Flare · iOS · Fig Studio

Making symptom tracking easier to sustain.

A symptom-tracking app shaped around a simple idea: maintaining a useful record should take less effort than living with the symptoms themselves.

RoleSole product designer

ScopeResearch, design & iteration

StatusShipped and evolving

I owned research, flows, visual design, and Figma prototyping, using AI coding tools to help implement the product. A physician collaborator helped shape provider-facing summaries.

The challenge

People needed evidence for an appointment. Keeping that evidence had become another burden.

The problem

A flexible record can become too much work.

People tracking more items often stopped using Flare sooner.
Observation from anonymous usage

The timeline grew from my own pain-tracking spreadsheet. Community research echoed the need for a clearer record to bring to a provider. People could track symptoms, medications, and activities in any order.

But every extra symptom added another column—and another daily task. Direct feedback and usage patterns pointed to tracking fatigue: maintaining the record was becoming too much work.

Direct entry accommodates different routines. More columns also mean more work.

The solution

Reduce the need to log. Ask for attention when something changes.

01 · Reduce repetition

Log changes instead of repeating the usual.

The solution was to reduce the amount people needed to enter. Someone whose usual headache level is bearable can choose that as a baseline. Flare fills that level automatically, and they can log when symptoms change or add detail when it matters.

The record stays transparent about where each value came from. Automatic baselines appear as outlines; ratings entered by the person are filled. Reports distinguish the two, and a blank without a baseline remains unknown. An explicit rating always takes precedence.

Explanatory diagram · Recorded, automatic, and unknown values remain distinct.

02 · Reduce complexity

Add detail without another column.

I introduced optional descriptions within a symptom, so people could add detail without creating a separate tracker for every variation or associated symptom.

The detail stays close to the observation it describes. The example shows pain qualities such as aching and burning. Fewer separate trackers mean fewer decisions at each check-in.

Actual product capture · Optional descriptions within the rating interaction.

03 · Preserve choice

Offer guidance without losing direct entry.

Some people wanted a guided check-in. I added it as another way to contribute to the same timeline. The Log button can offer a new row for direct entry or a guided check-in sheet.

After repeated choices, Flare offers to make the preferred path a single tap. The person accepts the change, and a long press retains the alternative. Both actions remain configurable.

Guided check-in

Add a row to the timeline

Two paths into the same timeline · Explanatory interaction flow

Results

A lighter tracking routine, with a record people can bring to their provider.

The product today

Bring the story into the appointment.

These features are live in the iOS app. People can rely on a chosen baseline, add detail within a symptom, and use their preferred logging path. Reports bring symptom history, medications, and activities into one timeline for a provider conversation.

I observed better retention and fewer complaints as these changes shipped. I have not isolated the effect of each change, so I treat that as a directional result rather than a measured causal lift.

A physician collaborator helped shape provider-facing summaries and how those needs differ across conditions. Direct feedback and anonymous product analytics continue to guide the next iteration.

Example report page · Symptom ratings, medications, and activities share a timeline.

What I learned

Flexibility needs a manageable cost.

The most useful design change was asking less of people. Reducing repetitive entry, keeping detail together, and preserving choice made the product more adaptable to everyday life. Making the source of each value visible keeps that convenience understandable.