User experience

Your CareKit app can enhance the user experience by taking advantage of standard iOS capabilities like notifications and badging. For example, you could use a notification to tell people when it’s time to take medication or complete a task, or badge your app icon to show that there's an unread message from a caregiver. Apple Watch can also display a notification from your app.

Like all iOS apps, a CareKit app should follow the established guidelines for using notifications and badges; for guidance, see Notifications. In addition, the following guidelines can help people have a positive experience with your CareKit app.

Minimize notifications. Care plans vary from patient to patient. While one individual may have only a few daily tasks to complete, another may have a long list. Use notifications sparingly so people don't feel overwhelmed. When possible, consider coalescing multiple items into a single notification.

Consider providing a detail view. In addition to providing more information, a notification detail view can help people take immediate action without leaving their current context to open your app. For example, you could use a notification detail view to display a list of pending tasks so that people can quickly mark them as complete.