Herbascript - UX Case Study

Herbascript was designed as a modern herbal and supplement guidance tool rooted in clinical safety, user personalization, and data transparency.

Built before large language models were introduced to the project, Herbascript relied on structured databases, custom-built logic, and intake-based rules to ensure supplement suggestions were safe, relevant, and compliant with health conditions, medications, allergies, and life stages (e.g., pregnancy, breastfeeding).

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Problem

Most online supplement tools ignore personal health data — such as medications, chronic conditions, or allergies — and rarely account for clinically validated risks or third-party testing.

UX Process

The UX process focused on designing an intuitive intake flow that progressively gathered essential health information—like medications, conditions, allergies, and life stages—before generating any supplement recommendations. Every output was driven by structured logic and supported by a clean, minimal UI that prioritized clarity, trust, and clinical responsibility.

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UX Challenges & Solutions

ChallengeUX Response

Risk of unsafe suggestions - Built intake-first flows that require age, gender, medications, and health conditions before showing any results

Trust in supplement brands - Integrated filtering based on verified third-party testing (NSF, USP, TRU-ID)

Complex safety dataTranslated complex safety metadata into clean, readable summariesUser overwhelmCreated a progressive questionnaire that feels simple, but powers a complex backend logic engineEthical clarityDisplayed persistent disclaimers, no diagnostic features, and strict boundaries on advice

Research & Data Foundation

  • Mapped over 900+ health conditions to safe-use herbs and nutrient support
  • Built cross-referenced tables for:
    • Medication-induced nutrient depletions
    • Known supplement-drug interactions
    • Contraindicated herbs during pregnancy/lactation
    • Allergen risk by product
  • Included interaction risks, max safe dosages, and condition-based limitations from validated sources

UX Process

Wireframing

  • Designed modular flows for collecting user data in a non-invasive, non-medical tone
  • Created a summary-output structure to clearly communicate supplement compatibility
  • Built UI that lets users sort by testing certification, allergen safety, or dosage form

Logic & Rule System

  • No generative content: all outputs came from predefined rulesets and safety databases
  • Designed decision trees for interaction exclusions, contraindications, and pregnancy flags
  • Logic prioritized "do no harm" — when in doubt, the system withholds suggestions

Output

  • Generated supplement lists with:
    • Brand names & certification status
    • Supplement purpose (e.g., supports sleep, corrects depletion)
    • Warnings for any medication, condition, or life stage conflict
    • Professional PDF report with full safety disclosure

Information Architecture

Every supplement recommendation is traceable to a clinical rule, research reference, or public data model.

Key Modules Built:

  • Medical Conditions Database
  • Herb-Supplement Crosswalk Table
  • Dosage Safety Table
  • Interaction Blacklist
  • Pregnancy & Lactation Exclusion List
  • Allergen Compatibility Filter
  • Third-Party Testing Certification Table

Results & Features

  • Delivered supplement recommendations only after confirming safety inputs
  • No generative logic: all outcomes were rule-based and reference-backed
  • Data-backed design supported trust and safety in a legally compliant manner

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