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a wellness wearable app

Updated: Jul 5

How I designed a wellness app that motivates elder users using behavioral economics and gamification to build lasting healthy habits


I developed a comprehensive wellness app, applying in-depth UX research, competitor analysis, and the Octalysis framework to uniquely address elder wellness. The design strategically incorporates white hat gamification principles, such as Epic Meaning and Calling and Empowerment of Creativity and Feedback, which motivate users through progress, wellness goals, and personal growth.


To keep users engaged without overwhelming them, the app also applies black hat principles like Scarcity and Loss and Avoidance, using carefully designed streak tracking and goal reminders. These create a sense of urgency but remain adaptable to elders' needs and pace.


Using a flower visualization that fills as tasks are completed, the app gives users a clear view of their progress across wellness dimensions. A gauge system allows users to track key wellness metrics daily, comparing them to personal benchmarks and age-based averages to stay motivated and make adjustments. Further, a token economy and reward system lets users unlock boosts to enhance their wellness journey. Personified notifications keep users connected, ensuring they remain aware of their progress and upcoming wellness challenges.


Built with insights from specific studies on gamification for seniors, this data-driven approach ensures that gamified elements meet elder-specific requirements, supporting long-term engagement, accessible navigation, and social connection—all while empowering users to maintain a healthier, more active lifestyle.

Pending results from focus group, using a clickable demo, and a survey will be shared here later on. Value proposition


Design thinking workshop

Scoping the MVP


Information visualization studies

How I employed found research to determine the apps look and feel

A/B Testing - Saturation Clickable Demo - Color Clickable Demo - Grey In this project, A/B testing was conducted to compare a research-based color palette tailored to age preferences against a desaturated color palette. Older users consistently favored the research-informed version, describing it as calming and trustworthy, while younger developers found it outdated. The results validated my persona-driven design strategy, based on found research.

Toward A/B testing - Color preferences for elders


Toward A/B testing - Color preferences for elders




Gamification Flow

elderacare employs a sophisticated gamified approach to keep users engaged over time, particularly from day one through day 14. Here's a breakdown of the elderacare user journey from a gamification perspective:

Day 1: Onboarding & First Lesson

  • Onboarding Process (rough outline): elderacare starts by asking users about their wellness routines, such as how much time they can dedicate daily. It also assesses their wellness level by synching the wearable and gauging the metrics (TBD, what is part of the onboarding and what is accumulated later on)

  • First Session: Right after onboarding, users are guided into a basic introductory session that shows immediate feedback (The guided activity transitions from relaxation, idle mode, moderated activity in-house, and walking outside - the activity comes to a close with micro journaling and a commitment to a daily guided session - This activity walks through all the wellness spheres represented by the colored petals). Instant feedback is a form of gamification that ties into Core Drive 2 (Development & Accomplishment) from Yu-kai Chou's Octalysis framework, as users feel satisfaction from small wins. (Feedback - a petal appears, with a short description, and the first step is colored)

  • EC Introduction: Upon completing the first session, users receive elderacare tokens(EC), which are used as a reward for each completed session, and each challenge is taken. During the first session, they are introduced to the petals and their streak system, which is visually apparent in the petals' growth and progress timeline, reinforcing accomplishment and mastery.

Day 2-7: Early Engagement

  • Streak Building: The elderacares daily streak feature is starting to take effect. Users get a visual notification on the app and on a widget to keep their challenge-facing streak alive. This taps into Core Drive 6 (Scarcity & Impatience)—users don't want to break the streak they've started. Goals setting and cards deliver challenges acceptance that users win, collect, and later on could use to unlock features on the app. Core Drive 4 (Ownership & Possession)

  • Daily Goal Setting: Every day, users can earn EC towards their daily goal. Meeting this goal prompts a celebratory animation, boosting intrinsic motivation. The gamification mechanics focus on Core Drive 2 (Development & Accomplishment) and Core Drive 4 (Ownership & Possession). The petal changes visually according to the activity taken, hence boosting the Core Drive 4 (Ownership & Possession)

  • League Competitions: By day 2 or 3, users are introduced to leagues, where they can see how they rank compared to others at their activity levels. Users are motivated to maintain or climb their ranking, triggering Core Drive 5 (Social Influence & Relatedness) and Core Drive 8 (Loss & Avoidance), as they want to avoid dropping in rank.

  • Stars and EC Boosters: elderacare rewards users with EC tokens (hue drops?), an in-app currency, which they can use to purchase streak freezes, EC boosters, or more. EC tokens further reinforce Core Drive 4 (Ownership) by providing users with something tangible to work toward and spend.

Day 7-14: Sustained Engagement

  • Streak Freeze & Incentives: By the end of the first week, the app may send reminders if users haven't opened the app, encouraging them to freeze their streak for a day to avoid losing progress. This introduces a mild sense of urgency (Core Drive 8, Loss & Avoidance).

  • Skill Levels & Crowns: Users can see the number of stars they've earned in each wellness sphere (petal), which signifies mastery at different levels. Moving from basic to more complex sessions introduces the sense of progression, Core Drive 3 (Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback), as users feel empowered to pace their challenges and activities.

  • Random EC Challenges: elderacare randomly offers double EC challenges or weekend EC bonuses, creating Core Drive 7 (Unpredictability & Curiosity). These surprise rewards keep users coming back, curious to see what they might unlock or achieve next.

  • Social Features: Users are encouraged to share accomplishments with their circle of care, to follow friends or invite others to join. Engaging socially keeps users more committed, as they can compare their progress or streaks with others, activating Core Drive 5 (Social Influence).

Ongoing Features Beyond Day 14

  • Achievement Badges: By this point, users will likely unlock badges for specific milestones (e.g., completing 50 sessions). These badges act as virtual trophies, motivating continued use via Core Drive 2 (Development & Accomplishment).

  • Daily Quests and EC Doubles: Further quests and timed EC bonuses continue to drive Core Drive 7 (Unpredictability) as users feel excited about discovering new content and rewards.

Overall, elderacare employs streaks, EC tokens, leaderboards, badges, starts, and competitions to keep users engaged from day one to day 14 and beyond. The gamification elements align closely with intrinsic motivations like accomplishment and social influence while also leveraging extrinsic motivations such as rewards and progress.

Real Time Metrics

The eldercare app uses real-time metrics to track users' activity and health, while also incorporating gamification, the following strategies differentiate the guided sessions, accepted challenges, and day-to-day wearable metrics feedback, especially when alerting users about potential health concerns (e.g., fall, immobility, heart rate anomalies).

Modifications for Health Monitoring and Gamification:

  1. Wearable Metrics Integration:

    • Real-Time Feedback: Users should receive immediate feedback when their wearables detect an issue. For example, if metrics detect immobility or a fall, the app could trigger a pop-up notification with two actions: "Acknowledge" or "Request Help." This ensures users are aware of their current status and take immediate action, focusing on Core Drive 8 (Loss & Avoidance).

    • Personalized Alerts: Introduce tiered notifications. For minor anomalies (e.g., immobility), the app could suggest gentle activities to re-engage, whereas more critical metrics (e.g., a fall or heart rate spikes) could prompt contacting their care circle directly.

    • Metrics-Derived Challenges: If users exhibit concerning patterns, the app could adjust their daily challenges accordingly. For example, after detecting elevated heart rates, it could prompt a relaxation challenge focusing on breathing exercises.

  2. Guided Sessions vs. Accepted Challenges:

    • Guided Sessions: These should be structured, daily routines designed to walk users through their wellness activities based on the color-coded petals, which taps into Core Drive 2 (Development & Accomplishment).

    • Accepted Challenges: Challenges can be more goal-oriented and time-sensitive, focusing on achieving specific tasks (e.g., walking a certain number of steps, performing a specific exercise). These tasks offer EC token rewards and leaderboard rankings, encouraging continued engagement. Challenges could adapt based on recent metrics—pushing active challenges when metrics are positive and relaxation challenges when issues are detected.

  3. Daily Metrics Listening:

    • Passive Listening: Throughout the day, the app can passively monitor wearable data without overwhelming the user with constant feedback. Instead, metrics can be logged into a metrics dashboard, where users can view patterns (e.g., steps, heart rate variability). This information serves as a day-to-day reflection tool rather than a gamified experience, allowing users to stay informed without being overwhelmed.

    • Proactive Alerts: When concerning trends are detected, the app will alert the user (fall, immobility, or heart rate anomaly) but will also offer a recovery path, such as a wellness check-in session or a special challenge. This merges Core Drive 8 (Loss & Avoidance) with Core Drive 2 (Accomplishment), keeping users motivated to regain control of their metrics.

Differentiate the Features:

  1. Guided Sessions:

    • Focus on improving wellness holistically: Users engage in a pre-planned, daily routine that incorporates various aspects of wellness. Each session ends with feedback incorporating the petals - that show which areas were strengthened.

    • Objective: Guide users through incremental improvements with metrics-based reflections but avoid overwhelming them. These sessions should foster a relaxed environment for users, especially when metrics indicate stress or fatigue.

  2. Accepted Challenges:

    • These should be more dynamic and engaging: Users actively select or accept challenges that target specific health goals. The gamification elements here, such as EC tokens and rankings, motivate users to push themselves more.

    • Objective: Short-term, achievable goals, rewarded with tokens, badges, or progress bars. Challenges can be adapted based on metrics, ensuring that users are not overexerting themselves.

  3. Daily Metrics Feedback:

    • Wearables will track metrics in the background. Users can review daily summaries of their metrics but will only receive alerts when immediate action is required (e.g., a fall or dangerous heart rate fluctuation).

    • Objective: Inform and guide without overwhelming. Metrics feed into the app’s insights and help adjust future challenges or guided sessions, creating a proactive wellness feedback loop. This separates passive observation from active engagement.

Gamification Strategy for Alerts:

  • Threshold-Based Alerts: Users are alerted when their health metrics hit predefined thresholds (fall, immobility, heart rate). The app could give rewards for acknowledging these alerts, boosting awareness and reinforcing good behavior like quick responses.

  • Preventative Challenges: Once a concerning metric is detected, the app could provide tailored challenges to prevent further issues (e.g., if immobility is detected, encourage a low-intensity walk). This builds both engagement and safety.

By using real-time alerts, customized challenges, and gamified tokens and rewards, the app can keep users engaged while maintaining a focus on their wellness.




  1. Onboarding Phase

  2. Feature: Questionnaire, wearable sync, petal system, personalized suggestions.

  3. Flow:

    1. User completes a questionnaire about wellness and health conditions.

    2. Sync wearable for real-time metrics (steps, heart rate, etc.).

    3. Petal system is introduced to visualize wellness progress.

    4. User is recommended a guided session based on their answers and initial metrics.

  4. Screens:

    • Welcome & Introduction

    • Questionnaire

    • Wearable Sync

    • Petal Overview (wellness spheres)

    • First Guided Session Intro

  5. Guided Sessions (Daily Routine)

  6. Feature: Pre-planned wellness routines, petal feedback.

  7. Flow:

    1. App recommends a daily guided session based on synced metrics.

    2. User performs guided activities (breathing, walking, stretching) through colored petals.

    3. Petals update visually to reflect the areas worked on (e.g., relaxation, activity).

    4. Metrics from the session feed into the daily progress bar.

  8. Screens:

    • Daily Session Overview (show activities linked to petals)

    • Activity Screen (e.g., breathing exercise)

    • End of Session Feedback (petals colored based on progress)

  9. Accepted Challenges

  10. Feature: Goal-oriented challenges with rewards.

  11. Flow:

    1. User selects or receives a challenge (e.g., walk 5000 steps).

    2. Metrics from wearables track challenge progress.

    3. User earns EC tokens, badges, and leaderboard positions for completing challenges.

    4. Metrics-based adaptation: If a user shows elevated heart rates, a relaxation challenge is suggested.

  12. Screens:

    • Challenge Card Overview

    • Challenge Progress (real-time wearable metrics integration)

    • Reward Screen (EC tokens, badges, etc.)

  13. Day-to-Day Wearable Metrics Feedback

  14. Feature: Passive metric tracking with proactive alerts.

  15. Flow:

    1. Wearable passively tracks metrics (steps, heart rate).

    2. Data is logged into a metrics dashboard for daily summaries.

    3. App alerts users only if a critical issue is detected (e.g., fall, immobility).

    4. App suggests recovery paths or wellness check-ins (e.g., a relaxation session).

  16. Screens:

    • Metrics Dashboard (steps, heart rate patterns)

    • Alert Screen (fall or immobility detected)

    • Recovery Activity Suggestion

  17. Beyond Day 14

  18. Feature: Long-term engagement through gamification.

  19. Flow:

    1. User unlocks achievement badges for specific milestones (e.g., 50 completed sessions).

    2. New challenges and quests unlock based on metrics.

    3. Users are encouraged to share progress with their care circle, fostering social engagement.

  20. Screens:

    • Achievement Badge Display

    • New Challenge/Quest Screen

    • Social Sharing Screen

List of Features, Flows, and Screens

Features:

  • Wearable Sync and Metrics Integration

  • Daily Guided Sessions (with petal-based feedback)

  • Challenge Cards (personalized based on metrics)

  • EC Tokens, Badges, Leaderboards

  • Streaks & Progress Tracking

  • Metrics Dashboard (daily summaries)

  • Alerts (fall, immobility, heart rate anomalies)

  • Social Sharing (family/care circle)

Flows:

  • Onboarding Flow: Sync wearable, answer questions, start guided sessions.

  • Guided Session Flow: Daily sessions based on wellness metrics.

  • Challenge Flow: User selects challenges, earns rewards, adapts to health status.

  • Metrics Flow: Passive tracking, alerts for critical issues, feedback loops.

Screens:

  • Welcome Screen

  • Onboarding Questionnaire

  • Wearable Sync

  • Guided Session Screen

  • Challenge Progress Screen

  • Metrics Dashboard

  • Alerts & Recovery Suggestions

  • Reward and Badge Screens

  • Social Sharing Screen


 
 
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