Wellness Reports Based on Genetic Weight

23andme

Overview

I lead the development of a new wellness report experience from content through visual and information design. My goal is to design reports that help customers understand how their genetics can influence their health. In turn, I wanted the information to influence their lifestyle decisions.

The first report was the Saturated Fat and Weight report. It gained a lot of attention from our customers, due to it's engaging information. Average customer engagement for this report was 3.8 minutes. The average of other reports is less than 1 minute.

The Challenge

Consumers had no idea that genetics had influence over their BMI. When they discovered the relationship, there is lots of curiosity. We took advantage of this opportunity to engage and educate our customers. I hoped to positively influence their lifestyle decisions.

Science Behind Genetic BMI

Genetic BMI has a lot of variables. 23andMe is able to take genetics and a user's profile to derive a reasonably good prediction of their BMI. This model provides insight into whether they may have a propensity towards a higher / lower BMI.

Wireframes

After understanding the science and how users react to this type of data, my next step was to visualize the user task flows. I started with some quick sketches and continued with creating high-fidelity mockups.

Communicating Personal Genetic Results

Designing a meaningful and personalized genetic result is not easy. It requires months of design iteration, design review, and user testing to get to the final design. In the Genetic Weight report, users will get two main results: Their genetic predisposition for their weight and a comparison to their actual weight. I worked closely with scientists to figure out how to best communicate these personal results through good design and language. Below are some early concepts for the Genetic Weight Report.

Design Variations

Customers were most engaged with our prediction of their genetic weight and healthy habits for their lifestyle. I worked with scientists and researchers to discover compelling lifestyle insights using 23andMe genetic data. We analyzed research data to provide the most accurate information in an extremely compelling way. 

A/B  Testing

A/B Testing helped me refine the product to a succinct presentation. I was able to discover clear winners throughout my design.

Final Genetic Weight Report Design

This report represents a new style of information 23andMe can present to users. Traditionally, most reports were backed by known associations, that were identified in academic research. This report is our first health related report that users our internal data and predicts based on a complex modeled algorithm. However, the design translated the complexity of the key scientific concepts into a user-friendly, simplified and helpful report.