First AI-powered product system for cognitive burden of living with Chronic Hepatitis B
ROLE
Solo Product Designer
UX Researcher
TEAM
Vy Huynh (Designer)
Hugh Dubberly (Mentor)
TOOLS
Claude Code
XCode
Figma
Timeline
4 weeks
THE IMPACT
THE PROBLEM
A disease that asks too much from people who already have too little bandwidth.
Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) is a lifelong viral infection with no visible symptoms, but left unmanaged, it silently progresses to liver cancer. One million people die annually from HBV-related complications, and 1 in 2 people with CHB have never even been diagnosed.
Treatment exists: one antiviral pill every 24 hours, HBV (Hepatitis B virus) blood tests every 3-6 months, and rigorous lifestyle habits: no alcohol, no late nights, low stress. The protocol is simple on paper.
THE FAILED BODY FEEDBACK LOOP
Starting from the body's broken feedback loop, not the screens.
Before sketching any interface, I mapped the disease as a systems problem. In a healthy immune system, the body runs a closed-loop defense against the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). In a Hepatitis B patient, that loop is structurally broken; the immune system detects the virus but can't clear it. Current treatment bolts on an external actuator (antiviral meds) and an external sensor (periodic blood tests). The problem is that those external components rely entirely on the patient's memory and discipline.
I co-designed the solution with a subject matter expert, who is a Chronic Hepatitis B patient and a doctor himself, to validate each concept against his real lived experience.
THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
From interview to co-design
After interviewing with 15 participants, I co-designed the solution with a subject matter expert, who is a Chronic Hepatitis B patient and a doctor himself, to validate each concept against his real lived experience. The current experience with CHB heavily relies on discipline, being organized, and memory.
Patient takes blood test every 6 months and manually archives the results.
No alcohol, healthy diet, manage stress,
consistent sleep schedule on top of life
THE SOLUTION
Three touchpoints.
One system. Zero overhead.
Hepa is an AI product-service ecology built around a single design principle: the user should never have to actively manage their condition. Hardware, software, and AI work together so CHB patient doesn't have to.
Hepa app
Smart watch
Smart pill tracker
A Bluetooth-enabled cap on the medication bottle that detects each dose taken and syncs it to the app automatically.
At-home blood test kit
At-home HBV blood test. Results sync directly to the app. No clinic visit, no manual logging, no 6-month wait.
Hepa AI & Digital twin
From reactive tracking to predictive management.
A digital twin continuously learns patients' lifestyle patterns, sleep, diet, stress, medication timing, and predicts HBV viral load risk before it becomes a problem. Hepa AI surfaces only what matters, only when it's needed.
Passive data intake
Find ride to an event
Make Your Action
Sleep, activity, and diet pulled automatically from health apps and smartwatch
See exactly what’s on your plate, calories, macros, and key nutrients, all broken down in seconds.
Log it, tweak your plan, or ask AI for smarter alternatives all in one tap.
The patient's schedule is busy. Hepa fills in the gaps, reminds them to take pill, flag a habit shift, or run a blood test.
