times and providing real-time status updates on prescriptions. The secure dependent management system successfully accommodated various family relationships, allowing authorized users to manage medications for their loved ones while maintaining strict privacy controls. The project demonstrated that complex healthcare functions could be effectively translated to mobile experiences while maintaining compliance with stringent regulations.