We decided as a group to take one area each and research existing product/existing components to see how they went about developing products for the healthcare sector. From this then we could make a well educated decision about which sector to go into.
My fitness pal is an app which allows the user to track and document their food, water and exercise on a daily bases. It puts the user in control of the number of calories they are eating by implementing a 'barcode scanning' feature which allows them to scan in physical ideas from their shopping list. They can also add in Water measurements and tracks their steps, allowing the system to calculate their calories burned. The service also provides food preparation videos, fitness videos and article links so users can do further health and wellbeing research.
From a design point of view, My fitness pal is a well structured, innovative concept which centres its attention entirely around the user. With the 'diary' feature, users can add their meals and snacks and the app will calculate all of the numbers automatically. This includes Sugars, Fats, Carbs, Proteins, Calcium levels, Iron levels etc. to give the user a full insight into what they are putting into their bodies.
All in all, My fitness pal is a great app which aims to improve the lifestyle of its users. I personally love this app and have I found it very helpful for improving dieting and enhancing training routines. However, that being said, users can become a bit obsessive with it and it can take over peoples lives. Yes is good to know what's going into your body and tracking the number of calories you should eat or not eat a day, but counting each calorie down to a single unit is not good for your mental state and it can lead to bad eating habits and eating disorders. I have interviewed someone who used to use it with their friends and it led to them all eating under 500 calories a day. This app should be used with caution!
Around a year ago I downloaded this app as I was gifted with an apple watch. I have used it ever since and find to quite useful for working out and exercising outside. The app allows the user to track their calories burned each day, their number of steps, minutes of exercise a day, number of hours active a day and their heart rate.
The app can be used as a clockface on the Apple watch which allows ease of tracking and effortless monitoring on the go. It consists of 3 rings; Exercise (green), Hours active (Blue) and calories burned (Red). The app will notify you throughout the day reminding you that you need to close these rings to meet your daily targets. It will send positive prompts such as "Keep Going", and "You're nearly there" which spark a bit of motivation. However as this technology is only new, accuracy is limited. At the very beginning when I started using this app, I had full trust in it to gather accurate data on my calories and heart rate per minute. However, After researching into it. the heart rate monitor is merely accurate and the system gives a rough estimate of your calories burned. With technology, this will hopefully improve but in the meantime, Health and fitness apps like this will remain untrustworthy until data becomes more solid.
The app also provides the user with a calendar features which allows them to keep track of their progress throughout the weeks, months, and years. This is a great feature for those who are keen on improving their lifestyle and will give them confident boosts when they see progress. Overall, this app is well structured and designed specifically around the user's daily needs and desires.
While researching into digital products for illnesses, I found One Drop - an app that allows users to log blood glucose, food groups, exercise blocks and weight. It is all quite generic though and involves blood glucose levels to be logged after being taken and involves exercise blocks to be logged. Their approach uses clinical science, behavioural science, and advanced AI, so users can be proactive about their health. One drop adapts to where the user is on their journey whether it be the beginning with high blood pressure or have had diabetes for 10 years.
The app allows users to receive notifications for when they will next have low blood glucose and gives them a forecast for the hours ahead, allowing them to plan for meals and reminding them to take a snack or eat a meal in a friendly way. Along with this feature of planning meals, the app allows users to log and set target weight. This feature allows users to reduce health risk while living with diabetes and also if they do not have diabetes yet - it can reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes.