Pacify cover
HealthTech Mobile UX Parenting Care Emotional Design

Care access that works
at 3am

Redesigning care access and support workflows for new and expecting parents on Pacify — reducing friction during high-stress, time-sensitive moments when support matters most.

Company

Pacify

My Role

Product Designer

Team

PMs · Engineering · QA

Platform

Mobile (iOS & Android)

The Problem

Support during the hardest moments
was too hard to reach

New parents seeking support faced an experience that added friction at the worst possible moment — when they were exhausted, stressed, and often holding a newborn with one hand. The challenge wasn't only functional usability. It was emotional clarity and confidence during urgent, time-sensitive situations.

Before
Before — home screen

Original home screen — fragmented hierarchy, unclear entry points to care

After
After — redesigned home screen

Redesigned home — care team surfaced immediately, clear hierarchy, scroll for more

Care options were unclear — parents didn't know what type of support was available

Too many decisions before reaching help — friction at the worst moment

Information hierarchy didn't match the urgency of the situation

Moments requiring reassurance felt overly transactional

Not designed for single-handed, caregiving-context use

Educational content surfaced at wrong moments — users wanted action, not reading

My Approach

Design for the emotional reality of caregiving

I focused on reducing both cognitive and emotional load — not just functional usability. A parent at 3am doesn't have the patience for a complex flow. Every decision point we removed was a moment of anxiety we eliminated.

1

Mobile-first, caregiving-aware

Designed around real caregiving behaviors — large touch targets, minimal text input, single-handed navigation. Many users accessed support while multitasking, holding a baby, or in low-light environments.

2

Simplify the path to support

Reduced unnecessary decision points. The question "what kind of support do I need?" was answered by the UI, not demanded of the user.

3

Surface guidance when it's needed

Rather than overwhelming users with educational content upfront, support and guidance appeared contextually at the specific moments where users were most likely to have questions.

Key Flows

Three redesigned experiences, end to end

Scroll and drag within each flow to explore the screens. Switch between flows using the tabs.

Onboarding Flow

New parent registration — from signup through profile setup and first care connection. Designed to collect only what's needed, when it's needed.

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Onboarding flow
OnboardingFull signup and profile setup flow with annotations — showing progression from entry through plan selection to first care connection.

Lactation Appointment Scheduling

Simplified scheduling flow for connecting with a lactation consultant — availability selection, confirmation, and reminders.

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Lactation scheduling flow
SchedulingLactation consultant booking flow — from care type selection through time slot, confirmation and post-booking state.

Cancel Appointment Flow

Designed to be non-punitive — clear, low-friction cancellation with rescheduling always one tap away.

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Cancel appointment flow
Cancel FlowEven edge cases were designed with care — the cancellation flow maintains a supportive tone and makes rescheduling effortless.

Chat Flow

Secure in-app messaging between parents and care providers — designed to feel personal and responsive, not like a support ticket system.

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Chat flow
ChatProvider-to-parent messaging flow — entry points, conversation states, and media sharing within the care context.

Key Decisions

Three choices that reduced friction

01

Navigation Model

Fewer decisions before reaching support

Every decision point was audited — those that didn't actively help the user get the right support faster were removed. We accepted some imprecision in initial support matching in exchange for speed.

The tension: fewer choices means less granular routing. Users could redirect once connected, so speed to connection was prioritised over precision of initial match.
02

Content Strategy

Progressive disclosure of educational content

Moved from front-loaded information to contextual guidance — surfacing educational content at the specific moments in a flow where it was actually relevant, not at entry points where users wanted action.

Stakeholders wanted more visibility for educational resources. Testing validated contextual placement over upfront presentation for task completion.
03

Interaction Model

Designed for single-handed, high-stress use

Larger touch targets, reduced text input, clear visual hierarchy at a glance. Phone in one hand, baby in the other — that's the design constraint everything else flows from.

Accessibility-first design sometimes conflicts with premium visual expectations. We worked with brand to find the right balance without compromising usability.

Outcome

Faster to support,
clearer about what to do next

Testing showed users navigated support options more confidently and completed tasks with less confusion. The experience better aligned with the emotional realities of caregiving.

Navigation

Users reached the right type of support faster — fewer dead ends, fewer confused pauses before selecting an option.

Emotional Clarity

The redesigned flows felt more reassuring — participants reported feeling "taken care of" rather than having to figure things out.

Task Completion

Users completed care-seeking tasks with less guidance required — contextual help appeared when needed, not before.

Mobile Usability

Single-handed patterns tested well across real caregiving contexts and device sizes.

Reflection

What I'd do differently

"Every decision point you remove is a moment of anxiety you eliminate for someone already stretched thin."

The biggest insight was that the emotional experience of using the app during a stressful moment is as important as the functional experience. A technically correct flow can still feel overwhelming if it requires too much cognitive effort at the wrong moment.

I'd spend more time upfront doing contextual research in actual caregiving environments — not just usability sessions. The difference between using an app in a quiet testing room and using it at 3am while nursing is enormous and must be designed for, not assumed away.

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Want to see the full picture?

The full process is
worth a conversation

There's a lot more to this project — detailed flows, research synthesis, interaction specs, and design system components. If you'd like to see how it all comes together, I'd love to walk you through it.

See the full process

Usually reply within 24 hours · manalishah19691@gmail.com