An innovative blood donation app that motivates young people to donate regularly.
In Germany, there is an annual shortage of 2.5 million blood donations – a deficit that exists because only 3% of the population donates regularly. Young people in particular rarely or never participate in blood donations, as the topic is often not present in their daily lives. This is exactly where Pulse comes in: An app designed with targeted features to appeal primarily to young people and motivate them to donate blood regularly.
In our research phase, we used various methods to gather insights for the design process. We conducted online surveys, performed shadowing by accompanying a person during a blood donation, analyzed the German Red Cross forum, conducted interviews, and spoke with officials on-site at the German Red Cross.
Our study with over 80 participants provided valuable insights into blood donation behavior and attitudes. The data collected formed a solid foundation for the development of the Pulse concept.
In summary, our survey reveals significant differences in donation behavior across age groups: Only 19% of those under 30 donate blood regularly, while 37% of those over 50 do so. Simultaneously, 54% of respondents lack basic knowledge about blood donation requirements. Despite a generally strong interest of 76% in blood donation, the final step to actual implementation is often missing.
From analyzing the DRK forum and our interviews, we identified recurring topics that concern potential donors:
"Am I allowed to donate blood if I have a pre-existing condition?"
"How long do I have to wait after getting a tattoo?"
"How long does a blood donation take in total?"
"Can I schedule an appointment to avoid waiting times?"
"When and how do I receive my blood values?"
"What do the individual readings in my results mean?"
Interviews, user shadowing, and surveys led to three main user personas. Direct observations and in-depth interviews provided valuable insights into their needs.
"I would like to donate blood, but I've never done it before and I'm not sure if I'm even eligible."
"I have been donating blood regularly for 25 years, because my father was saved by a donation. For me, it's a given."
"I would like to donate blood, but because of my chronic illness, I'm not allowed. I still want to help."
Through a structured ideation process, we developed creative solutions to address the key challenges identified during our research phase.
From the user flow, we formulated "How Might We" questions, which were prioritized accordingly. This enabled us to tackle the most important challenges directly and focus on innovative solutions.
Long wait times and complicated procedures especially discourage first-time donors and busy individuals.
Young people often lack an emotional connection to the topic of blood donation, which is essential for long-term engagement.
A lack of knowledge about donation requirements and the actual process poses a major barrier.
Using a structured ideation process, we transformed the identified problems into concrete solution approaches. The iterative process included various creative techniques and continuous testing of hypotheses.
Analyze user research findings and identify key pain points in the blood donation process.
Rephrase the identified problems into specific design challenges.
Development sessions and creative workshops with various stakeholders.
Group and prioritize ideas based on innovativeness and feasibility.
Develop the most promising ideas into concrete feature concepts. Create initial visualizations and test them with potential users.
To make the abstract concepts tangible, we created various sketches and wireframes. These served as the basis for early user tests and the further development of the design concept.
Initial digital sketches visualizing the basic app flow.
Development of key features and their interplay.
Throughout the design process, numerous artifacts were created to document our thought process and illustrate the evolution of the Pulse concept.
Prioritization of the most critical design challenges.
Initial digital visualizations of the app screens.
Development of the visual identity with a focus on red as the primary color.
Visual references and inspirations for the final design.
Pulse transforms blood donation from a one-time good deed into an ongoing, community-driven experience. Our carefully designed features address the biggest hurdles in blood donation—especially for younger audiences.
Clear and organized scheduling makes finding and booking blood donation appointments a breeze. No more uncertain searching or long wait times—just a seamless process tailored precisely to your needs.
With Pulse, blood donation becomes a communal experience. The Challenge feature turns a good deed into a friendly competition that boosts motivation and encourages regular donations.
Say goodbye to long waiting times and paperwork on-site. The digital questionnaire can be filled out comfortably at home, reducing waiting time by an average of 15 minutes—an enormous relief for first-time donors and busy professionals.
Spendi is available around the clock to answer questions and alleviate fears and uncertainties—especially valuable for first-time donors. Unlike hotlines with limited hours, Spendi is there whenever you need it.
Your personal donation dashboard not only shows your donation history but also important health values over time. This adds real value beyond a good deed—health monitoring as an additional source of motivation.
The annual recap provides emotional engagement and showcases the impact of your good deeds. See how many people you helped and the contribution you made to the community—an inspiring motivator for future donations.
After establishing the core concepts and features, we developed high-fidelity mockups to visualize the final user interface and test the complete user experience.
Working on Pulse was an eye-opening experience that showed me how design can tackle real social problems. What started as a simple question - "Why don't young people donate blood?" - turned into a comprehensive solution that addresses everything from scheduling headaches to the lack of community around blood donation.
The most rewarding part was seeing how small design decisions could make such a big difference. Features like the smart appointment system and donation streaks aren't just nice-to-haves - they directly solve the pain points we discovered during our research. By making blood donation feel more like joining a community than doing a chore, Pulse has the potential to create lasting change in how young people think about giving back.