Design Concept and Rationale

To access: Click the “Login” avatar at the top right of the screen.

The sign-in page is shown to the user the first time they use the app. Users must create an account or sign in before using the app (see Fig. 4). This page accomplishes the following: cross-platform synchronization, information accessibility, and data privacy.

Cross-Platform Synchronization

By having the user create an account, we can ensure that the user’s data and progress is synchronized across devices. Users will be able to access their data on their phone, tablet, and even computer. According to SocialMediaToday, cross-platform apps offer a greater reach to users, easier marketing, and uniform look and feel [5].

Information Accessibility

When a user creates an account, they will be prompted to input personal information so that the app can offer more accurate recommendations. For example, gender, pre-existing conditions, and physical ailments will be prompted to the user. Some information will already be accessible via the Health or Google Fit app, but this allows our app to access more information about the user. Aegis Living cites discomfort and pain to be the largest barrier for older adults to not workout [6]. By gathering more information about the user’s physical condition, we can recommended targeted exercises for users that will not exacerbate any existing injuries or ailments.

Data Privacy

Most importantly, having an account with a unique username and password will ensure that the user’s personal information is stored securely. Data privacy is one of our main ethical concerns (see Appendix B). Because the app will store personal information such as medical history, a secure log-in system is important to ensure that only the intended user can access their data.

Thus, providing a sign-in page is necessary to increase Accessibility amongst users and the app itself. According to the pew research center, 61% of adults 65+ own a smartphone [7]. In our own survey, we found that 95% of seniors have downloaded an app before (see Appendix E). We are confident that users will feel familiar with entering account information. This will help us better tailor our app to each users’ needs.

To access: Direct access upon opening the app.

The home page is a universal map through the FitNest space (see Fig. 1). A user is able to access all other pages through buttons on the screen with minimal clicks. Initial drafts of the FitNest home page included more detail about individual muscle groups and included more text. This was changed after user feedback and design reviews through which it was concluded that a simpler interface would benefit the app’s ease of use. The current FitNest homepage is a cleaner interface that stores detail in a more organized fashion, within subsequent app pages such as the “Activities page” and “Stats” page. The interface features a large human body with segregated muscle groups. There are four features that we have added to benefit the user experience. First, we will describe the purpose of each feature, then we will go into detail about the rationale behind each one.

1. Humanoid avatar: Avatar can be created in the sign in menu to more closely resemble each user to account for a broader spectrum of users.

2. Zoom in feature: A magnifying glass is placed on the bottom corner of the screen to easily view and select parts of the body

3. Call for help: A button to reach emergency services if the user falls or hurts themselves.

4. Color coded muscle groups: The body showcases muscle groups separated by color codes. For example, chest and arms are both colored orange, as these are similar muscle groups that can be worked on at the same time and involve movements that complement each other.

• Humanoid Avatar: An avatar will increase user engagement as it will make the user feel more comfortable about their body type and size. Users may feel intimidated by an avatar that is in better physical shape than they are. By having the users choose the gender and body shape of their own avatar, we can avoid this issue. ‘Gamesindustry.biz’ writes that “Avatars can be the key to offering more intense and satisfying game experiences” [8]. If we use the benefits of avatars in our own app, we can improve user experience and confidence.

• Zoom In Feature: This enables users to view specific joints and smaller muscle groups more easily. This also allows the app to integrate exercises with smaller body parts and joints, that are often overlooked when it comes to geriatric health and fitness. Research suggests that 80% of older adults will experience onset arthritis in at least one joint, a problem that is worsened by irregular exercise and mobility [9]. If the user is able to identify and focus on individual joints of their body, this can greatly benefit their long-term health.

• Call for Help: Health and safety is our main ethical concern. 1 in every 4 American geriatrics experiences a fall every year [10]. Seniors are at greatest risk of falling when performing physical activities [11]. Thus, it is necessary that we implement a Call for Help button that is easily accessible. If a user is to fall or hurt themselves while exercising, they can quickly reach for help without needing to leave the app. This allows fitness to be explored as securely as possible.

• Colored Muscle Groups: The colored muscle groups allow the home page to communicate with users directly. Coordinating colored groups is helpful so that users can engage in compound movements. According to Healthline, compound movements help users save time, increase mobility, and the number of possible exercises [12]. In our survey, 41% of seniors defined the issue of working out being “too boring” (see Appendix E). Thus, it is critical that we use compound exercises to increase the variety of workouts.

Together these features make the fitness information space accessible to users and build awareness about safety and physiology.

To access: Click on any brightly colored muscle group to access the activities page of said muscle group.

Exercises and muscle groups

The activity page is accessible by selecting a particular muscle group (see Fig. 5). The user is given three types of workouts recommended by the CDC based on their fitness pillars: stretching, strengthening, and recovery [13]. These exercises cover aerobics, balance and strengthening and promote muscular strength and endurance along with cardiovascular endurance and stamina in a method that is encouraged by the CDC. The categories broadly segregate techniques for the sake of user communication.

Video Demonstrations

A video demonstration is available for each workout. We chose a video demonstration because the Fitness Software writes that workout videos exemplify correct form, engage more than static posts, and increase user retention [14]. If the user clicks on a video, the app tracks that they’ve completed this workout and it is counted towards the stats page. We chose this as our user interface because it is the most intuitive option and it is easy to follow. If a user experiences shoulder pain, they can click on the shoulder to view shoulder workouts and recovery options.

It also made sense because 62% of our surveyed users said that they wish they knew more exercises (see Appendix E). Additionally, 70% of surveyed users do not exercise because they do not know what to do. This layout makes it easy for users to find exercises for specific body parts that they would like to utilize. In doing so, it bolsters the awareness of various techniques and how they affect the body.

As stated before, a part of FitNests mission is to increase the Accessibility of fitness and the Awareness of techniques. For this reason, the various exercise types and routines within the “Activities” page are tailored for at home use after consulting our professionals. In doing so, the page ties together guidance and resources to improve the users’ ability to exercise.

To access: Click the “?” on the head of the humanoid figure.

On the Help page, new users can learn how to workout (see Fig. 6). Our user testing suggests that above 65% of our respondents do not exercise because they are unsure where to start. Here, users are able to contact professional physios, nutritionists, and fitness experts to receive personal recommendations on which type of exercise may be best suited for them. This page is a quick and easy communication tool between professionals and their clients. It will help the parties maintain regular communication and ensure constant guidance.

As well, from our expert stakeholder interviews with the team members’ former physiotherapists, we discovered that the latter don’t have a platform that connects them with patients digitally. This causes two concerns, first, elderly patients still receive at-home exercises on a printed paper that often gets lost or damaged. Secondly, patients can only receive updated exercises while at the hospital during therapist visits. No corrections can be done whilst at home, and thus the recovery process can be lengthened and become painstaking with extra exercises (see Appendix F).

Alongside, our surveys revealed a huge data discrepancy - while 94.1% of the respondents have or are currently involved in physical therapy, only 32% of them choose ‘therapist recommendation’ as a motivating factor to exercise. Fewer than 45% continue performing the assigned routines a month after their last visit. Most notably, 82% of users chose ‘exercise repetitiveness’ and ‘lack of short-term visible results’ to justify abandoning the completion of routines. This is further corroborated by the Expectancy-Value theory that exemplifies the prominence of alternating short-term goals to maintain an individual’s interest level high in doing something (see Appendix C) [15].

For all the above, FitNest features a platform where therapists and doctors can seamlessly upload the workout routines digitally for the users to access through the app. Plus, therapists will have access to the patient's stats display (refer to Stats Page description) to track their daily progress and increase guidance through recommending minor corrections to the preset routines established at the hospital. By doing so, the progress rate towards full recovery will be faster and shorter.

1. Instant Feedback: Through the ‘Send Stats’ button, patients can submit their daily progress. This way, therapists receive proof of completion and can reorganize the exercise routine to incorporate more challenging activities.

2. Technology incorporation: Through the ‘Upload Documents’ feature, we offer an alternative to the obsolete process where therapists hand leaflets with exercises, as the routines and exercises can constantly be tweaked to personalize user experiences. This feature ensures that files are encrypted during the data transfer process band maintains patient confidentiality.

3. User experience: The ‘Call Physio’ and ‘Nutritionist’ options enhance user experience by offering an array of professional services to the user. Not only did we discover that therapists are missing a platform to connect with their patients, but this is also the case for freelance fitness trainers and dietary experts. Both of which are essential components during advanced stages of life [8].

Our initial “Ask our Pros” was merely a data bank for professional contact information. However, our user testing informed us that most users do not conduct enough physiotherapist sessions and often leave an injury partially unhealed, if not motivated to attend a complete cycle of sessions. (Appendix E). Therefore, the current page features an interface that promotes consistency and regular professional involvement in a user’s fitness journey.

The display facilitates therapist-patient communication and speeds up the recovery process in a previously technology deprived process. We claim that this creates a prosperity cycle where both our users and professionals benefit. By securely accessing the patient's stats page live, therapists will make more informed decisions that will ultimately help our user. This is crucial in current times, as tele-health services gain traction in a post-Covid era.

To access: Click the “Stats” icon that lies to the left of the humanoid figure.

The stats page is accessible via the home page. There is an icon on the left side that the user can press to reach it. The stats page is linked with the iPhone’s Health app, as the Health app already offers tracking services for steps, floors, and calories (see Fig. 7). When the user initially sets up the app, the app will use the user’s survey data to offer recommended target goals, but these goals are still customizable.

We chose to track steps, floors, and calories because these are basic and simple to understand information. These three statistics are common within all fitness trackers. According to John Hopkins Medicine, activity trackers that track steps offer users increased motivation to be active [3]. Most notably, however, we chose to track standing hours. The Heart Foundation states that sitting leads to an increase in risk of death and disease [16]. By reminding users to stand once an hour and tracking whether this goal is accomplished, it will greatly benefit the user’s health. As well, our user testing indicates that 88% of users would stand up if reminded to (see Appendix E). Background research on existing stand up apps have shown to be very effective (see Appendix C).

It is also important to note that we set up the tracker to be goal oriented. Lock and Latham’s experiment in 1990 showed that goals are more achievable if they are clear, appropriately challenged, accepted by the user, appropriately complex, and there is feedback given (see Appendix C) [17]. Our statistics page accomplishes all of these.

1. Clarity: The user is able to easily see every statistic and metric on the page. The data is presented as a fraction, with the goal as the denominator. For example, if the user’s goal is 5000 steps a day and they’ve completed 2300 steps so far, it will show: 2300/5000 steps. This way, the user can easily see their current progress and how close they are to accomplishing their goals

2. Challenge: Based on the user’s health information via the Health/Fit app, the app will generate recommended goals for the user. These goals will be appropriately challenging for the user.

3. Acceptance: Users are able to adjust their goals regardless of the app’s recommendation. They can choose which metrics they want to track, and they can also choose what their daily goals are for each metric.

4. Feedback: Users have the ability to garner feedback via app notifications on their phone reminding them of their progress. They can also easily view their progress towards their goals in the stats page.

5. Task Complexity: Instead of providing users long-term goals, the goals are all based on a daily basis. This way, if the user fails to achieve their goal one day, they can reset and try again the next day. The user can choose to implement longer term goals if they want to.

Thus, our stats page achieves each of Lock and Latham’s goal theory criteria. In relation to our mission statement, adding the stats page increases Awareness for the user. They will receive reminders on their phone to stand up. As well, the fact that the user can easily view all their progress on one page increases Accessibility for our user.

To access: Click the camera icon that lies on the left of the humanoid figure

Through Home Scan, we envision a digital plug-in that connects FitNest to the phone’s camera, enabling the user to garner item-centered exercises by scanning house furniture, home appliances and miscellaneous objects (staircase, kitchen counter and chair, sofa, bathtub, etc) (see Fig. 8).

In accordance with the statement made in the Help Page description, seniors spend ¾ of their day at home and 82.3% of them prefer exercising indoors. Jointly, close to 90% of our survey respondents (see Appendix E) exhibited curiosity in learning new workouts. Recall that seniors cease completing the therapeutically endorsed exercises over time as these become repetitive and boring.

Home Scan accomplishes all of the following:

1. Diversification: the premise of Home Scan is to amass a database of exercises to do at home and offer an alternative to monotonous therapy routines

2. Gamification: The display seamlessly incorporates game theories like Expectancy-Value or Level Progression theory. Indeed, Home Scan briefs the users with a list of workouts that seniors can fulfill in the form of short-term goals. As well, once all routines for one item are completed that object will turn green, thus giving a sense of progression and level completion. This is endorsed by the article Gamification for Older Adults which suggests that senior users benefit from gamification and game-based interventions, especially in the health domain [17].

Overall, Home Scan offers an appealing alternative to workout within the confines of your house. It incentivizes seniors to exercise by amassing a database of heterogeneous exercises that can be completed with standard home appliances. Nonetheless, safety concerns arise if users were to utilize severed items that could snap upon pressure appliance or inadequate use. We will tackle this problem in the Next Steps section.