OVERVIEW
I collaborated with 3 others to create concept prototypes for WRKIT, which is an alternative fitness system that uses augmented reality and gamification to incentivize users to workout.
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Tools
Axure Adobe Illustrator Microsoft Excel |
Responsibilities
Led and contributed to UCD phases: Literature review & competitive analysis Persona, storyboard, and sitemap creation Low and med-fidelity mockups Usability testing |
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Many interventions exist to encourage and increase participation in physical activity, but many middle-aged adults do not engage in regular exercise. Based on web research, a few reasons attributing to the lack of exercise among adults include:
- a lack of motivation
- the fact that gyms are boring and expensive
- team sports and classes are a hassel
- unsure how much physical activity is required to achieve a desired fitness goal
DESIGN QUESTION
“How can we empower working adults who are interested in starting or continuing a workout regimen to maintain the motivation to engage in physical activities?"
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
No existing product encapsulates health tracking, activity monitoring, and goal-setting into one cohesive product. All of the products we looked at, including the famous, FitBit, does not address the underlying problem of lack of motivation, which is the main driver and differentiator of our project.
USER RESEARCH
We talked to 5 potential users to understand their experiences, frustrations, and needs with working out. Below are our main findings.
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5/5 participants have heard of and/or tried fitness apps like FitBit and build-in health monitoring tools in their phones.
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3/5 participants lack the knowledge of how much and what kind of physical activity is needed to achieve their desired fitness and health goals.
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4/5 participants easily get bored of their workout and end up quitting.
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4/5 participants don't have the motivation to work out and/or make excuses not to work out.
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OUR SOLUTION
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Unlike existing products, WRKIT eliminates the hassle of downloading and maintaining various apps on a mobile device. WRKIT is made up of an AR headset and remote control. It has four main features which are all informed by web and user research. The main differentiation between WRKIT and other health & fitness products is that WKRIT uses positive reinforcement to motivate users to work out.
MONITORS PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS & ACTIVITY
WRKIT automatically tracks physiological functions (heart rate, calories met, etc.) and physical activity to help users achieve fitness goals. Users no longer have to keep up with multiple apps since WRKIT is a comprehensive system. PHYSICAL TRAINING GOALS SETTING
WRKIT includes a goal-setting and automated progress monitoring system that helps users keep track of their activities in reaching a fitness goal. SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT VIA GAMES
By cultivating a sense of thrill and fun on cardio machines, users forget that they're working out by playing stimulating games. The games vary from running away from a chasing chicken on a treadmill to rowing away from a pool of sharks. To increase challenge, users can invite friends or nearby players to compete in the games. REWARDING INCENTIVE SYSTEM
The more games played or fitness goals achieved, the more points users will accumulate. These points can then be redeemed for monetary value in the form of coupons, cash, and donations toward charity. The higher the points, the bigger the reward. |
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PERSONAS
From literature review, we found that middle-aged, working adults struggle most with starting or sticking with a work out regimen. We used this information to create two user profiles, which helped inform the rest of our product development.
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Michelle Walker, 44
Los Angeles, CA High School English Teacher Michelle is dating long-time boyfriend, Mike Lee, who is involved in the Los Angeles Foodie Business. When Michelle is not babysitting her nieces, grading papers, or planning a curriculum, she enjoys cooking with Mike, who loves to show-off his cooking skills. As their relationship evolves, Michelle hopes to get married. Michelle wants to shed some weight to ensure that her dream wedding is perfect. However, she struggles with understanding how much workout and what types of physical activity she needs to achieve her weight loss goal. David Robinson, 51
Seattle, WA Senior Product Manager Recently divorced, David has been less communicative and his friends and family have noticed. From fighting for custody of his children and balancing work resonsibilities, David is barely making time for his children. He has lost the strength and motivation to work out, and can barely keep up with his son, Kyle, who constantly wants to hang out with Dad. He's afraid that they'll grow apart, and he can feel his anxiety bleeding into the rest of his actions. David is determined to pick up a fitness routine to help ease his stress and build stamina so that he can gain energy to stay alert and be present with his kids and work. |
STORYBOARD
Each team member created storyboards. Creating storyboards set me up for understanding the task analysis. Below are my storyboards which tell the story of a day in the life of Michelle Walker before and after buying the product. I imagined myself as Michelle and answered the following questions:
- What am I doing with the tool?
- Why am I doing it?
- How am I going to do it?
- When am I doing it?
- Where or what context as I do it?
- What is the projected outcome?
SITEMAP
The team collaborated to share storyboards and task analysis before narrowing down to one that would help our personas meet their needs/desires. The final user task flow informed the design of the sitemap.
CORE FUNCTIONS & ABILITIES
WRKIT allows users to monitor and plan their workout and play games to cultivate a sense of 'fun' around physical activity. All of the features work together to create an all-in-one kit for users to have a cohesive workout experience. The core functionality include:
- play game
- invite friends to compete in games
- view fitness achievements and leaderboard
- redeem points for prizes
PAPER PROTOTYPE
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Using the sitemap, my team divided up sections of the system so that each member can create designs for the paper prototype. My contributions included the administrative screen interfaces, such as the settings and home screens. After sharing and discussing our sketches, we improved upon the designs to create a consistent look and feel for our concept.
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HI-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
Below is the first iteration of the virtual medium-fidelity design prototypes. This iteration was used for the second usability test session. The grey/white grid background is intended to emphasize the AR (augmented reality) technology of WRKIT.
USABILITY TESTING RESULTS
Results from the first usability test sessions were informed by the paper prototypes while the second was gathered using the hi-fidelity prototypes. While the ease of use and likability of WRKIT increased in the second usability test session, the time spent on each task also increased. We attribute the increase in time to the added materials and in-session discussions/comments. My team used the POP app to showcase our paper prototype while we used print-outs of our hi-fidelity designs. The print-outs required manual transitions between user selections which required more time.
Task 1: Start a single-player game.
Task 2: Check out your health and fitness statistics.
Task 3: Start a multi-player game.
Task 1: Start a single-player game.
Task 2: Check out your health and fitness statistics.
Task 3: Start a multi-player game.
FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
The main objective of WRKIT is to make exercise fun and to create incentive for people who work out. User feedback verified that our system achieves this goal, however, more usability testing is needed to determine the full use and effectiveness of the system. In the usability testing sessions, I would focus more on the effectiveness of WRKIT's ability to motivate users to work out rather than the likability of the concept. Some questions I would ask to gather this information include:
Other improvement efforts would focus on adding varied game features. An expansion of games would allow users to have a wider selection of challenge. One way to do this is to enable an open-source market for WRKIT so that users can create and add their own games. Another priority in creating the product was to ensure that it is as light as possible in order to maximize the user's workout experience. Going forward, we would find a way to make the goggle more comfortable, especially for those who wear glasses.
- In what ways does WRKIT motivate you to work out? (Short response with N/A option)
- WRKIT's reward system motivates me to work out. (Likert scale: strongly agree to strongly disagree)
- WRKIT's multi-player game mode motivates me to work out because I can compete with friends (Likert scale: strongly agree to strongly disagree)
- WRKIT's game leaderboard inspires me to work out more often so that I can beat my friends. (Likert scale: strongly agree to strongly disagree).
Other improvement efforts would focus on adding varied game features. An expansion of games would allow users to have a wider selection of challenge. One way to do this is to enable an open-source market for WRKIT so that users can create and add their own games. Another priority in creating the product was to ensure that it is as light as possible in order to maximize the user's workout experience. Going forward, we would find a way to make the goggle more comfortable, especially for those who wear glasses.
