Peppy is a semester-long project developed during my final year studying Industrial design at Ohio State University.
This page presents the design process of developing Peppy under the theme “combating physical inactivity during and beyond pandemic”. The project explores how to improve physical activity pattern amaong adolescents.
OVERVIEW
01. PROBLEM DEFINITION
“Physical inactivity” was the openpended problem area I identified at the beginning of the semester to investigate. To begin the process, I conducted research into the different aspect of the problem : causes, effects, impact, projects and research related to that. Through secondary research qualitative data collection, we looked into the opportunities and challenges and determined a direction for the project.
I organized my initial exploreation and secondary research in the form of a newspaper.
You would find literature review in the areas of Focus, business, Arts, Science and Technology; design conjecture; and survey & data visualization.
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Physical Inactivity
a global public health problem
Physical activity improves immunity, decreases inflammation, and decreases viral respiratory infections that are apparent in COVID-19 sufferers. The primary infection of COVID is in the lungs, and immune systems are critical to fighting the infection. Moreover, two new studies found that exercising amplified the immune response to the vaccine (Reynolds, 2020). This could potentially be applied to the COVID-19 shot as well because the basic principles of vaccine response are the same. But future studies need to confirm that once a vaccine becomes available.
It is evident that the lack of access to exercise and physical activity can also have mental health impacts, which can create stress or anxiety that many will experience in the face of isolation from normal social life. Moreover, physical activity also lowers the risk of developing cognitive impairment, such as dementia, and is associated with more energy and less fatigue during the day and better sleep at night (Lindsay, 2020).
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How active are we?
Globally, 23% of adults and 81% of adolescents (aged 11–17 years) do not meet the WHO global recommendations on physical activity for health which is 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
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How does the pandemic exellarate the problem?
COVID-19 is harming public health which extends not only to those who have tested positive, but also the ones that were having fewer physical activities and social interactions. These phycological and behavior changes when calculated might even exceed the direst harms of the virus.
Fitbit shared the statistics of the impact of COVID-19 on global physical activity, almost all of the countries they studied experienced a statistically significant decline in average step count compared to the same time last year (Fitbit 2020). In certain metropolitan areas, the decline is even sharper.
Gyms and fitness studios were forced to close amid the pandemic. A lot of private studios didn’t even survive financially. Though many have reopened, it’s not the same anymore. Imagine grabbing a door handle wrapped in vinyl and walk inside. The receptionist takes your temperature and a waistband that’ll help the staff remind you when it’s time to go. You want some water but realized that drinking fountains have been replaced by touchless bottle fillers. Then you see people lifting weights wearing face masks and latex gloves. After a long workout, you rush home to take a shower. Gyms would not be the same even in the time of the post-pandemic. Safety procedures will likely stay and change the way we think about the gym. An international survey concludes that Americans are the least likely to return to their gym upon reopening (Rizzo, 1970).
The closure of educational institutions around the world has also impacted the physical education sector. It has a board range of stakeholders that include public and private education institutions, sports organizations, parents, and young learners. Among them, kids are the most negatively affected as researchers believe that extended school closures due to COVID-19 could increase risk factors for weight gain in kids (Rundle, 2020).
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COVID-19 is not the cause but rather a catalyst
The problem around physical inactivity existed long before the pandemic. A study published in May reports that there is an average of 32 percent reduction in physical activity among previously active participants; however, it is unchanged among preciously inactive participants. (Meyer) It’s good to note that physical inactivity and sedentariness were not all caused by COVID-19. It’s the modern lifestyle that promotes these problems which are intensified by social distancing and mandated quarantine measures.
Even before COVID-19, only about 25% of the people in America get enough physical activities according to the government’s definition (at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week, plus two strength-training sessions).
During the interview, I found that during the pandemic, some people have more time to be focusing on their personal wellbeing. 73.8% of the participants in my survey, said that they are seeking for establishing a workout routine. However, the majority of them are still not living to the recommended guild line in terms of daily activities.
When asked about the biggest obstacles to reach fitness goals, “Lack of motivation” “Time” and “laziness” were the leading answers. It is obvious that the fundamental problem of inactivity among these people was not the pandemic nor the stay home order, it was the mentality of why exercising?
Initial research
Design conjectures
one of the ideation exercises we did was to create conjectures that reflect the reserch findings.
Narrowing Demographics
Based on the experience from interviews, online survey and research, we want to be more specific about the initial problem statement. From further research and market analysis, we narrowed our demographics to
adolescence
Research | Market analysis
Looking at the existing market for products and services that help people to be more physically active, I found that a lot of them are targeted for adults and younger childern.
This gives us a great opportunity to serve the population in between,namely middle and high school students.
Research | Problems in Conventional Physical Education
02. Design Process
The 5 elements of UX
The Five Elements of UX came from “The Elements of User Experience” book written by Jesse James Garrett, one of the founders of Adaptive Path, a user experience consultancy based in San Francisco. The five planes strategy, scope, structure, skeleton and surface is the conceptual framework for the design process of PEPPY. Each plane deals with a different aspect of the project, and contributes to the overall user experience of the platform. Strategy plan is the most abstract that deals with the “why”. As we move to the surface plane, we focus on more concrete details like the visual appearance of the product.
Strategy
Strategy plan incorporates user needs and product objectives
In this stage I interviewed users and analysied stakeholders and list out the objectives and user needs as the design breif
Product Objectives
Raising the awareness of physical literacy
Reducing the disparity in access to opportunities for physical activity
Prioritize physical education
Build communities around activities
User Needs
Increase motivation to participate in the physical activities in a fun and customizable fashion
Build a sustainable routine for the users
Improve satisfaction during activity
Promote independent learning
Helps teachers manage PE class remotely
Insures parents with the physical activity data of their children
How other stakeholders are benifited?
Homeschooling
Many states require PE for homeschoolers. Peppy provides resources and tools that are the same as public and private schools. Moreover, students are given the opportunity to collaborate and socialize with people who have the same interests for physical activities ,which was absent in the traditional homeschooling environment.
Parents/ Guardian
Parents and guardians bear the responsibility for helping their children achieve physical literacy. If parents/guardians demonstrate an understanding of physical activities and vocabulary, they can act as positive role models for children to reciprocate and develop skills of their own. However Parents/guardians may not have access to good information about what quality participation opportunities look like. Peppy would solve the issue by providing them with information that help with physical actibity.
Middle/ high schools
Under the recently reauthorized Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), there is much greater flexibility offered to school districts as to how they spend their Title IV, Part A dollars. For the first time schools and districts are able to allocate funding to enhance the “health and well-being” of the students they serve. This directly aligns with ESSA’s claim to be more supportive of the “whole child,” instead of simply pushing increased test scores. Some school districts have been able to claim these funds in the name of health/physical education initiatives. Thus, shcools would be able to spend the fund in Peppy that helps their students to become more well rounded.
Local/National Sports organizations
By partnering with Peppy, local/national sports organization and recreational center would gain reputation, having more impact on society and incerease participation rate.
Professional organizations
75% of the PE educators belong to at least one of the three associations included in the table (national AAHPERD, state AAHPERD or state interscholastic coaches association). They might be interested becasue peppy also act as a resource center for teachers.
Government
Better physical education and healthier citizens = less money spent on health care.
Scope
Scope plane is guided by the user needs and product objectives we explored in the strategy plane. On the scope plane we started from the “why” question to “ what are we going to make?”. Functional specification should reflect the actual product. Features listed should be specific, which serve as the guideline for further design.
Formative Assessment
Structure
On the structure plane, information architecture is concerned with how people cognitively process information. It is built on the understanding of user needs and product objectives.
Information architecture
Skeleton
In the skeleton plane, we further refine the structure, identify interface, navigation that will make the structure concrete.
Navigation design
The product must provide users with a means for getting from one point to another. It also need to communicate the relationship between the elements it contains.
Shortcut menu
is a supplementary navigation which provides access to related content that might nor be easily accessible through local navigation. It is used in addition to the main menu. It locats at the left corner of the screen which gives access to saved activities, active friends and other popular features.
Contrast and Uniformity
Maintaining uniformity is an important part in ensuring effective communication. In developing the app, I tried to keep the sizes of elements uniform. Moreover, I used a grid-based layout that makes sure every element on the grid is consistent.
Wireframe
is a low fidelity layout of the design that presents the main information group, draw the outline of the structure and layout and vision& description the user interface. To create wireframes I used lines, boxes, and grayscale. This is then used for developing a high-fedelity prototype.
Surface
On the surface plane, we are dealing with the sensory design and the aethetic presentation of products.
03. FINAL DESIGN
Here is the Peppy website home page.
Targeted toward schools, parents and homeschooling program who would be interested in purchasing the premium plan.
App | Interfaces
<<Notification
Physical Activity Readiness
Questionnaire (PAR-Q)>>
an interactive picture on the right>>
<<Explorartion page
Activity based curriculum
entails active learning in and through specially selected and structured physical activity games.
Local
bridge-building with community agencies and neighborhood organizations
Challenge
Brings additional interactivity between friends
Personal Dashboard>>
Initial Assessment
Students are asked to take the assessment that tests their Cardiovascular endurance, Muscular endurance, Muscular strength and Flexibility.
Information will be used to help them determining the daily active goals, target heart rate and their improvement over time.
Badges & Daily Goal
Visual presentation that keeps them motivated
<<In-class activity
<<an interactive picture on the left
Click on join ->
Continue>> ->
choose the sun and Continue>> ->
Choose the first for movements and continue >> ->
Click on anywhere to see change ->
Click again to see the summary of this session
Monitor | Interfaces
Monitor | Renderings
Flashlight
Color Variety
Water-resistant
Monitor | Technology
Click below to see the interactive 3D monitor
Special consideration | Mystery box
During interviews students have shown great interests in the idea of receiving mystery box as an incentive to physical activities. However, because of time constrain and complexity of the project, I did not go into full details about this feature.
I came up with 2 potential mystery box ideas that would align with the product goal and user needs.
04. REFLECTION
Things I could have improved
User testing
During the development for the application, I should do more user testing on the app prototype. This step is essential to get feedback and insights to improve the usability. Because of time constraints, I was only able to get feedback from peers. If I were to do it again I would prioritize this step. For future development, I need to recruit students from middle and high school students to do the user testing.
Narrowing down the problem area more quickly
I spend a lot of time researching different stakeholders and problems within the big scope of “physical inactivity”. Thinking back, I lingered too long in the research phase which leaves me less time to develop the actual product.
Have a stronger business model
The service designed is a for profit product. Though I have a basic service and business model, I should put more consideration into who would purchase this and at what cost. I should also research potential business and organizations that would be interested in partnering and investing in the product.
Final thoughts
Putting together this page makes me realize how much time and effort has gone into this project. I am very proud of everything I have achieved and learned during this semester. I was able to use the design thinking, technical skills and strategies from the previous years and incorporate them into solving a timely, relevant issue in the context of Covid. Physical activity, health and wellness is a personal interest, I am passionate to do more research and help solving problems in these areas.This is the first self directed project I’ve done by myself. Compared to previous projects, I am more capable of managing time and planning each stage in the process.
