Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation
Connecting a Community with CancerBuddy
Introducing CancerBuddy, a geosocial community built on care
Support from the People Right Next Door
A cancer diagnosis can throw life into a tailspin. When this occurs, cancer patients need clinical intervention and a community of support. Despite the prevalence of cancer support groups on social media platforms, most support patients only and make it difficult to connect on an individual level.
There was a need for a geosocial community dedicated to connecting cancer patients, survivors and caregivers—a platform that would help people find others who share their experiences, allowing them to feel seen, understood and supported while navigating diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
The Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation (BMCF) founder and CEO, Christina Merrill, approached frog to help develop an app to serve the needs of such a community. A social worker by training who has spent over 35 years in the oncology space, Merrill knew the importance of peer-to-peer connection for patients, caregivers and survivors who often felt isolated from others who might understand their experiences. The BMCF and frog team created CancerBuddy, a mobile app that could scale, automate and accelerate BMCF’s peer support process, connection to valuable resources and create a first of its kind community in the cancer space.
frog helped the Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation bring its vision of an engaging, user-friendly cancer support app to life.
frog helped the Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation bring its vision of an engaging, user-friendly cancer support app to life.
Behavioral science and iterative design informed an app experience that easily connects users with the peer support and resources they need.
Connecting through cancer
Project highlights
Crafting a community
Challenge
Applying the tenets of behavioral science, frog helped BMCF craft an experience with a powerful purpose. frog arrived at three design principles—welcoming, safe, empowering—to guide the vision of a connected cancer community for patients, survivors and caregivers.
Defining value
Solution
In Phase I, frog developed a user-centric concept compelling enough to resonate with potential investors. Upon securing funding, Phase II involved deep usability testing to ensure the app delivered on design principles and supported the BMCF mission.
App fills the gap
Outcomes
Today, CancerBuddy is a force for health and healing that serves its community with love, support and friendship. The app earned honorable mention in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards within the category of most important healthcare design of 2022.
CancerBuddy – a community
The CancerBuddy app hit Apple’s App store in June 2022.
Patients, caregivers and survivors consistently describe CancerBuddy as a fantastic resource to create connections with others who are experiencing cancer. The industry took notice, too, with Fast Company honoring the app as part of its 2022 Innovation by Design Awards.
The BMCF and frog team built the first social support community for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. CancerBuddy easily enables the creation of a community that provides emotional support, guidance and resources to navigate a cancer diagnosis, helping patients, survivors and caregivers during the most difficult moments of their lives.
