HealthTech
Samsung Health: Empowering Mindfulness through Gratitude
Samsung Health: Empowering Mindfulness through Gratitude
During summer 2023, I worked at Rightbrain on a UX consulting project with Samsung Electronics. My team and I developed the mindfulness feature on the Samsung Health app, focusing on creative in-app services on mobile and smartwatch to increase engagement. I was in charge of creating the Emotion Journal feature of mindfulness.
Project type
Project type
UX Redesign
UX Redesign
Company
Company
RightBrain
RightBrain
Location
Location
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea
Involvement
Involvement
Mobile and Smartwatch Interface Design, Scenarios
Mobile and Smartwatch Interface Design, Scenarios
Role
Role
UX Consultant Intern
UX Consultant Intern
Timeline
Timeline
3 months -
Currently in evaluation phase
3 months -
Currently in evaluation phase
Problem
Problem
Mental health features within Samsung Health had
low usage
Mental health features within Samsung Health had
low usage
Samsung Health's mindfulness feature, located under fitness, provided general content on meditation, sleep stories, and music through its partnership with Calm.
Mental health features had low usage likely because it lacked diversity of activities, only focusing on basic meditation and sleep. These features are not useful when users are going through a busy day. They lack personalization and integration into the user’s daily lifestyle.
Samsung Health's mindfulness feature, located under fitness, provided general content on meditation, sleep stories, and music through its partnership with Calm.
Mental health features had low usage likely because it lacked diversity of activities, only focusing on basic meditation and sleep. These features are not useful when users are going through a busy day. They lack personalization and integration into the user’s daily lifestyle.
Solution
Solution
Integrating mindfulness to daily routines that cultivate healthy stress-regulating habits
Integrating mindfulness to daily routines that cultivate healthy stress-regulating habits
I took a Human-Centered approach to create a new in-app mindfulness feature. My goal was to create a solution that helped users in 4 key ways:
I took a Human-Centered approach to create a new in-app mindfulness feature. My goal was to create a solution that helped users in 4 key ways:
Research
Research
Although the mental health app space is crowded, Samsung can leverage its mobile health data and integrate mobile and smartwatch usage
Although the mental health app space is crowded, Samsung can leverage its mobile health data and integrate mobile and smartwatch usage
Current mental health apps provide tailored content based on users’ consumption history, and guidance and support through community-sharing features.
In a crowded mental health app space, Samsung stands out with its ability to leverage vast mobile health data, seamlessly integrating mindfulness into users' daily routines through mobile and smartwatch technologies. Samsung has its advantage of large number of mobile users and the extensive health data gathered from its health app.
Current mental health apps provide tailored content based on users’ consumption history, and guidance and support through community-sharing features.
In a crowded mental health app space, Samsung stands out with its ability to leverage vast mobile health data, seamlessly integrating mindfulness into users' daily routines through mobile and smartwatch technologies. Samsung has its advantage of large number of mobile users and the extensive health data gathered from its health app.
Sketching
Sketching
I explored 3 journaling feature concepts:
writing a diary entry, an AI chatbot, and a gratitude journal
I explored 3 journaling feature concepts:
writing a diary entry, an AI chatbot, and a gratitude journal
To be competitive against other fully featured Health apps, Samsung would need to develop creative in-app support practices and implement more personable and empathetic methods. In order to leverage Samsung’s ecosystem on-device health stats, I explored the journaling feature where users could freely talk about their feelings and events that happened during their day.
To be competitive against other fully featured Health apps, Samsung would need to develop creative in-app support practices and implement more personable and empathetic methods. In order to leverage Samsung’s ecosystem on-device health stats, I explored the journaling feature where users could freely talk about their feelings and events that happened during their day.
A few concepts I tried out…
A few concepts I tried out…
Concept A: Journaling with a companion gives a sense of emotional support.
- Tradeoffs: Form of free writing lacks reinforcement for consistent entries.
Concept B: Journaling through conversing with an AI chatbot enables personalized prompts
and feedback.
- Tradeoffs: Hard to keep track of conversations and technical issues regarding existing technology.
Concept C: Journaling through gratitude prompts helps users reflect on a specific part of their day, reducing journaling paralysis.
- Tradeoffs: Potential for superficiality or insincerity in expressing gratitude.
Concept A: Journaling with a companion gives a sense of emotional support.
- Tradeoffs: Form of free writing lacks reinforcement for consistent entries.
Concept B: Journaling through conversing with an AI chatbot enables personalized prompts
and feedback.
- Tradeoffs: Hard to keep track of conversations and technical issues regarding existing technology.
Concept C: Journaling through gratitude prompts helps users reflect on a specific part of their day, reducing journaling paralysis.
- Tradeoffs: Potential for superficiality or insincerity in expressing gratitude.
I honed in on Concept C.
With specific gratitude prompts, users can focus on their positive experiences throughout their days, fostering a mindset of appreciation and thankfulness. Studies show that practicing gratitude long-term increases resiliency, making us better at coping with changes, improving sleep, increasing feelings of happiness, and decreasing anxiety.
I honed in on Concept C.
With specific gratitude prompts, users can focus on their positive experiences throughout their days, fostering a mindset of appreciation and thankfulness. Studies show that practicing gratitude long-term increases resiliency, making us better at coping with changes, improving sleep, increasing feelings of happiness, and decreasing anxiety.
Scenarios
Scenarios
A journaling system for recording daily emotions and reflecting on user’s day
A journaling system for recording daily emotions and reflecting on user’s day
The idea was to create an Emotion Journal for personal reflection and use gratitude prompts for successful daily completion. The feature could also be integrated as one of the recommended activities when users experience a change in stress levels to improve mental well-being.
The idea was to create an Emotion Journal for personal reflection and use gratitude prompts for successful daily completion. The feature could also be integrated as one of the recommended activities when users experience a change in stress levels to improve mental well-being.
The Solution
The Solution
Emotion Log for easy entry
Emotion Log for easy entry
I added an emotion log for quick reflection of users’ feelings for those that might not have the time to fill in a full gratitude journal entry. This could also provide deeper insights into the user’s complicated emotions by enabling them to select several emotions and adjust its intensity.
I added an emotion log for quick reflection of users’ feelings for those that might not have the time to fill in a full gratitude journal entry. This could also provide deeper insights into the user’s complicated emotions by enabling them to select several emotions and adjust its intensity.
Calendar to visually show daily completion
Calendar to visually show daily completion
I built out the journaling feature, but realized there needed to be a trend component for easy scanning of users’ completion patterns. This would help users keep tabs on daily entry and motivate users to complete an entry for a consistent streak.
I built out the journaling feature, but realized there needed to be a trend component for easy scanning of users’ completion patterns. This would help users keep tabs on daily entry and motivate users to complete an entry for a consistent streak.
Notifications through mobile and smartwatch for routine check and seamless flow
Notifications through mobile and smartwatch for routine check and seamless flow
In order to prompt users to write their emotional journal everyday and improve its accessibility, I integrated the use of the smartwatch for sending reminder notifications to complete the task. A notification could also be sent when there is a sudden increase in the user’s stress levels or changes in breathing or sleeping patterns, as collected in the health app, to help users cope with anxiety real time.
For the notification messages on the smartwatch, I included task prompts, but had to leave out less accessible functions for the mobile such as writing a journal entry.
In order to prompt users to write their emotional journal everyday and improve its accessibility, I integrated the use of the smartwatch for sending reminder notifications to complete the task. A notification could also be sent when there is a sudden increase in the user’s stress levels or changes in breathing or sleeping patterns, as collected in the health app, to help users cope with anxiety real time.
For the notification messages on the smartwatch, I included task prompts, but had to leave out less accessible functions for the mobile such as writing a journal entry.
Stakeholder Feedback
Stakeholder Feedback
Stakeholders were invested, but wanted improvements in two areas…
Stakeholders were invested, but wanted improvements in two areas…
Firstly, stakeholders at Samsung wanted to simplify emotion analytics. To resolve this, I chose to replace the emotion analytics report with an emotion calendar overview; The cards in the overview enables users to view emotions logged in at a certain date, minimizing features for ease of use.
Secondly, they wanted to add more interaction with the community of Samsung mobile users.
I enlisted completing the Emotion Journal as part of the ‘Routine’ feature of the app, where users would gain points for every task completion; This would contribute to a total ‘Mindfulness Score’ of the day and rank their positions, increasing engagement with other users.
Firstly, stakeholders at Samsung wanted to simplify emotion analytics. To resolve this, I chose to replace the emotion analytics report with an emotion calendar overview; The cards in the overview enables users to view emotions logged in at a certain date, minimizing features for ease of use.
Secondly, they wanted to add more interaction with the community of Samsung mobile users.
I enlisted completing the Emotion Journal as part of the ‘Routine’ feature of the app, where users would gain points for every task completion; This would contribute to a total ‘Mindfulness Score’ of the day and rank their positions, increasing engagement with other users.
Final Designs
Final Designs
Below is a collection of screens from the final design.
Below is a collection of screens from the final design.
View the full prototype here!
View the full prototype here!
View the full prototype here!
Next Steps
Evaluate desirability and engagement
The next steps for this project involves testing the designs. Research teams will need to test the desirability and engagement of the features, content, and interactions by conducting user testing sessions and interviews from target users. Engineering teams at Samsung will also need to test the performance and mergeability of the new features, ensuring that the app functions smoothly within the app and effectively derive data cross-functionally.
Further developments will need to be made with the use of AI on the microinteractions of the smartwatch, so that personalized messages accurately correspond to the user's health data and history.
The next steps for this project involves testing the designs. Research teams will need to test the desirability and engagement of the features, content, and interactions by conducting user testing sessions and interviews from target users. Engineering teams at Samsung will also need to test the performance and mergeability of the new features, ensuring that the app functions smoothly within the app and effectively derive data cross-functionally.
Further developments will need to be made with the use of AI on the microinteractions of the smartwatch, so that personalized messages accurately correspond to the user's health data and history.
Evaluate desirability and engagement
10-week Class Case Study on Safe Commuting on Campus
Copyright © 2024
Copyright © 2024
Copyright © 2024