HealthVault --- now fun-size!

I am stunned at how many folks have already installed our brand new HealthVault app for Windows Phone. Forget any questions I may have had about the momentum of the mobile platforms; this is where the world is going.

The app is meant to be a handy general purpose tool --- optimized for use whenever you need to quickly save or look up health information: recording an immunization, sharing key information with a school nurse, consulting with a provider on measurements like blood pressure, weight or glucose --- that kind of thing. A couple screenshots to show off the sweet-looking UX:

One of our program managers is a new dad and has been field-testing the app for some time. He was raving about it in email, and I asked if I could share some of his feedback:

I pulled out my phone, loaded the app, and entered her height, weight, 3 vaccines, and ear infection condition in no more than 1 or 2 minutes. I didn’t time it – but it was super quick. This was over 3G as well. The vocab search for immunizations was AWESOME, and I had no problem entering her 3 vaccines. To be honest, if it wasn’t for this application, this information probably wouldn’t have made it into her record for a LONG time. As working parents, the last thing we want to do when we get home is sit at a desk and enter data .... The sheer convenience of being able to do this when it’s relevant and so quickly was a great enabler.

On a side note: The reason I really want to keep our own records now is due to a mistake at her last visit. I took her without my wife and they asked if she needed a flu shot. I didn’t know – so I asked for them to check her records, and if she didn’t have one to give her one. They did. I later told my wife, and she freaked out. Turns out [my daughter] had just had a flu vaccine. She called the office and they forgot to add that to her record. Turns out nothing bad will happen getting the flu vaccine twice, but we’d still rather it not happen. Had we had this app and [kept] things up to date – I could have just pulled out my phone and checked myself. This reminded my not just of the usefulness of our mobile story, but also the importance of maintain[ing] your own records in HealthVault.

SO COOL! This app will be a great complement to all of the other great specialized apps that are coming online. Just a few on WP7 --- check out Livescape for keeping track of nutrition, exercise and more, SkinScan for tracking moles, and Weight4Me for watching your weight.

And OK, I just have to add this in too. This afternoon the team took some time off and held a gingerbread -building competition (thanks to Linda and Kris for setting it up!). We had a whole set of hilarious and questionable entries, ranging from the “Gingerbread Guillotine” (I have video) to the “Ops Tub Time Machine” as created by our operations team. But most timely was “HealthVault Mobile”, showing how an unfortunate accident victim can receive better treatment when armed with our new app. I’ll just leave you with the picture and say --- I love my team.