Designing for Digital Health
@andreacrofts Director of Design, League
A presentation at Web Unleashed 2019 in September 2019 in Toronto, ON, Canada by Andréa Crofts
@andreacrofts Director of Design, League
Health Lifestyle Benefits
Health Lifestyle Inclusion Benefits Ethics A11Y
Health Lifestyle Diversity Inclusion Benefits Ethics A11Y Inclusion Community
She/Her/Hers Product Design Leader Former Front-End Dev Community Builder Abuser of Expletives
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
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:
How will your work impact your users’ digital health?
Thank you, FITC! @andreacrofts acrofts@league.com andreacrofts.com/digital-health
andreacrofts.com/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
