A posture tracking app story…
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Problem: Bad posture while seating during work hours.
Need: Improve awareness regarding proper back posture.
Consequence: Development of musculoskeletal disorders that can affect the quality of life, resulting in limited movement and pain that can become chronic if left unattended.
Design brief: My design brief focuses on change. I wanted to learn more about how people correct their postures while working several hours in front of a desktop/laptop computer. The goal was to obtain ideas on how to address this issue.
Findings: posture is changed without notice depending o the task and time they have been working; attention is not paid to bad posture consequences; youth is often an excuse to bad postures. Interviewees loved the idea of a posture tracking app to remind them of correct it while working.
Idea:Develop a simple mobile device app to alert the user when having a bad posture.
Design and Development:
I started with a mockup based on the storyboard, this let me to an app designed with various menus and options to setup and track the user’s postures while seated. The idea is for the user to wear the smartphone attached to his/her belt while seated.
The mockup was tried out by peers who identified various issues regarding the navigation, location, and procedures to perform while using the app. The feedback led me to improve and develop version A of the app. I used Unity3D and Android Studio to develop the version. I simplified the menus, content and information to ease the interactions. The app contained a main menu and specific menus for: i) setting up the posture inclination ranges, ii) help, iii) about the app, and iv) information about postures.
After a testing round of App Version A, design issues were found in terms of interactive areas, presentation of the content, and unclear instruction on how to setup the inclination ranges. The use of vibration was well received as the alert medium to improve the posture.
The app was improved and App Version B was developed. Menu access was improved by removing the main menu and creating a floating menu across all windows of the app. Information was simplified and step by step instructions were defined.
Version A and B were tested to identify if the changes had any impact. The results show a preference for Version B in all senses. However, The setting up window still received negative comments since the input boxes were not distinctive and were interpreted as plain text part of the information. To fix this, the input fields where highlighted in yellow to catch the user’s attention and text within it suggests the inclusion of angles within them. Another fix that was implemented was in the report section, were the user can now check the calibration with integer angles and not decimal points.
Here is a demo video:
Uniqueness: This app differentiates from many others as it takes advantage of the inertial sensors of the mobile phone and allows to receive simple warning in the form of vibration that can alert the user. Other solutions include additional devices either attached to the body or the chair. Although this solution offer tracking and data monitoring, in such case, after speaking to the users who tried my app, simplicity was a feature well received.
