Since the coronavirus pandemic struck at the beginning of 2020, many people have expressed their gratitude for frontline healthcare workers by posting on social media, making yard signs and saying thanks in person whenever possible. But there has never been a central location for those workers to see how appreciative people are for all they have done.
Realizing this, local UX designer Alissa Marr teamed up with a group of engineers to build a platform for this very purpose. The idea not only won General Assembly’s first-ever hackathon, but was brought to fruition after Marr and her team received overwhelming support from the broader community.
The platform, Medi+Thanks, provides a centralized online location for people to support and thank frontline workers for their service. The goal is to show that people sympathize with and appreciate what clinicians have been through — exhaustion as well as sparse emotional support — during the pandemic. Marr worked with UX researcher Nicole O'Block and software engineers Molly Haughey, Simon Chen, Rob Richards and Patrick Dohn on the project.
Marr, a Providence-based designer, has worked with brands including Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods, iFLY and Brooks Running. She and her team designed, tested and launched Medi+Thanks over the course of three days using React. They launched version 2 of the web app this winter.
Rhode Island Inno caught up with Marr to learn more about Medi+Thanks.
When did you build Medi+Thanks, and how does it work?
The entire concept, design and user research and testing were completed in just three days. The hackathon took place from Dec. 28 to Dec. 30 in 2020. Version 2, which is what you see now, took two months to finalize and Medithanks.com was released as a soft launch on Feb. 22. Medi+Thanks is a free message board and pathway for the community to express gratitude to healthcare workers.
In order to post, new users must first create an account with a username. Once an account is created, users click to “add a post,” and will be taken to a UI modal inspired by popular social media apps. Users can write a thank you post, adding emojis if they choose. Additional functionality allows for posting anonymously and tagging the clinician, facility or location. The fully responsive design works well on any device, especially mobile, where we imagine the frontline will use it most. The creation of an account is not needed to view posts, simplifying the interaction time spent for healthcare workers.
From health care workers you may have spoken with as you were creating Medi, what were they going through or experiencing during coronavirus that regular folks may not understand?
I feel as though I can’t properly put this into words, as I’ve only heard stories. The front line has experienced excruciatingly long hours and tough emotionally draining days, to say the least. They are continuously exposed to the virus, every day putting themselves in danger and witnessing tragedies comparable to a war zone. They know not all patients who enter the hospital will make it out, depending on their condition or age. This often leads to a desensitization to all the deaths and lives they can’t save, which is necessary to make it through each day.
It’s stressful and horrifying to realize even with all their education, expertise and efforts, the virus would take many lives; it’s entirely out of their hands. Unlike before Covid, they have no time to blow off steam with co-workers or practice self care. Many have been isolated from their families, fearing they will spread the virus to their spouse or children. They have struggled daily to get quality time with their children and to be a present parent for a whole year and counting.
What has been the impact of Medi+Thanks so far?
Medi+Thanks has been growing in users over the last few weeks after additional updates to the user experience. There have been 25 messages of gratitude sent so far, and we expect the number to rise as friends and family push it out to their social media accounts.
I have creative guerilla marketing tactics in progress to spread awareness of the app to hospitals and medical facilities in Rhode Island, and hope more users and curiosity will push it further. Our research shows that medical workers felt appreciated and loved while witnessing gratitude, even if thanks were not expressed personally.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Health care workers deserve gratitude every day regardless of a pandemic. There will always be sickness, disease and injuries. I think Covid-19 has really brought to the surface a long-time issue of not seeing health care workers as the heroes they are.
Medi+Thanks to me is a movement for social good. It’s about coming together as a grateful community and showing our support for those in need. I hope to see more progress in this direction; together we can normalize gratitude.
Bram Berkowitz is a contributing writer for Rhode Island Inno.
