Visible: Pacing for illness

What it does

Visible is a specialized health management app designed for people with energy-limiting chronic illnesses such as Long COVID, ME/CFS, and POTS. The app's primary function is to help users understand and manage their energy levels through a practice called 'pacing.' It combines self-reported symptom and activity logs with objective biometric data, like Heart Rate Variability (HRV), measured using the phone's camera.

Where it shines

Visible shines by combining scientific rigor with a user-friendly interface. The 'Morning Check-in' (01:48) is a standout feature, using the phone's camera to provide a daily HRV and resting heart rate measurement. This turns a standard smartphone into a powerful biometric tool. Furthermore, the app integrates a validated medical questionnaire, FUNCAP27, for its 'Monthly Check-in' (04:20), adding a layer of credibility rarely seen in consumer health apps. This allows users to track their functional capacity with a standardized score, as seen at 05:34.

UX highlights

The onboarding process (00:09) is a masterclass in structured data collection. It asks for highly specific details about illnesses and symptoms, immediately establishing the app's purpose and depth.
The biometric measurement flow includes clear, illustrated instructions (02:02) and real-time feedback, simplifying a potentially tricky process.
Data visualization is clean and effective. The trends screen (06:17) allows users to overlay different metrics, helping them find correlations between their symptoms, activities, and biometric data.
The app clearly separates daily, low-effort tasks ('Morning check-in') from more demanding monthly tasks ('Functional capacity' quiz), respecting the limited energy of its target users.
The ability to easily export all personal data to a CSV file (09:43) is a powerful, user-first feature that builds trust and empowers users to share their data with doctors.
Small touches, like the educational pop-up when trying to delete a measurement (05:56), reinforce best practices and explain the product's methodology.

Monetization & growth

No monetization mechanics like paywalls or subscription prompts are visible in this recording. The app appears to be entirely free at this stage of the user journey. The primary growth mechanic observed is the ability to share a link to a research study (08:21) or an article (07:14), which could drive awareness through community and research participation.

Who it’s for

Visible is explicitly for individuals living with complex, energy-limiting chronic illnesses. The language and features are tailored to users who need to manage, rather than maximize, their daily energy. It's a tool for patients who are actively engaged in understanding their condition, pacing their activities to avoid crashes, and potentially sharing detailed data with their healthcare providers or researchers.

Notes & opportunities

While the app is data-rich, the initial dashboard feels a bit empty. The 'Morning Stability' score shows 'No score yet' (03:17) and requires four days of data, which might be a slow time-to-value for new users. The trends dashboard is also empty initially (06:18), which is expected but could be improved with sample data or a more engaging empty state to illustrate what users can look forward to. The extensive FUNCAP27 quiz is powerful, but its length could be a significant energy expenditure for the target audience; breaking it into smaller, saveable chunks could be beneficial.