top of page

Entelect

CHOC

Project Manager

Developer

Childhood Cancer Awareness App

Early signs of childhood cancer are often missed due to limited awareness, low health literacy, and inaccessible information - contributing to late diagnoses and lower survival rates. Families, educators, and community leaders needed a tool that was simple, inclusive, and culturally sensitive. The challenge was to translate the SILUAN principle into a mobile experience that worked across languages, literacy levels, and connectivity constraints, while reducing stigma and empowering early action.

Timeline: 2024

Designer

Platform: App

Role: UX/UI

Context & Constraints

Context​

  • Childhood Cancer Awareness App for a South African NPO.

  • Targeted at families, caregivers, and community figures supporting children with cancer or blood disorders.

  • Designed for low-resource, high-stress environments.

  • Existing parent handbook and website content are dense, overwhelming, and medically complex.

  • Users often engage with the app during emotionally and physically exhausting moments.

Goals​: MVP

  • Simplify medical information on childhood cancer and blood disorders.

  • Present content in a clear, readable, non-overwhelming format.

  • Translate content into:

    • 11 South African languages

    • French

    • Portuguese

  • Address cultural myths, stigmas, and misinformation.

  • Provide clear explanations for medical terminology.

Goals: Future

  • Medical journal for patients.

  • Food diary.

  • Emergency contact storage.

  • Nearest hospital and clinic locator.

  • “Mighty Moo” as an in-app guide and companion (later deprioritised).

Constraints

  • Low literacy and tech literacy among primary users.

  • Limited or no access to mobile data and stable connectivity.

  • High emotional stress reduces information retention.

  • Complexity of cancer-related medical content.

  • Difficulty translating medical terminology accurately across multiple languages.

  • Cultural distrust of Western medicine in some communities.

  • Existing NPO content needed restructuring before design could begin.

User & Insights

The app serves caregivers, educators, survivors, and community leaders supporting children with cancer, many of whom operate in low-resource environments with limited access to data, healthcare, and digital literacy. Users often experience high emotional stress, language barriers, and cultural misconceptions around cancer, making clear, accessible, and culturally sensitive communication essential for effective understanding and trust.

Disclaimer

The user images and personas shown are representations of the broader user group based on research insights. They are not real individuals, and any similarities to actual persons are purely coincidental.

Key User Needs

  • Easy-to-understand medical information.

  • Minimal data usage and offline-friendly experiences.

  • Clear explanations without medical jargon.

  • Culturally respectful content that acknowledges beliefs and myths.

  • Reduced cognitive load in high-stress situations.

  • Strong visual clarity and predictable navigation.

Key Insights

  • Many families travel long distances (up to 15km on foot, plus taxis) for treatment.

  • Caregivers may struggle to:

    • Read or write

    • Navigate apps

    • Search for information

  • Language barriers extend beyond translation to:

    • Dialects

    • Cultural context

    • Racial and institutional distrust

  • Existing educational materials overwhelm users.

  • Audio and visual learning outperform text-heavy content in this context.

User Persona #1

Persona of a grandmother caregiver, showing background, frustrations, goals, and UX needs like audio, large text, simple navigation, and low data use.

User Persona #2

Persona of a teen with cancer, highlighting challenges, goals, frustrations, and UX needs like autonomy, clear layout, and simple language.

Research

Exploratory Research

  • Investigated alternative delivery methods:

    • Mobile game for children

    • USSD-based information guide

    • Interactive body diagram for symptom exploration (WebMD-style)

  • Evaluated feasibility against:

    • Literacy levels

    • Data availability

    • Emotional context

Comparative & Inspiration Research

  • Analysed educational and child-focused apps:

    • Lingokids

    • Khan Kids

    • Sesame Street Breathe

  • Identified patterns around:

    • Chunked content

    • Audio-first learning

    • Calm visual environments

Content Research

  • Reviewed existing NPO website and parent handbook.

  • Identified:

    • Critical vs non-critical information

    • Redundant or overly complex explanations

  • Prioritised content most needed during early diagnosis and treatment

Quantitative Research

Image indicating that the global increase in childhood cancer increased by 13% over the past two decades.
Image indicating that 1 in 400 children worldwide are diagnosed with cancer before the age of 15.
Image indicating that the most common childhood cancers are found in the abdomen.
Image indicating that GenZ has the largest awareness following on TikTok and Instagram.
Image indicating that South Africa sees around 1000 cases of childhood cancer annually, where in reality they should see around 2500.

Competitor Analysis

Direct competitors - Notes lack of apps focused on childhood cancer awareness and caregiver support.
Indirect competitors - Highlights educational and child-focused apps used as inspiration.

​Note: 

No direct competitor app in the market focusing on childhood cancer awareness.

Accessibility Considerations

  • Inclusive design for children with disabilities caused by cancer or treatment.

  • Voice-over functionality for non-readers:

    • Play

    • Pause

    • Stop

    • Rewind

  • Large, bold typography for improved readability.

  • Book-like background colours instead of stark white.

  • Colour palettes informed by hospital environments.

  • Clear visual structure to minimise overwhelm.

Design Process

Task Flows

Image 1/3 Mind maps and flow diagrams showing user tasks, needs, constraints, and information organisation.
Image 2/3 Mind maps and flow diagrams showing user tasks, needs, constraints, and information organisation.
Image 3/3 Mind maps and flow diagrams showing user tasks, needs, constraints, and information organisation.

Sketches

Early layout sketches exploring navigation, content grouping, and information flow.

Low-fidelity Wireframes

Image 1/6 Low-fidelity wireframes showing structure, content placement, and basic navigation patterns.
Image 4/6 Low-fidelity wireframes showing structure, content placement, and basic navigation patterns.
Image 2/6 Low-fidelity wireframes showing structure, content placement, and basic navigation patterns.
Image 5/6 Low-fidelity wireframes showing structure, content placement, and basic navigation patterns.
Image 3/6 Low-fidelity wireframes showing structure, content placement, and basic navigation patterns.
Image 6/6 Low-fidelity wireframes showing structure, content placement, and basic navigation patterns.

Mid-fidelity Wireframes

Image 1/5 Refined wireframes with clearer hierarchy, spacing, and interaction focus for readability.
Image 2/5 Refined wireframes with clearer hierarchy, spacing, and interaction focus for readability.
Image 3/5 Refined wireframes with clearer hierarchy, spacing, and interaction focus for readability.
Image 4/5 Refined wireframes with clearer hierarchy, spacing, and interaction focus for readability.
Image 5/5 Refined wireframes with clearer hierarchy, spacing, and interaction focus for readability.

Final Designs

​Note: 

I left before the final implementation, but the designer who succeeded me shared the outcomes. The app was successfully released and can now be found on Google Play.

Image 1/9 Final app designs showing interface, hierarchy, and accessible, culturally sensitive content.
Image 4/9 Final app designs showing interface, hierarchy, and accessible, culturally sensitive content.
Image 7/9 Final app designs showing interface, hierarchy, and accessible, culturally sensitive content.
Image 2/9 Final app designs showing interface, hierarchy, and accessible, culturally sensitive content.
Image 5/9 Final app designs showing interface, hierarchy, and accessible, culturally sensitive content.
Image 8/9 Final app designs showing interface, hierarchy, and accessible, culturally sensitive content.
Image 3/9 Final app designs showing interface, hierarchy, and accessible, culturally sensitive content.
Image 6/9 Final app designs showing interface, hierarchy, and accessible, culturally sensitive content.
Image 9/9 Final app designs showing interface, hierarchy, and accessible, culturally sensitive content.

Reflection

What I Learned​

  • Cultural resonance is critical:

    • “Mighty Moo” was rejected (“I am a child, not a cow”)

  • Assumed friendliness can alienate users.

  • Colour and typography materially affect comprehension.

  • Designing for extreme constraints requires abandoning default UX patterns.

  • Simplification is a form of respect and empathy.

© 2025 Blueprints by René du Plooy. All rights reserved.

bottom of page