INDUSTRY:
Health Care
CLIENT:
Memorial Sloan Kettering
YEAR:
2024
EXPERIENCE:
Service Design, User Experience
Threads of Care
about.
Threads of Care focused on improving the patient journey for individuals diagnosed with cancer. In collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering and Parsons School of Design, the project explored how to ease information and emotional overload. Through 15 weeks of research and co-design, three tailored service concepts were developed, addressing patient and caregiver needs across physical, emotional, and digital touchpoints to create a more compassionate and navigable care experience.
challenge.
Patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering face a dual burden as they process complex clinical information while coping with the emotional shock of a cancer diagnosis. Despite the wealth of nonclinical resources available, patients often struggle to access or absorb them without feeling overwhelmed. The challenge was to identify points of friction, emotional vulnerability, and cognitive overload and to explore how design could offer meaningful, yet simple and easy solutions within these critical moments.
discovery.
This part of the project focused on building contextual understanding through patient journey mapping, stakeholder interviews, and analysis of the existing MSK ecosystem. This phase identified critical moments of emotional strain and information overload that disrupt patient experience. Key insights uncovered breakdowns in communication, decision making challenges, and unmet needs, laying the foundation for identifying intervention opportunities in later stages of the design process.
prototyping.
The prototyping phase focused on developing interventions that seamlessly fit into MSK’s existing support ecosystem. Insights from user analysis revealed two groups, intentional and non intentional users, each requiring different types of support. Prototypes were designed to address both emotional and informational overload, using patient centric design, simplified access, and tailored resources. These explorations laid the groundwork for the final service solutions presented in the next section.
Through prototyping, three distinct service directions emerged, each addressing a unique challenge: information overload, emotional overwhelm, and a balance of both. These services were tailored to two user groups: Intentional and Unintentional Users. This led to the development of Sherpa, Crayon, and MoodWheel - three prototypes positioned across a spectrum of needs and behaviors, as illustrated in the diagram below.
prototype 1, crayon.
Crayon is a digital tool designed for cancer patients to support creative emotional expression, resource discovery, and community connection. It addresses both emotional and information overload by linking artistic expression with personalized MSK service recommendations. Key features include an infinity artboard, emotion-based resource tagging, and virtual support spaces. Crayon also helps care teams identify patient needs, making it both a therapeutic and practical tool in the cancer care journey.
mood wheel. prototype 2.
Mood Wheel is a personalized emotional support tool designed to help cancer patients process the ups and downs of their diagnosis. By logging emotions on a gamified mood interface, patients receive tailored MSK resource recommendations. Its key features include a mood tracker, smart resource lists, and an emotional journey log. Mood Wheel reduces emotional overload and supports more personalized, holistic care through ongoing mood tracking and pattern recognition.
sherpa. prototype 3.
Sherpa is a digital guide that highlights non-clinical MSK services, helping cancer patients navigate support beyond treatment. It addresses information overload by curating only trusted, relevant MSK resources, presented through a simplified, visually-driven interface. With features like predictable themes, tag-based searching, and clear navigation, Sherpa ensures patients receive personalized, digestible information, making it easier to explore, learn, and access the right help at the right time.
strategic intervention.
The services were strategically designed to integrate seamlessly within the existing MSK ecosystem, aligning with key moments in the patient and caregiver journey. By mapping out the MSK experience, each service was placed where it would be most intuitive and needed, reducing friction and avoiding redundancy. The goal was to ensure the interventions feel supplementary, not additional, offering meaningful support without becoming a burden to learn or adapt.
testimonial.
Personally, I would have loved to have something like a Sherpa during my time as a cancer patient. A service like that would have kept me posted on all the latest happenings at MSK.
Andy on Sherpa
Cancer Survivor, PFACQ Member at MSK
