LAVI · UX Case Study
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Duration: 8 weeks·
Role: Certified UX Designer (solo)·FigmaVS Code·
Section 04 of 12
04: Personas
Who we're designing for
Two primary personas emerged from research, representing the core user groups within Haitian and Hispanic immigrant communities, with distinct language needs, health literacy levels, and technology behaviors.
Research-informed design personas, composite archetypes built from interview and survey data
MC
Marie-Claire Estimé
"I just want to understand what the doctor is telling me, without having to bring my daughter every time."
Age54
LocationMiami, FL
OriginPort-au-Prince, Haiti
LanguageHaitian Creole
InsuranceMedicaid
OccupationHome health aide
"When they gave me the paper after my visit I couldn't read most of it. I took a photo and sent it to my niece on WhatsApp. She's in Haiti, she couldn't help me either."
Goals
Understand her chronic hypertension diagnosis and what it means for her daily routine as a home health aide
Take her medications correctly without depending on her daughter to read and explain the labels
Find a Haitian Creole-speaking doctor who accepts Medicaid near Miami
Know when a symptom is serious enough to see a doctor versus manageable at home
Frustrations
Feels embarrassed asking doctors to repeat or explain things in simpler terms
Has received incorrect medication dosage information twice due to language barriers
Every health app she has tried is English-only and full of clinical jargon
Distrust of the U.S. healthcare system, feels treated like a number, not a person
Behaviors
Uses WhatsApp daily, her primary communication channel with family and community
Watches Haitian Creole YouTube videos for health advice from trusted community figures
Asks her church community for doctor recommendations before any online search
Avoids the ER, finds it overwhelming and financially terrifying
Technology comfort
Smartphone useHigh
App navigationModerate
English readingLow
Health literacyLow
Apps used daily
WhatsAppYouTubeFacebookGoogle Translate
Scenario
Marie-Claire wakes up before her morning shift as a home health aide with chest tightness. She's not sure if it's related to her blood pressure medication or something she ate. She wants to check her symptoms but doesn't trust WebMD, last time it suggested she might have a serious heart condition and she couldn't sleep for three nights. She messages her church group on WhatsApp but no one responds quickly. She needs a trusted, calm tool in Haitian Creole that can tell her whether to rest, call a doctor, or go to the ER, without frightening her before she even reads the result.
How LAVI helps Marie-Claire
LAVI opens in Haitian Creole, walks her through the symptom checker in under 3 minutes, and returns a plain-language result: "This may be stress or acid reflux. Rest and monitor for 24 hours." One tap shares the result to her WhatsApp group. She goes to work feeling informed, not frightened.
CR
Carlos Reyes
"I want to be the one taking care of my health, not waiting for my son to translate everything for me."
Age41
LocationAtlanta, GA
OriginOaxaca, Mexico
LanguageSpanish
InsuranceMedicaid / uninsured
OccupationConstruction worker
"My son is 16. He comes with me to every appointment to translate. It's not right, he shouldn't have to hear about my health problems. I want to handle it myself."
Goals
Understand his diabetes management plan without relying on his teenage son to interpret at every appointment
Know exactly how and when to take his metformin, and what foods to avoid on a construction worker's schedule
Find a Spanish-speaking clinic that accepts Medicaid and has evening or weekend availability
Understand when a work-site injury needs immediate medical attention versus home care
Frustrations
Has stopped taking medication twice because he was unsure about the refill process and couldn't navigate the pharmacy system
Avoids doctors due to fear of unexpected costs, goes only when pain is unbearable
Spanish health apps he has found feel generic and disconnected from his cultural context
Daytime work schedule makes standard appointment hours nearly impossible to keep
Behaviors
Uses WhatsApp and YouTube heavily, strongly prefers video content over reading
Searches Google in Spanish when a health question arises, gets inconsistent, often alarming results
Asks coworkers at the job site for home remedies before considering a medical visit
Abandons any digital tool that requires more than 3 steps to complete a task
Technology comfort
Smartphone useHigh
App navigationModerate–high
English readingLow–moderate
Health literacyLow
Apps used daily
WhatsAppYouTubeGoogle MapsGoogle Search
Scenario
Carlos picks up a new metformin prescription after his diabetes diagnosis. The label says "take twice daily with meals, avoid alcohol." He takes it in the morning but skips the evening dose because he's unsure whether his late dinner after a long shift counts as a "meal." After a week of nausea he stops taking it entirely, assuming the medication isn't agreeing with him. He needs a tool that explains in plain, fast Spanish exactly how, when, and why to take his medication, with real food examples that match how he actually eats, and sets a reminder so he doesn't have to think about it.
How LAVI helps Carlos
Carlos scans his prescription label in LAVI. In seconds, it returns: "Take with any meal, even a small snack counts. Take at 8 AM and 8 PM." It uses tortillas and rice as food examples he recognizes. He sets two daily reminders before closing the app. He doesn't need his son. He doesn't need to call the pharmacy. He's done in under two minutes.