My Next Visit: Co-designed family support for pediatric trial adherence

My Next Visit is the latest feature in Little Journey’s family retention platform, developed through months of research, design, and testing to prepare families for site visits - reducing burden and supporting adherence in pediatric trials.

For many families, especially those with neurodivergent children, a hospital visit can be filled with uncertainty, anxiety, and invisible barriers. We wanted to understand this experience more deeply, so we asked caregivers directly. 

At Little Journey, we know that taking part in a clinical trial can be daunting - not only for young patients, but also for their parents and caregivers. New environments, unfamiliar procedures, preparing for visits, and keeping track of appointments can get overwhelming. This trial burden has direct impact on ability to adhere to protocol requirements and willingness to continue in a trial. With so much to juggle, caregivers are often left asking “What happens next, and how can I best support my child?” 

Our latest feature, My Next Visit, was co-designed with caregivers and trial teams to answer exactly that question – making it easy for families to feel prepared, and for trials to run efficiently. Here’s a look at the work that went into creating My Next Visit, and how the voices of families shaped every element.  

What we heard from families 

My Next Visit was built through months of research, design, and testing with 58 caregivers and trial staff. To ensure we understood and met families’ needs, we used a mix of interviews, surveys, usability testing, and concept evaluations where we tested several prototype designs before landing on our final approach. 

We found 6 consistent themes:

Clear Information

Directions, contact details, and recommended preparation steps to help the family get ready for each appointment are among the most valued feature elements. 

“Things that you need to know, if there anything you need to do before you get there, [...] If that could be included, then that's really good... preparation that you need to be aware of before the appointment.” - Caregiver 

Seeing the Bigger Picture

Families appreciate a centralised timeline showing all visits in one place so they can understand trial progress and what’s coming up in the future. 

“Knowing that you've got other visits ahead of you, whether they're in detail or not, is a good feature. It's just that preparation, as much information for a parent so they can refer (to it when needed)” - Caregiver

Reminders Matter

Timely, specific notifications (like fasting requirements before a visit) help families feel prepared. 

“...An app would do the reminding for me at the appropriate times, with information on what needed to happen at each point in time.” - Caregiver 

Space for Notes

Parents want to be able to jot down reminders and questions to ask as they come to mind, so they feel organised and confident going into appointments.

“...you could input some notes or reminders for next time […] to prepare for the appointment” - Caregiver 

Skim-able content

Quick access to key information about the next visit, in a format you can skim read, reduces stress. 

Shared preparation

Tools that children and parents can use together build confidence and understanding.

"Something I can do with my daughter, something we can do together, to help us talk it through. I wouldn't want it to be just for me, because obviously it is her appointment. So, something I can use, but […] something she can get to grips with quickly and could explain what is going to happen.” - Caregiver 

These themes shaped every decision we made when building My Next Visit, from the layout of appointment cards to the reminders families receive before a visit. 

Introducing My Next Visit

My Next Visit gives families an at-a-glance guide to their appointments throughout the trial, including:

• An appointment overview screen outlining the visit type, location, expected duration and procedures included, so families know what to expect on the day.
  
  
• Custom reminders, tailored to each visit’s requirements around fasting, medications, etc.
  
  
  
  
• An “All Visits” timeline, showing both upcoming and past trial visits with clear visit windows, so families can plan around daily life.
  
  
• Notes and signposting to other useful information within the app, to help parents feel in control.
  
• Key details for their next appointment located on the homepage so families can find what they need quickly.
  
  
• Different versions of My Next Visit for teenagers and adults following user feedback on what information matters to them the most.

This new feature allows families to keep track of their appointments and receive appropriate preparation support, all in one place. Caregivers consistently highlighted how much reassurance these feature elements provide. 

“[…] It (looks like) a simple app and really easy to use. […] This is something that I could use straight away. it would be great for when I head (to an appointment).”  - Caregiver 

Why this matters 

Clinical trials are about advancing medicine - but for the families involved, they’re also about everyday logistics and peace of mind. By helping families feel supported and informed, we can: 

• Improve visit attendance and protocol adherence 

• Reduce burden for both families and site teams 

• Capture higher-quality data, accelerating studies without compromising patient experience 

By listening closely to caregivers and trial staff, we’ve been able to design My Next Visit as a feature that not only supports active trial participation and adherence but also reduces stress along the way. 

Get in touch with our team to see how My Next Visit can support your upcoming pediatric studies