Listening to User Experience: Integrating technology with proactive wellness management

Abstract

In the last part of the 20th century, societal forces and technological advances have worked together to create populations that are living longer, but are less healthy. We eat more, move our bodies less, sleep less, and rarely find the time to quietly relax our minds. At the same time, medical and pharmaceutical advances have reduced mortality while allowing a host of chronic conditions and functional problems to persist. In short, we are living longer, while having the opportunity to experience the consequence of our unhealthy lifestyles. Traditional medical and insurance-driven practices have done little to address this problem. BodyMedia is a lifestyle company that is in the process of developing a product that provides individuals with the ability to play a more proactive role in the management of their own wellness. The company's main offering is a wearable monitoring product, coupled with internet-based services, that allows users to keep track of their vital signs and daily health information. We propose a presentation of the BodyMedia user-centered product development cycle, which includes ongoing user involvement from initial product definition through first product release.