Stride

Problem

The current landscape of physical therapy lacks an efficient and user-friendly digital solution, resulting in challenges such as poor exercise engagement, unclear communication, and inefficient scheduling. Patients and healthcare providers encounter obstacles in delivering and receiving effective rehabilitation experiences.

Opportunity

There is a significant opportunity to fill this gap by developing a comprehensive physical therapy app. This app can leverage technology to enhance patient engagement, streamline communication between patients and healthcare providers, and simplify the scheduling of therapy sessions. Addressing these pain points presents an opportunity to revolutionize the rehabilitation journey, making it more accessible, user-centric, and effective.

So I asked:
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How might mobile digital tools help improve ones health?

Sneak Peek

Final Recommendations

Intuitive User interface

The goal here was to simplify the flow, removing distractions and directing users to a singular task.

Easy to follow - instructional short form videos

Using short form videos is a familiar interface. It taps into existing heuristics making the app easy to learn and use. This saves time during the complex instructional period of therapy, giving more time back to users to focus on their exercises.

export to calendar feature

The export feature allows users to time block their physical therapy and fit it into their busy schedules.

What did i find during research?

Early insights into individuals' perceptions of personal health goals

Health Goal Motivation:

People primarily set health goals when they perceive a deviation from their regular baseline health or when addressing specific physical ailments. Alternatively, health goals are also driven by the desire to prepare for particular events or occasions, such as marathons.

Mental Models vs. Actionable Plans:

Individuals often approach their health goals with mental models rather than concrete plans with actionable steps, highlighting a potential gap in practical implementation strategies.

Community and Accountability:

The presence of an accountability buddy or a community aspect proves instrumental in helping individuals maintain focus and adherence to their health goals.

Plan Execution Challenges:

Despite having plans in place to achieve health goals, individuals commonly experience setbacks due to issues related to prioritization or feasibility.

Synthesis

Key Themes

Exploring how individuals perceive their health goals is a broad undertaking, given the extensive differences in people's health.

In the synthesis of my research, aided by an affinity map, I identified key themes that illuminate common threads in people's thinking. Notably, the four most notable themes are Motivation, Visibility, Tracking Activities, and Distilling Information.

This approach sheds light on commonalities amongst diverse perspectives.

Focusing the lens

Discovery of a problem: A shift to improving physical therapy adherence
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A revelation surfaced in the synthesis of my research.

This pivotal moment prompted me to reframe and refocus my findings, directing my attention towards understanding how these insights apply to what I will call adherence of physical therapy.

This shift provided a clearer and more practical perspective on the challenges and motivations associated with health goals, particularly in the context of helping people to stay on top of their physical therapy protocols.

Problems to tackle!

In the analysis of the affinity map, I identified four primary obstacles preventing individuals from sticking to their prescribed physical therapy routines.

1) A lack of visibility in their daily lives led to forgetfulness or oversight of exercises.

2) Participants felt overwhelmed by the complexity of certain exercises, indicating a need for clearer guidance.
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3) Participants felt a lack of understanding of the prescribed exercises, emphasizing the importance of providing clear instructions.

4) For some, physical therapy becomes a low priority amidst a busy schedule.

Notably, there seems to be a connection between the first and fourth reasons, suggesting that forgetfulness might be linked to lower prioritization.

This synthesis provides clear insights into the multifaceted challenges individuals face in maintaining consistency with their physical therapy regimens.

How can we empower people to stay on track with their physical therapy?

Initial Ideas

Wireframes

It was time to flush out some of the user flows and build out skeletal framework.

Adding a layer of paint

High fidelity wireframes

Patient Dashboard

Therapy Overview

Exercise Video

Patient Calendar

Add to Calendar

User Testing

What did I fail at?

During the user testing, I learned that I had failed in creating a solution that was easy to follow. Users found it difficult to differentiate between a protocol, a therapy, and a workout.

To tackle this issue, I implemented modifications to the user interface, introduced a fresh color scheme, and defined a distinct visual hierarchy. The user tests reinforced the significance of maintaining a clear visual hierarchy.

The new color scheme enhances the overall aesthetic appeal, creating a more engaging and visually cohesive user experience. The established visual hierarchy not only streamlines navigation, but also ensures that users can easily prioritize and comprehend information.

Building visual identity through branding

Branding

The brand needed to be simple, honest, and supportive of people's everyday commitment to physical therapy. This brand is all about helping individuals take small steps, making progress toward their health goals with every stride they take.

ICONS

TYPOGRAPHY

COLOR PALLET

Final Recommendations

Bringing the digital therapist to life

Intuitive User interface

The goal here was to simplify the flow, removing distractions and directing users to a singular task.

Easy to follow - instructional short form videos

export to calendar feature

The export feature allows users to time block their physical therapy and fit it into their busy schedules.

Results & Reflection

The user testing Stride's design yielded positive feedback. After iterating the prototype, testing sessions revealed that people found Stride to be easy to use.

Additionally, during the testing phase, users particularly enjoyed the easy to follow, story-like instructional videos. This suggests that the incorporation of instructional videos in a storytelling format resonated well with the users, contributing to a positive user experience.

This project forced me to wear a lot of new hats and also revealed my short comings. I am glad I uncovered some areas of where I could further improve. It was really my first shot a building out a full prototype for users to test. I learned to iterate on the fly between user interviews, making small tweaks to improve the Stride prototype.

Thank You for Stopping By