In a world where our days are filled with endless tasks and distractions, remembering to take essential medication can become a daunting challenge. For my mother, this struggle became all too real, prompting the development of DoseUp - a medicine tracking mobile app.

The Problem of Medication Management

As a loving son, it pained me to see my mother struggling to keep track of her medication. For my mother, keeping track of her medication routine was more than just a daily task—it was a matter of health and well-being. With an ever changing list of medications to take each day, the risk of missing a dose loomed large, potentially leading to serious health implications. Now you may wonder, why to over complicate things? Why can't my mom just use a pen and paper to mark whether she has taken her medicines for the day or not? Traditional methods of using a calendar or pen-and-paper simply couldn't keep up with the demand and complexity of her medication routine.

Fueled by the desire to ease my mother's burden and ensure her well-being, I set out to create a simple, user-friendly solution – the DoseUp mobile app. Developed over a weekend, this app was designed specifically to cater to the unique needs of my non-tech-savvy mother, providing a seamless way for her to manage and track her medication with just a single touch.

The Birth of DoseUp

Understanding that simplicity and ease of use were paramount, I meticulously documented the necessary features and translated them into a design that prioritized intuitive functionality. Despite having limited mobile development experience, I leveraged the power of MIT App Inventor, a no-code drag-and-drop app building tool, to bring my vision to life. Here's an overview of how the blocks in the app inventor tool looked like.

The focus on user experience was unwavering – from enlarged font sizes and buttons for effortless navigation to a simplified design that eliminated unnecessary complexities (see home screen). Data privacy was also a top priority, leading me to opt for local storage of all medication records, ensuring the security of my mother's sensitive health information. DoseUp addresses the critical issue of data privacy by storing all information locally on the user's mobile device, safeguarding sensitive health data.

Key Features of DoseUp

One of the key features of DoseUp is its comprehensive history function, providing valuable insights for caregivers and loved ones to monitor medication adherence. Additionally, the app includes an options screen, where users can effortlessly customize their medication records, adding or removing medications based on their evolving needs. Automatic reset of dose status daily at 12:00 AM ensures seamless tracking and management.

I have shared the MIT app inventor project file and the android apk for DoseUp in the following github repository. Feel free to check it out and let me know your thoughts about the same. If there's any specific feature that you would want to see in the application, do let me know by opening up an issue ticket on the above mentioned repository or by reaching out to me via email.

Future Plans and Improvements

After a week of testing the application with my first user - my mother, I got to know an interesting insight. The app is not serving its purpose to the fullest. Now, my mom keep forgetting to mark the doses on the application. So something needs to be done to remind her about the same. I plan to solve by further improving my application. Looking ahead, I am committed to enhancing DoseUp by implementing push notification functionality to deliver timely reminders to users. This feature will further streamline the medication management process and ensure that my mother—and others—stay on track with their prescribed regimen. Secondly some medicines are taken twice in a day. For such medicines, as of now users needs to create two different entries. I plan to fix it by making changes to the logic and introduce a functionality to track frequency of the medicines taken.

Conclusion

As we navigate the complexities of modern life, the importance of effective medication management cannot be overstated. With DoseUp, I aim to provide a simple yet powerful tool that empowers users to take charge of their health with confidence. By leveraging technology to address real-world challenges, DoseUp paves the way for a future where managing medication is no longer a burden but a seamless part of daily life. Watch this space as we continue to innovate and improve DoseUp, ensuring that the journey to better health is just a tap away. Let DoseUp be your trusted companion in the quest for wellness and well-being—because when it comes to health, every dose counts.