Conor Gallagher, an 82 year old retired teacher, He has been struggling to keep up with his daily medication routine. He has five different prescriptions each with different dosages and schedules. Every week, Conor faces the anxiety of wondering if he’s taken the right pill at the right time. He’s tried everything: manual lists, alarms, even sticky notes. Still, mistakes happen and missing a dose puts his health at risk.

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Solution Explanation

But now, there’s MedPlus.

Conor downloads Medplus, and from the moment he opens the app, it’s simple and intuitive. No lengthy registration forms or confusing questions. With just a tap, He uses his email or mobile number to sign up. Instantly, He’s in. The onboarding process is tailored for seniors like Conor -clear fonts and simple prompts guiding him through each step.

Next, He reaches for his pill bottles. With MedPlus, He doesn’t need to manually enter any details. Instead, He takes out his phone, opens the app,and scans the QR code handed over to him from the pharmacy. Within seconds, the app automatically pulls in all the essential information -the name of the drug, the dosage, frequency, and any additional doctors notes. Conor Gallagher is amazed at how easy it is- no typing , no confusion . The app does all the work.

But here’s where MedPlus becomes more than just a medication tracker.

After uploading his prescriptions, Meplus creates a personalized medication schedule for Conor and it doesn’t stop there. Conor receives friendly reminders right when he needs them.

Learnings

Product Manager Learnings:

Abiola Olayinka-Meraiyebu

It’s been quite an intense six weeks and I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world. Developing this medical app required close collaboration between multiple teams- developers and designers. As a product manager, I had to bridge the gap between these teams and ensure we were all aligned with the overall vision. This taught me how critical communication and collaboration is key for the success of a product. Overall I learnt the importance of user empathy, leveraging automation, maintaining a focus on security and fostering collaboration across teams as I transition into product management.

Designer Learnings:

Randon Sommars

Co.Lab has been a great experience for me in so many ways. One of the biggest things was working with an actual… cross-functional team, which really gave me a feel for what it’s like to collaborate in a real working environment. Sure, there were challenges, but honestly, that’s where the real learning happened, and it made the whole experience more realistic and meaningful. Having in-depth conversations with our Front-end Developer on a weekly basis, negotiating designs, organizing our thoughts has really given me a more “behind-the-scenes” look into what it takes to work within a team. Additionally, the program has pushed me to grow as a designer and a teammate, and I’m feeling more motivated than ever to keep building my skills and improving both personally and professionally.

Designer Learnings:

Jo Sturdivant

Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.

Developer Learnings:

Ajani Brown

As a front-end developer working on the MedPlus app, I gained valuable insights into both technical skills and the importance of collaboration in a cross-functional team. Building a product that genuinely helps users requires effective communication among product managers, designers, and backend developers. This collaboration is key to creating a seamless user experience, and it underscores the value of sharing ideas and solving challenges together as a team. Translating the product designer's wireframe designs into a functional front-end using React was both challenging and rewarding. I focused on ensuring the application was intuitive and engaging, particularly for seniors, while maintaining attention to styling and user experience. Collaborating with another developer taught me the value of teamwork in synchronizing our efforts to build a cohesive and functional application. Throughout this project, I was introduced to many new technologies I had not yet worked with, which inspired me to continue learning and practicing coding. This experience deepened my appreciation for collaboration and motivated me to expand my technical skills further.

Developer Learnings:

Vanady Beard

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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.

Developer Learnings:

Stephen Asiedu

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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.

Developer Learnings:

Gerado

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As the Backend Developer for Med Plus, this project was undoubtedly challenging, but it pushed me to think creatively and problem-solve in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I built features that I never imagined I could, like implementing a QR code system to scan medications and seamlessly integrate that data into user profiles. While the experience was tough, I learned so much from it, and I’d do it again without hesitation. Working alongside a talented team, we overcame every obstacle and ultimately delivered an incredible application.

Developer Learnings:

Maurquise Williams

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Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.

Developer Learnings:

Jeremiah Williams

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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key

Developers Learnings:

Justin Farley

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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.

Full Team Learning

The team learnt the importance of collaborating crossfuntionally and ensuring everyone is onboard with the vision is a key success factor for any product