WYZ
Background and Challenge
Thanks to advances in HIV treatment and prevention, only about 300 people are diagnosed with HIV in San Francisco each year. Yet for these individuals—particularly those aged 18–29—a diagnosis can bring confusion, uncertainty, loneliness, and fear for the future. HIV can be isolating, and newly diagnosed youth often need to feel part of a community while maintaining personal privacy.
SOM Tech partnered with Dr. Saberi, at UCSF's Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), to develop WYZ, a mobile health app that:
Helps patients track and remember their medications
Simplifies communication between providers and patients
Builds a community to reduce HIV-related stigma
Working closely with Dr. Saberi and the patient community, SOM Tech developed features that balance anonymity with connection, providing resources, reminders, and tools to help users feel informed and in control.
Identifying Preferences and Prioritizing Features
Likes and dislikes, design of the Community section
Participatory workshops with youth living with HIV captured user preferences, included sketching exercises to guide content, and helped the team refine and prioritize WYZ’s most essential features, including:
Medication reminders
Adherence and refill tracking
Access to lab results
Direct communication with healthcare teams
Identification of community resources
Social networking functionality
SOM Tech partnered with Dr. Saberi throughout the project’s entire lifecycle, maintaining cost efficiency by collaborating with external partners for parts of the iOS and Android design and development, while leveraging internal tools such as REDCap and Salesforce. The app was originally built for iOS to match the target users’ preferences, with a REDCap backend chosen for its security and lack of licensing costs.
Empowering Youth Through Tools and Resources
My Meds encourages adherence by letting participants monitor their medications, CD4+ counts, and HIV viral load.
The calendar view shows medication adherence daily to encourage self-care and behavior change.
Lab and adherence progress charts are paired with tailored messages and guidance based on the results.
My Team allows patients to communicate directly with their health care providers and access local resources.
My Community provides an anonymous social network, trusted medical news and relevant community events.
Chats reduces social isolation by providing a safe place to share experiences and recommendations.
My Work
UX: synthesized user interview findings, landscape analysis, Likes & Dislikes, priority setting, lit review, co-design with target users
Facilitated participatory workshops
Designed interactions and wireframes
Built prototypes
Designed website, icons, and visual identity
Developed style guide and collaborated with vendors on agile development in Salesforce and mobile apps
Outcomes and Impact
Funded by the NIH National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), SOM Tech further developed WYZ, adding enhanced community and resource features, an upgraded backend database, and a new Android version. Originally part of a five-year R34 study, the app is currently awaiting additional NIMH funding for continued development.
A pilot study demonstrated that WYZ was both feasible and acceptable, with users averaging 5.3 logins per week and tracking adherence 57.9% of the time. Participants reported high satisfaction with the app’s usability and its potential to reduce HIV-related stigma. Visit the WYZ resource page and demo.