Raising Osteoporosis awareness for women 40+ using technology, gamification methods and investigation.
Summer Thesis Project 2021
This Research is motivated and driven by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s quote – “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. and will study how much women aged 40+ are aware of the relationship between Osteoporosis and menopause and how technology can increase the awareness. However, without the knowledge it is not possible to start considering to change.
Research question
How can technology improve the Osteoporosis awareness for women 40+ via technology using gamification methods?
Hypothesis 1: We believe that Prototype C (intrinsic and extrinsic motivations) is the most effective way to present the information regarding the Osteoporosis condition, this way increasing awareness. We will know this is true after testing the three prototypes with the one user group, so the user can compare the three prototypes.
Hypothesis 2: We believe that the user is more inclined to look after their bone health after using the application and considers changing their habits. We will know this is true after conducting a Questionnaire.
Mixed methods
- Methods used in this research project are qualitative and quantitative.
- The reasons behind the study decided to conduct surveys online instead of interviews.
- The final device was selected for the prototype, and a mobile phone is the most suitable option as an outcome from survey three and findings from literature review.
- Ethics has been carefully thought out and planned; it is imperative to observe ethical rules during ethnographic research.
- The right tool to measure user testing to confirm the hypothesis of this study was also researched and selected.
Who is the user?
- Sketch and name
- Bahavioral demographic information
- Pain points and needs
- Potential solutions
“The Design Methodologies is a little more focused on design specifics. It seeks to articulate the vision for the user experience and connect the dots on how that vision will be brought to life.” – The User Experience Team of One by Buley (2013).
The Design Brief, sets the tone and strategy for creating a User Persona profile.
User 1
User 2
The user who is not yet fully aware is at stage one of “change readiness” – the preliminary preparation (no intention to change due to the absence of information). The desired result for this application is to change the users “phase of readiness” to the contemplation phase.
The contemplation phase refers to people who are more aware of the need for change, intend to take some action over the next six months; this does not always mean that they will ponder everything in their heads.
User in context
USER 1 – (WHO) User 1 Kate O’Brian, currently is working full-time for a tech giant company, recently has been promoted. (WHAT) Kate is unaware that some of her daily habits can contribute to the loss of bone density. Kate does not know about the DXA scan and has never checked her bone density because she has never had a fracture. (HOW) Kate would like to learn about healthy habits without going to the doctor to improve her bone density in the long term.
USER 2 – (WHO) Aoife McCormac is 49 years of age, recently has changed her job and works part-time, so she has more time to spend with her family. (WHAT) Aoife is not aware that Osteoporosis and Menopause are linked; she is not taking any supplements of calcium or multivitamins. Being very active, she may miss the recommended calcium intake. (HOW) Aoife would like to know more factors that can improve the Osteoporosis condition; she prefers to use her mobile device for learning new information.
User journey
Design considerations
Style and branding – Simplicity and clean style is most suitable for an application that represents a health sector, with an emphasis on the Neumorphism style. According to Salisbury (2020), the Neumorphism design is a fresh interface that combines usability with a softer aesthetic by limiting some subtleness. Neumorphism is an exceptionally modern design style. Clean, simple and with softer visual access to interactive elements. The appearance is suitable for medical devices, but the subtle
nature of the visual design can pose a problem for usability. Some argue that it is not easily accessible (Vo 2020). Care and attention were taken to ensure the Nenumorphism style was accessible by including bold colours for the call-to-action buttons and keeping the typical shadow and clean background.
Intrinsic Motivators and Extrinsic Motivators
The following core drivers – Accomplishment, Ownership and Scarcity are the extrinsic motivators. The opposite to them – Empowerment, Social Influence and Unpredictability are the intrinsic motivators.
Badges and medals play on feeling and achievement and provide feedback to the user, bringing a sense of reward for completing a task. This reward is motivated to keep working and help offset any negative experiences while completing the task itself.
The most used gamification features in product design today are badges, medals, glasses, and tools are some of the standards but specific features (Swainson 2021).
Octalysis gamification framework
The Octalysis Gamification Framework implies eight main aspects, representing the necessary elements for creating a user experience. After many years of testing and tweaking, Yu-kai Chou believes that, apart from the ninth hidden drive called “Sensation”, everything the user does is based on one or more of the eight main drives. – Yu-kai Chou (2021).
“Gamification is designed that places the most emphasis on human motivation in the process. In essence, it is Human-Focused Design (as opposed to “function-focused design”)” – Yu-kai Chou (2021). Generally, to apply this framework, it is recommended to include at least one of the core drivers demonstrated below.
Emotional Design and Gamification
The art of emotion – Donald A. Norman argues that the emotional side of design may be more critical to a product’s success than its practical elements. The book “Emotional Design Why We Love (Or Hate) Everyday Things” by Norman (2003) highlights the three different aspects of design.
- Visceral design – concerns itself with appearance
- Behavioural design – has to do with the pleasure and effectiveness of design
- Reflective design – considers the rationalization and intellectualization of a product (Norman 2003)
Emotions complete the experience of functional design, along with aesthetics, attractiveness, and beauty. Reasoning and emotional reaction may have different (argue with each other) opinions. Norman points out that the problem is that we still let logic make decisions for us. Without emotions, the decision-making would be impaired.
Sketching
User testing plan
The right tool to perform the user testing was selected. The Maze.co seems to have checked all the required boxes.
To test Hypothesis 1: We believe that Prototype C (intrinsic and extrinsic motivations) is the most effective way to present the information regarding the Osteoporosis condition, this way increasing awareness. We will know this is true after testing the three prototypes with the one user group, so the user can compare the three prototypes.
The plan was created to test the prototypes with each participant see scenario description below for each prototype (with a small differences in some questions because each prototype is different).
Scenario and questions for user testing (prototypes A, B, C)
Prototype A (intrinsic) Testing Link (5-7 min)
1. Mission 1: Explore and followalong with the onboarding, until you land on the Login screen.
• How did you find this journey? (1 – Very difficult, 5 – Moderate, 10 – Very
Easy)
2. Mission 2: Discovering the User Profile and Lesson 1
• How easy or difficult is it is to understand the content of the Lesson?
• Is there anything you would like to see different in this section?
3. Mission 3: Testing your knowledge after Lesson 1
• How easy or difficult did you find the test?
• How likely would you invite your friends to this application?
• How did you feel when you completed Lesson 1?
Prototype B (extrinsic) Testing Link (5-7 min)
1. Mission 1: Login to the application and find the way to the Lesson 2
• How did you find this journey?
2. Mission 2: Complete Lesson 2
• How easy or difficult is it is to understand the content of the Lesson?
• What would you like to see different in this section?
3. Mission 3: Testing your knowledge after Lesson 2
• How easy or difficult did you find the test?
• How did you feel after earning the badge?
• How likely would you invite your friends to this application?
Prototype C (extrinsic & intrinsic) (5-6 min)
1. Mission 1: Follow the Onboarding and then Login to the application
• How did you find this journey?
2. Mission 2: Complete Lesson 3
• How aware were you of this information before the Lesson?
3. Mission 3: Complete the knowledge test
• How easy or difficult did you find the test?
Results - Hypothesis 1
After the usability testing, four out of five users have selected Prototype C as easier and clearer to understand. One user commented: “It feels more complete.”, another user said: “Clear and easy to answer questions, easy to follow”.
The user testing also identified some of the pain points, which can be improved. The tools such as Maze.co and Google Spreadsheet helped to create a series of charts (see page 94 of PDF paper for more information).
Results - Hypothesis 2
H2: We believe that the user is more inclined to look after their bone health after using the application and considers changing their habits. We will know this is true after conducting a Questionnaire.
A question at the end of user testing of all three prototypes was asked to prove hypothesis two. The average score of 9.8 out of 10 indicates that with a small sample, that users are more inclined to changes their habits as a result of learning the information about Osteoporosis.
Pain point 1
Pain Point 1. During user testing, several sections were somewhat frustrating and difficult to understand for the user. Users faced difficulties when asked to find a location of the lesson; this can be resolved in several ways.
Potential Solutions
• After the login screen, send the user directly to the home screen (where the lessons are located)
• Have a small instruction on how to use this application (include in the registration process)
• To make the navigation menu stand out a little more.
Pain point 2
Pain Point 2. When the user had a mission to complete the second lesson, the first lesson was still at the top, and the user assumed it was a lesson she should complete.
2.1 Potential Solution
• To fix this issue is to rotate the lessons, so after the first lesson is completed, it changes its position to the bottom (the user can always repeat this lesson if she wants by scrolling to the bottom of the home page, where all the lessons are located).
Pain point 3
Pain Point 3. The button “Exit” – originally was located at the bottom of the Profile screen. The button was bright blue, and some users, through user testing one did press it impulsively, causing the start over of the process.
3.1 Potential Solutions
• Implement a top menu where the user can manage their settings and exit from the application.
• Make the button grey, so it does not call for action as much.
Final prototype
What I have learned
I have learned to manage an individual project, from point A of discovering a problem to point B providing the solution. I have learned to manage my time and follow the plan which I have created for myself. I have realised that I enjoy creating the ethnographic design that studies people means a lot to me because it can help improve the lives of the user.
Technologies can increase awareness of Osteoporosis through gaming methods, thereby connecting the user with information on a more emotional level. The technology review also shows that a mobile device is a preferred method for the target audience.
The structure of this research can further serve as a reference point for further studies in educating people about some factors of everyday habits that could be avoided. Because findings from the Online Survey also suggests that women would prefer to obtain information about Osteoporosis from General Practitioners, this can mean that a government-funded project involving HSE can increase the public’s trust and may improve longevity.
