My Healthy Register
- Project name
- Software
My Healthy Register
AXURE RP
1. Context
In Portugal, water and fruit consumption is still below the recommended levels for a healthy life. This scenario has a direct impact on public health, as adequate intake of water and fruit is associated with the prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Despite this, many Portuguese people still do not reach the recommended daily amounts of these essential foods and beverages. Considering the diversity of lifestyles, education levels, and ages within the population, there is an opportunity to create a solution that encourages healthier behaviors that are accessible to all.
2. Problem Definition
Many Portuguese people face difficulties in maintaining an adequate daily intake of water and fruit due to factors such as lack of information, busy routines, and a lack of incentives for habit changes. Additionally, the diversity of user profiles and ages makes it challenging to create a universal solution that can meet everyone’s needs. This project aims to address the issue of low adherence to these healthy habits through an inclusive and easy-to-use app.
3. Objective
To develop an intuitive and accessible application that encourages daily water and fruit consumption among the Portuguese. The goal is to create a simple and enjoyable experience that serves as a guide and motivator for all audiences, regardless of age or education level, promoting a positive change in the population’s hydration and dietary habits.
4. Research
To understand the current scenario and identify opportunities to create an application that promotes water and fruit consumption in Portugal, I conducted a detailed benchmarking analysis. The goal was to observe various applications available on the market that address health habits, water consumption tracking, and encouragement of fruit intake.
Analysis Criteria: For effective comparison, I used specific criteria to assess what each application excelled at and where there was room for improvement. These were the main criteria:
- Offered Features: I analyzed whether the applications tracked only water consumption or also included other areas like fruit and vegetable intake.
- Usability and User Experience (UX): I examined ease of use, screen flow, and task navigation within each application.
- Visual Appeal and Design (UI): I evaluated design choices, colors, and icons.
- Notifications and User Engagement: I reviewed strategies to keep users engaged, such as water and fruit consumption reminders, challenges, and rewards.
- Localization and Adaptability to the Portuguese Market: I investigated whether applications were specifically tailored to the Portuguese market.
Analysis Observations: Based on these criteria, I observed that:
- Common Features and Limitations: Most water-tracking applications focused solely on liquid intake, with little or no integration to monitor other dietary habits, like fruit intake. Some included daily challenges and rewards as motivation.
- Consistent Design and Usability: Best design practices included a minimalist and intuitive interface, with simple, direct graphics for progress tracking. All applications allowed users to adjust their daily water intake goals.
- Lack of Applications Targeted to the Portuguese Market: There were no applications specifically designed for Portuguese users in Portugal.
Insights: Based on this analysis, I identified valuable opportunities for creating a differentiated application in the Portuguese market:
- Opportunity to Include Fruit and Vegetable Tracking: There is significant potential for an app that tracks not only water intake but also encourages fruit and vegetable consumption, providing users with a more holistic view of their health.
- Customization for the Portuguese Market: There is potential to develop a design that reflects cultural preferences, both in language and in the selection of fruits and dietary habits, enhancing relevance for Portuguese users.
- Strategic Use of Gamification: Applications that included rewards and challenges showed higher user engagement. This aspect could be explored to keep users motivated to reach daily intake goals.
4.1 Personas
Why were personas created?
Personas were developed to ensure that the application would meet the specific needs of different types of users, taking into account their routines, challenges, and goals. They helped keep the design process user-centered and informed decision-making to ensure that functionalities, language, and interactions were tailored to each target audience’s profile.
How did personas contribute to the solution?
The personas of Ana and Mrs. Maria guided the key design decisions, leading to specific functionalities and approaches for each profile:
For Ana, the healthy student: Ana represents a young, connected audience that values health. Thus, the application includes features like gamification and goal-setting with a modern interface and the ability to track progress visually and quickly.
For Mrs. Maria, the retired woman concerned about her health: Mrs. Maria’s profile highlighted the importance of a simplified and accessible design for users less familiar with technology. This influenced choices like large, intuitive icons and high-contrast colors for easier readability.
5. Solution Proposal
5.1 Application Map
Based on the insights obtained during the research and benchmarking phase, a solution proposal was developed to encourage regular water and fruit consumption in an intuitive and accessible way. The proposal was structured from a high-level application map that defines the navigation and key functionalities of the app:
5.2 Use Cases
To detail the use of the application, a Use Case diagram was created that describes the system’s functionalities and their interaction with the users:
Register
• As a user, I want to create a new account in the app so that I can start monitoring my water and fruit consumption.Recover Password
• As a user, I want to recover my password if I forget it, so that I can regain access to the application.Login
• As a user, I want to log in to the application with my credentials to access the monitoring and tracking features.Edit Profile
• As a user, I want to be able to edit my profile information to keep my personal data up to date.View Rankings
• As a user, I want to view general consumption rankings to compare my performance with that of other users or goals.Check Water Consumption
• As a user, I want to check the amount of water I have consumed throughout the day or a specific period to monitor my progress.Check Fruit Consumption
• As a user, I want to check the amount of fruit I have consumed throughout the day or a specific period to keep track of my daily intake.Log Fruit Consumption
• As a user, I want to log the amount of fruit consumed to maintain an up-to-date history and monitor my dietary habits.Log Water Consumption
• As a user, I want to log the amount of water consumed to monitor my intake and ensure that I am meeting my daily goal.View History
• As a user, I want to view the history of my water and fruit consumption to see my progress over time and identify patterns.Log Out
• As a user, I want to log out (end session) to ensure my account’s security and protect my personal information.
5.3 Storyboard
In order to facilitate prototyping and to be able to visualize, design, and preview each of the screens, a storyboard was created:
6. Validation
Usability Tests
In order to detect errors and flaws in the application, some tests were conducted, focusing on the user experience, layout consistency, and access to functionalities, to test whether the application is intuitive or not. Six participants took part in the tests, with the goal of understanding the application’s functionality level and identifying any issues.
The participants followed a task guide:
Task 1: Create an Account
The goal of this task is for the user to create an account, determining whether they can successfully complete this process.
Task 2: Simulate Password Recovery
In this task, the user should navigate to the password recovery page. The task is completed once an alert box confirms that an email has been sent to recover the password.
Task 3: Log In
For this task, the user should log into the application using the provided credentials:
- Email: teste@ulusofona.pt
- Password: ihm2021
The task is completed when the user successfully reaches the main menu.
Task 4: Find the Profile Edit Page
The goal of this task is to see if the user can locate and access the option to edit their profile. The task is completed once the profile editing page is opened.
Task 5: Record the Consumption of 2 Apples
This task aims to test the record button functionality. The user should log the consumption of 2 apples with a random date and time. The task is completed once they return to the main page.
Task 6: Record the Consumption of 300ml of Water
This task tests the functionality of the water recording icon. The user should log the consumption of 300ml of water with a random date and time. The task is completed once they return to the main page.
Task 7: Locate André Santos, 28 Years Old, on the Rankings Page
This task is designed to test the user’s ease in locating specific information on the screen. The user should navigate to the rankings page and locate André Santos, who is 28 years old.
What ranking does he hold?
The task is completed once the user provides the correct ranking.
Task 8: Locate Cristina Ferreira, Portuguese Nationality, on the Rankings Page
To test the rankings filter, the user should go to the rankings page, apply the nationality filter, and find Cristina Ferreira.
How many pieces of fruit has she consumed?
The task is completed once the user provides the correct answer.
Task 9: Find the Water Consumption for August 15
This task tests the functionality of the slide feature on the consumption history page. The user should access the history page and find out how many milliliters of water were consumed on August 15.
The task is completed once the user provides the correct answer.
Task 10: Log Out
For this task, the user should log out of the application. The task is completed once they return to the login/registration screen.
After completing the tasks, participants filled out the following:
- Satisfaction Questionnaire
- Emotion and Cognitive Effort Scale Questionnaire – to understand the participants’ emotional state and mood while using the application.
After conducting the tests and respective surveys, an analysis was carried out, revealing several issues to be addressed:
- When users registered, they did not receive confirmation that the account was successfully created. To address this, a pop-up message with the relevant information was added.
- When users navigated to the water and fruit logging page, there was no way to return to the main page if they chose not to log anything. A back arrow was therefore added to facilitate navigation.
- In the rankings section, when filtering by categories, users were presented with a checkbox option, allowing them to select all categories simultaneously. This issue was corrected by implementing radio buttons instead of checkboxes.
7.2 Main Features
- Login and Registration
- Login
- Password Recovery
- Registration
- Main Screen (Home)
- Displays daily and weekly consumption of fruits and water, with graphical representations and icons.
- Highlights the quantity consumed for the day and the weekly average.
- A central “+” button suggests the possibility of adding new consumption entries.
User Ranking
- Shows a ranking of users who consume the most fruits and water weekly.
- Includes a “Top 10” list, displaying users’ names, ages, and amounts of fruit and water consumed.
- Icons and layout emphasize the top positions, encouraging continuous app use through friendly competition.
Consumption Logging
- Fruit Consumption Form:
- Fields for fruit name, quantity, date, and time.
- Option to add an optional photo.
- Water Consumption Form:
- Selection of quantity (with illustrated container sizes).
- Fields for date, time, and an option to choose between bottled or tap water.
- Fruit Consumption Form:
7.3 Colors & Fonts
The colors used were in shades of green, as this color represents the concept of health and wellness.
8. Results
The analysis of the participants’ demographic data shows that ages ranged from 17 to 49 years, with a majority of 66.7% female and 33.3% male. The final results of the usability tests were overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating a high level of user satisfaction with the application. This positive response suggests that the experience offered by the application is intuitive and relevant to the target audience.
Furthermore, the predominant age group of the testers represents a population that is accustomed to using mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, which increases the likelihood of adoption of the application.