OVERVIEW
2 UX Researcher
1 UX Designer
1 Visual Designer
2 Web Developer
TEAM
Sony Connected Learning Pathway
The Sony Connected Learning Pathway is an immersive design program co-led by the UCSD Design Lab and the SONY Human Factors Team. Throughout the program, I collaborated with a team of students to address an industry design challenge. Our assignment was to explore how to bridge the gap between health awareness and technology, specifically utilizing a TV screen.
ROLE
TIMELINE
PROJECT
UX/UI Designer
6 weeks
Apprenticeship
BACKGROUND
The Challenge
My team and I addressed the design challenge presented to us by the Sony Human Factors team:
Over the past year, individuals have considerably increased their time spent at home. Remote work, home workouts, and socializing have become predominant activities, often facilitated through the use of screens and various devices. Leveraging screens and other devices for enhancing wellness and health has become increasingly popular.
How can we further enhance wellness and health through the utilization of screens and other devices?
We gathered that young adults are forming unhealthy habits with increased reliance on mobile devices. This dependence on technology can have broader negative effects beyond physical health and ultimately interferes with their daily lives.
DEFINING THE PROBLEM SPACE
User Research
We initiated the process by conducting user interviews, pinpointing certain issues.
How might we aid young adults in raising awareness of physical issues and utilizing technology to enhance compatibility with everyday devices, fostering motivation for a healthier schedule to improve their overall relationship with technology?
AND SO WE ASK. . .
The average individual during the COVID pandemic
A young student navigating through the pandemic
ROADMAPPING
Target Audience
Based on insights gathered from user interviews, we identified specific pain points related to the Smart TV device, which will be our primary focus of this case.
User Personas
Following that, I created two user personas representing the potential target users, informed by our research and the "how might we" statement. This enabled my team and me to utilize the specific points that could lead dissimilar users to share similar overarching needs.
IDEATION
Idea Prioritization
Through a series of online and in-person meetings, keeping our research and user personas in mind, the team and I generated ideas for potential solutions and products.
These ideas underwent review with our Sony Mentor, followed by another round of user interviews to gauge the popularity and feasibility of each solution. Finally we settled on:
Creating a gamified fitness TV app that utilizes a TV remote to monitor physical progress during user workouts.
Low-Fidelity Prototype
At First Glance
Fundamentally, the "Growing Fitness" app is designed to foster individual accountability for users' physical well-being, all while making the experience enjoyable. In this app, you can:
A summary of your weekly exercise, including statistical insights into your ongoing progress and the achievement of set milestones.
Utilizing AI technology to enable the TV's native remote for movement tracking upon successful registration with the app.
Rewards System
The primary focus of the app is to infuse enjoyment into exercise and promote a healthy physical lifestyle. Here are some of the included features:
Introduced a rewards system based on reaching milestones to enhance motivation and commitment, involving the growth and collection of flowers.
Additionally, a penalty feature has been incorporated, emphasizing consequences for lapses in exercise with the aim of encouraging their return to physical activity.
REFLECTION
What did I learn?
Hands-on experience
It was an out-of-the-box challenege, thinking creatively about the intersection of wellness and technology. This eye-opening experience emphasized that user experience goes beyond technology and highlighted the importance of advocating for unique ideas.
Understanding new technology
Prior to this course, I lacked the knowledge to navigate a Smart TV. Learning to utilize it was a significant learning curve since TVs were typically just for watching with minimal settings. Now, with new features, there are expanded possibilities to customize and use a TV for more than its intended use.
Communication is key!
Regrettably, our team faced challenges in communication and effort, resulting in us lagging behind other student teams. This impacted both our progress and the overall quality of our final group deliverable. In future projects, I aim to foster openness and encourage everyone at the table to share their voices, while also establishing clear boundaries and expectations for effective collaboration within the group.
IMPACT
Feedback
Due to time constraints, we couldn't conduct extensive user testing with stakeholders. However, we did receive feedback from a few individuals in our previous interview pool as well as our mentors' feedback. The key points raised include:
💡 "Many students may not have access to a TV, which may limit their ability to use this feature."
💡 "Seniors may face difficulty using a Smart TV and the app due to its advanced technology."
💡 "Certain users favor portable devices like laptops and smartphones over using a TV."