Designing for Digital Health

@andreacrofts Director of Design, League

We need to talk

Tech + Health = <3

A “Venn Diagram Salad” Bio

Health Lifestyle Benefits

A “Venn Diagram Salad” Bio

Health Lifestyle Inclusion Benefits Ethics A11Y

A “Venn Diagram Salad” Bio

Health Lifestyle Diversity Inclusion Benefits Ethics A11Y Inclusion Community

Bio

She/Her/Hers Product Design Leader Former Front-End Dev Community Builder Abuser of Expletives

Hello! Today's Agenda

01 A State of Affairs 02 What is Digital Health? 03 Best-in-Class Examples 04 Note-worthy Principles 05 Re-framing Success Metrics

PART ONE A State of Affairs

“Don’t be evil…” Apparently people like it better than “be good.” - Larry Page, 2001

Netflix’s “The Great Hack,” 2019

Our Democracy

Our Data Privacy

Our Unity

Black Mirror

“Do the right thing.” -Alphabet, 2015

Design Ethics: Guides how designers work with clients, colleagues, and the end users of products, how they conduct the design process, how they determine the features of products, and how they assess the ethical significance or moral worth of the products that result from the activity of designing. – Encyclopedia.com

IEEE Strategic Plan 2015 - 2020 Lead humanitarian efforts around the world to use technology to solve the world’s most challenging problems.

PART TWO What is Digital Health?

Digital Health =

Digital Health = Physical, Psychological, Social

Physical Health: Ergonomics: Appropriate workstations that facilitate healthy work habits and posture Vision: Repeat exposure to screens Posture: Prolonged effects of over-working on or in front of technology

Psychological Health: Mental Health: Maintaining healthy relationships with technology Spiritual Health: Finding intentional disconnection Social Health: Curbing technology addictions

Social Health: Culture: Otherwise known as social norms, this is what is considered as normal in a society Data: Security Having agency over your personal data (consent) Personal Privacy: Security of personal information

The Psychology of Apps Habit-forming loops

Technology is exploiting vulnerability in human psychology.

The Genesis of Autoplay Video: A Timeline

Youtube’s Recommended Videos, Late 2013 Facebook’s Auto-Play in News Feed, Late 2014 Netflix’s Auto-Play Series and Titles, Late 2016

“It’s time to stop the race to the bottom of the brain stem.” - Tristan Harris Former Design Ethicist at Google, now Founder of the Centre for Humane Technology

“Depression will be the leading cause of disease burden by 2030.” - World Health Organization

Constant Connection = Deep Disconnection

We’re building the news headlines of the future.

But, most importantly, the products habits of the future.

It’s time for a hard re-start. How might we restore connection? Some best-in-class apps are showing us the way.

PART THRE E Best-in-Class Examples

Insights and Coachin:

Apple’s Screen Time Insights Android’s Time Spent Insights

Timers and Tools:

Your Hour For Android Android App Timer

Flip to Shhh: Google Pixel Device Pixel 3 and Pixel 2

Distraction-Free Mode:

Apple’s Downtime Bedtime and downtime modes Apple’s iOS 12 Lock screen weather widget

Notifications: Healthy Reminders

Headspace’s Daily Notifications

Data Sharing, in Users’ Hands

League’s Health Assessment

PART FOUR Design Principles

Design Ethics A lens through which to create. Questions to ask yourself as you’re designing: Am I maximizing happiness for the greatest number of people? Am I treating people as an ends or as a means? What would happen if everyone did what I’m trying to do? Would I be happy for this to be published in tomorrow’s papers?

Principle: Enable users to enter flow without distractions

It takes 23 minutes To get back on task after an interruption Examples: Daily Habit Tracker, Fabulous

Principle: Incorporating the three dimensions of digital health

Calculating minutes meditated + Headspace Integration?

Principle: Use habit-forming loops for good.

Health Apps As a preferential category Examples: Fabulous, Gratitude

Principle: Use loading states as reminders to disengage

Ex. Metal Gear Solid 4: “Isn’t it time for a break? It’s now after 1am. For your health, take a break! What time is better than now to do a few stretches and move around a little?”

Principle More collaboration between creators and wellness practitioners

Mood Notes’ Thinking Traps Pause’s Mindful Movements

PART FIVE Re-framing Success Metrics

DAU: Daily Active Users ARR: Annual Recurring Revenue CSAT: Customer Satisfaction MAU: Monthly Active Users NPS: Net Promoter Score SLA: Service-Level Agreement

These metrics didn’t happen by accident.

It’s time to reclaim and re-frame our metrics.

DAU: Daily Active Users MAU: Monthly Active Users

Impact Metrics

NEXT STEPS Re-frame success metrics for healthier impact metrics

MAU: Monthly Active Users NPS: Net Promoter Score + HGC: Health Goal Completion and # of… miles ran per month, glasses of water drank per day, etc.

Impact over Engagement

What if we measured success not by the amount of money we make, but by the amount of human energy we unlock the amount of human potential we enable? If that would be our metric, our world would be a different place. - Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of Acumen

Let’s consider the ethics of our work, and be truly user-centered in our approach.

A Recap Things we can do:

Design for the three dimensions of digital health: physical, mental and social
Define what design ethics means to us, and live by that in our work every day. -Use patterns that design for disconnection -Opt for impact metrics over engagement metrics to evolve what success means

How will your work impact your users’ digital health?

Thank you, FITC! @andreacrofts acrofts@league.com andreacrofts.com/digital-health

andreacrofts.com/digital-health

Top 6 Favourite Apps for Digital Health

Shortlist Headspace: High-quality guided meditation sessions. Sessions range from 1 minute to 20+ minutes. Classpass GO: Bite-sized classes from reputable instructors. Helps me sweat once a day. Lifesum: A diet plan, food diary, macro calculator, calorie counter & healthy recipes, all in one. Fabulous: Habit-forming app created by the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University. Muse Meditation Headband: Headband that provides real-time feedback on brain activity during guided meditations. MoodNotes: Mood journal for documenting and unpacking thoughts using CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy)

Q+A @andreacrofts acrofts@league.com league.com/careers

Designing for Digital Health @andreacrofts Director of Design, League