Minimal interaction is required, as focus is on passive tracking of biometric data such as sleep quality and heart rate variability (HRV) a benchmark for identifying stress.
Discovery mode is triggered when users are frequently logging symptoms. This mode encourages users to log food and flare-ups as frequently as they can for a 3-week period. Once logging is completed, users are given a comprehensive report about their digestive health.
Users have the option of logging food through audio, photo and timestamps. Then, edit them later on mobile.
One-touch logging derives statistically probable data using context clues and pattern recognition.
This was my graduate capstone project encompassing 8 weeks of research and insight generation and 8 weeks of product development, resulting in a prototype video, public presentation, and design specification.
As we tossed around ideas, we were surprised to find that we all suffered from chronic digestive disorders that were never addressed professionally. It was comforting to be able to speak freely in a group of people who could empathize.
Was this shared struggle just a coincidence, or could we have stumbled on a larger, silent epidemic?
Following a thorough literature review on the subject of chronic digestive discomfort, we learned about functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). They are characterized by persistent and recurring GI symptoms with no observable physical root cause (such as an ulcer).
User problem
FGIDs are particularly frustrating since triggers vary between patients, requiring a lifelong process of trial and error for patients to develop a healthy relationship with their gut.
In order to uncover more, we decided to pair a diary study with a follow-up interview. In addition, we performed an "auto-ethnographic" survey in order to acknowledge and identify our personal biases.
We asked 10 participants who suffer from FGIDs to complete a diary study and followed up with an hour-long interview.
Given the sheer volume of data we had collected, we decided to use thematic analysis–a process that codes a single participant's interview to derive broad themes, and then uses those themes to categorize the remaining participants' data.
While somewhat labor intensive, this method led to strong themes that we all aligned on.
Among many valuable insights unearthed, we found:
For more information see the complete
research deck.Leveraging insights from our research phase, we discovered the highly individualized nature of FGID triggers and symptom management strategies. This led us to question the prevailing reliance on elimination diets, which we found to be overly simplistic and insufficiently empathetic to the real challenges faced by those with FGIDs.
We updated our research question to the following design challenge:
How might we support individuals with FGIDs as they navigate their personal journey with digestive health?
We mapped our key findings to milestones in our FGID journey map, we were able to identify three high-value opportunities.
Below are my personal concepts. In general, there was a lot of overlap within the group due to the research pointing at either a "collective" solution aimed at destigmatization, or an "individual" solution that detects and assists with treatment.
We had many ideas, but needed to focus on just one. I led the group in plotting our ideas on a simple 2x2 grid, along two axes: one measuring required user effort and the other a spectrum from individual to community based approaches.
Practical considerations, particularly around biometric data collection, led us to a pivotal decision—leverage the widespread adoption of consumer wearables. We focused on the Apple Watch due to its global popularity.
The late '90s saw the rise of the Tamagotchi, a keychain-sized game where players were tasked with the care of a digital pet. Neglecting the pet for even a day resulted in the pet's irreversible demise. This high-stakes, emotionally engaging gameplay got players hooked, catapulting the Tamagotchi to massive success.
Imagine a meal tracker where you report your meals by 'feeding' them to a virtual pet. This was our vision with TUMagotchi; to harness the gameplay mechanics of Tamagotchi to encourage consistent meal and symptom logging, creating a fun and interactive method to collect vital health data.
Despite its initial promise, our original virtual pet model did not align with our goal of providing sustainable support. Instead, we shifted towards a "digital- service animal" as a more fitting embodiment of the companionship we aimed to offer.
A storyboard was developed to visualize the integration of these concepts, facilitating the refinement of our interaction model and user experience.
We selected a fox as our digestive health support mascot because of its intelligence, sensitivity, proactivity, and cheekiness – qualities that align with our mission and core values.
The need for a UI-suitable design prompted a reevaluation of the color palette and background details to ensure clarity and user interface compatibility, while maintaining the fox's appeal and ensuring functionality.
With team agreement, I operationalized the refreshed color scheme into a style guide using Figma. This guide, set to evolve alongside our project, laid down a cohesive color palette, typography, and spatial guidelines, forming our design's backbone.
Prioritizing progress over perfection, I focused on establishing a common framework to guide our development and allow for greater adaptability and coherence throughout the project's evolution.
With the conceptual groundwork laid, the challenge shifted to execution. Recognizing the vast scope of our ambitions, we narrowed our focus to elements that would be especially useful to illustrate the emotional arc of the Fox Tracks user journey.
We split the UX design workload, with my areas focusing on: meal logging functionality, retroactive meal editing, the landing page moment, and a late-breaking addition, creating a personalized journey reminiscent of Spotify Wrapped for the finale of our video prototype.
My personal lo-fi concepts for logging interactions.
The more rounds of feedback, the better the final product, and so it is useful to begin with rough designs that are time efficient.
Active communication became crucial to coordinate the concurrent filming of our prototype video alongside Tara and my design process. To address this, I organized a Figma file to store our completed design flows and make it easy for other teammates to give feedback.
This setup enabled our teammates to efficiently access, review, and offer feedback on these crucial components without delay.
As we created components and made decisions, I documented everything in our living style guide to allow for seamless collaboration.
Some pages of the final style guide.
Fox Tracks is an integrated smartwatch & mobile experience that empowers individuals living with FGIDs to make healthier lifestyle decisions for their digestive health.
Give sustainable support long-term, since digestive health is a lifelong journey.
Give individuals autonomy over their own digestive health journey. Inspire self-discovery, acceptance, and empowerment.
Focus on how digestive health is impacted holistically, by factors such as mental health, sleep, and co-morbidities.
De-stigmatize FGIDs by talking about it in a positive, supportive, and compassionate way.
Minimal interaction is required, instead focusing on passive tracking of biometric data such as sleep quality and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) – a benchmark for identifying stress.
Discovery mode is triggered when users are frequently logging symptoms. This mode encourages users to log food and flare-ups as frequently as they can for a 3-week period. Once completed, users are given a comprehensive report about their digestive health.
Fox Tracks supports both in-the-moment and retroactive logging depending on users' needs. Logging in-the-moment is quick and easy, while entering data after the event allows for a thorough and detailed record.
One-touch logging derives statistically probable data using context clues and pattern recognition.
Users have the option of logging food through audio, photo and timestamps, and later editing these logs on their smartphone.
This interactive tool has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life for sufferers of chronic digestive discomfort by helping them overcome the obstacles that they currently face related to understanding, tracking, and managing their flare-ups.
Already, this exercise has had a positive impact on those who have participated in our interpersonal studies, attended our showcase presentation, and we hope, to all of the readers of this case study.
Were Fox Tracks to go live it would be important to ensure that the application is effective in providing positive health outcomes.
To do this, we could:
Our team enjoyed and benefited from researching and designing this project. In retrospect, there are a few things I would have done differently.
