[CS 584] Design Studio in Human-Computer Interaction: Health Design

Problem Recap:

Despite their initial popularity, more than half of fitness tracker users abandon devices like Fitbits, Apple Watches, and Garmin within months. To understand this trend, a study was conducted to identify insights and inspire innovative solutions. The goal is to create fitness trackers that better serve users in tracking and achieving their health and fitness goals.

POV Statements:

• I met a Doctor. I realized he did not trust the accuracy of the fitness trackers for medicine. It would be game-changing to create a fitness tracking that achieves medical equipment level accuracy.
• I met an Engineer and gym enthusiast. I realized he has issues with the battery capacity of the trackers. It would be game-changing to create alternate charging methods for a fitness tracker.
• I met a student. I realized he prefers aesthetics over utility. It would be game-changing to have trackers that prioritize style without compromising utility.

How Might We?

• HMW enhance the accuracy of fitness trackers to meet medical equipment standards?
• HMW develop fitness trackers with extended battery life or innovative charging solutions?
• HMW integrate sleek and appealing designs into fitness trackers without sacrificing functionality?
• HMW address user concerns related to the trustworthiness of fitness tracker data, especially in a medical context?
• HMW create user-centric fitness trackers that adapt to individual preferences and priorities?
• HMW improve the overall user experience of fitness trackers to encourage prolonged and consistent usage?
• HMW innovate in the field of fitness tracking to provide more personalized and actionable insights for users?
• HMW develop fitness trackers that seamlessly integrate with users’ daily routines and activities?

Sketches

From the previous needfinding assignment, I identified three major problems.

• Lack of accuracy
• Low battery life
• Desire for better aesthetics

These problems are better addressed by a hardware solution than software, so I decided to brainstorm designs for both. I cannot comment on the feasibility or practicality of the hardware designs, but they work in imagination at least!

Hardware Designs

Hardware Designs

The mini-cameras on the accuracy band tend will augment the motion-based pedometer tracking with computer vision, but there are privacy concerns with this!

Software Designs

Home Page Design Evolution

Profile Page Design Evolution

Goal Setting Page Design Evolution

Classmate Feedback

My classmates shared a lot of ideas on my designs. Some of the prominent ones are:

• Replace some words with icons for better readability. This I started doing after V4 of my designs as evidenced above. For example, I replaced the word “steps” with a shoe icon.
• The sliders being used in the goal-setting page would have an upper limit, so I replaced them with text boxes.
• Made the leaderboard available on the home page as some of my interviewees reported they would feel more motivated if they could compete with friends.
• One of my friends suggested to add an airflow passage to the kinetic charger to help in motion of the metallic ball.

Final Prototype Sketch

Home Page Final Draft

Profile Page Final Draft

Goals Page Final Draft

Evaluation Plan:

Since the above prototype tries to solve 3 problems identified in previous interviews, so we must have a three-pronged approach to the evaluation criteria too.

Evaluation Objectives:

1. Assess Accuracy: Evaluate the accuracy of biometric measurements provided by the fitness tracker compared to medical-grade devices.
2. Evaluate Battery Life: Determine the battery life and performance of the fitness tracker under typical usage scenarios.
3. Gauge Aesthetic Appeal: Collect feedback on the design aesthetics and appeal of the fitness tracker from potential users.

Accuracy Testing:

• Conduct controlled experiments to compare biometric measurements (e.g., heart rate, blood oxygen levels) obtained from the fitness tracker against reference medical equipment.
• Measure accuracy metrics such as mean absolute error and correlation coefficients.

Battery Life Evaluation:

• Conduct longitudinal studies to track battery usage patterns and assess battery life under different usage scenarios (e.g., continuous tracking, and intermittent use).
• Use battery logging software to monitor power consumption and analyze charging behaviors.

Aesthetic Appeal Assessment:

• Administer surveys or focus group discussions to gather opinions on the design aesthetics and visual appeal of the fitness tracker.
• Use Likert scale ratings or qualitative analysis to assess user perceptions of the device’s design.