End to end research for the full implementation of push notifications at Express Scripts

My Role: Researcher

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Note: As a UX researcher at Express Scripts, I performed all parts of the research process: research planning, writing protocols, conducting research, data collection, data synthesis, presenting, and making recommendations to stakeholders. In my work, I apply myriad methodologies including, but not limited to: moderated in-depth interviews, contextual inquiry, diary studies, usability testing, surveys, RITE testing, tree tests, and card sorts. 

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Context & The Problem

The business team made the decision to implement push notifications in the native mobile app product; I was tasked with doing research for the initiative. Several business partners had expressed interest in launching various campaigns via push, so it seemed vital to conduct a full body of research for a successful implementation of the new communication channel. I partnered with a project manager on our Omnicomm team for parts of this work.

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My Approach

Secondary & Generative research

Since the push notification channel was a brand new initiative, there was no previous internal research done on which to build. So I started by conducting secondary and generative research. I did a lit review of about 15 reputable, cited sources, to get a better understanding of UI trends, best practices, and some statistical data around users in the current push notification space. Below are a few of my significant findings:

• Data showed that the primary reason digital users turned off push notifications is because they find them irrelevant or annoying

• Although it's not the trend to include terms like "tap", they help identify notifications that deep-link into the app

• Timing and frequency play a huge role in whether users opt in or out of push notifications; more than 1/day cause majority to turn them off​

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​I then conducted generative research to better understand individual communication preferences, habits, and pain points. I recruited 12 people who were a mix of ESI members and members of other health insurance, who managed at least 3 long-term medications for structured 1:1 in-depth interviews. While the study was generative in nature (and therefore open-ended in what we could potentially learn) I hoped to gain insights into whether our members would truly use push notifications, as well as insights into how to best optimize the new channel.

I began the interview by asking participants to tell me about how they managed their prescription medications, asking questions specifically around how they received communications about their medications from their current pharmacy and healthcare provider. I was intentional in listening for what worked and didn't work about their current prescription management and communication methods.

I then used an interactive visual component - a collaborative figjam board (pictured below). On the board, I included:

• several different (prescription- and benefit-related) notifications

• icons representing varied communication channels, settings, frequency, and more

I shared the figjam board with the participant, and asked a more focused series of questions. For each notification, I moved the representative icons to reflect their answers. Below are some of my focused questions, though I allowed participants freedom to elaborate on their answers.

1. Through what communication channel would you want to receive the notification?

2. What would be your preference for a secondary channel (if required)?

3. How urgent do you regard the notification?
4. How would you categorize this notification?

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