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.
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:
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
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
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
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
Quick access to key information about the next visit, in a format you can skim read, reduces stress.
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.
My Next Visit gives families an at-a-glance guide to their appointments throughout the trial, including:
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
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:
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
We’re excited to roll this out and continue learning from families as they use My Next Visit. Our commitment is to keep iterating, expanding, and enhancing all of features, based on what matters most to the people at the heart of trials. This is the path to more successful pediatric trials.
As always, a huge thank you to all the caregivers and professionals who helped co-design this feature.