Receiving a difficult diagnosis in the hospital can be overwhelming. Not only are you suddenly navigating the unfamiliar terrain of your medical journey, but you also need to keep your social network informed. Stamps is an app that allows you to easily share your medical journey with those around you. We looked into how we further enhance this app to better meet the needs and desires of its users, and considered what sustainable revenue models would be appropriate.
Stamps is an existing app that provides significant value to its users. Together with the Stamps team, we explored and designed ways to improve the user experience of the app to better align with the target audience’s needs. Stamps is a social enterprise with the primary goal of creating a positive impact. The objective is not to maximize profit but to ensure the app’s long-term sustainability without external funding. Therefore, we sought a suitable, sustainable revenue model.
We conducted interviews with individuals using the app, both those undergoing long-term medical journeys, as well as their family members, friends, and colleagues who were following the journey of a loved one. Through these conversations, we identified the challenges different app users face and considered their unmet needs. We discovered why people value sharing and following a medical journey and the additional features they would like to see. Additionally, we analyzed the current user experience (UX), spoke with healthcare professionals, and mapped out Stamps' competitors. For writers (those sharing their journey), it can be difficult to keep their network updated, especially early on when they are overwhelmed. They often ask themselves questions like: What should I share? What should I keep private? Who should I send updates to? We also found that writers struggle with the fact that they must write updates first before receiving responses or support from followers. This is particularly challenging when writers need support the most but lack the energy to share updates. From the conversations with those following stories on Stamps, we learned that they are primarily looking for ways to offer support. How can you support someone in a way that is meaningful to them? For followers who care deeply but are not very close to the person, finding a way to show support can be tricky. Followers often lack a clear course of action.
We proposed a new, accessible UX experience with an onboarding process that helps both writers and followers share and follow the medical journey. In addition, we explored various promising sustainable revenue models based on our research and developed these further. We have tested the revenue models together with Stamps.
Our proposal for the next version of Stamps is an app that differentiates between followers, close contacts, and writers, addressing the unique needs of each group. The new onboarding process ensures that both writers and followers can easily navigate the app and stay engaged. A revamped, intuitive UI makes the app more user-friendly and accessible.
Additionally, we developed several sustainable revenue models, with the "pay what you want" model seeming the most promising. We also identified alternative revenue models that directly address the needs of writers and followers uncovered during the interviews. We are now testing these promising models in the simplest way possible. To do this, we have outlined the most critical assumptions for each revenue model and are conducting low-risk tests.
Stamps Founders
It was a great experience to write the project plan together and submit the funding application. The team at Ink had outlined a clear process in advance, including different types of sessions, outputs, and data. The sessions at their location were especially inspiring. And everything ran smoothly — all deadlines were met. The team at Ink is very diverse, which led to rich, and at times intense, discussions, but always with a constructive outcome. The result provides a solid foundation for the next steps of our venture.
