ux research

Challenges & Opportunities of
Health & Fitness Apps

A research project for Masters in HCID at Harrisburg University.

UX Research

Design Recommendation

PHASE 0: INTRODUCTION

project context

This was a research project for a course in my Masters program at Harrisburg University. The field of interest was apps and social media. The team took a dive within this space and immediately was drawn to investigating mental health apps. This is a research project and so our efforts were focused within the first diamond of the Double Diamond Model.

roles

Researchers:

Jiani Liu
Margarita Khan
Minji Kim
Yee Kwan Lim (me!)

before we continue...

If you are interested in the nitty gritty details, take a look at the full project! You will find detailed literature bibliography, interview transcripts and so on.

Complete project

PHASE 1: DISCOVERY

what is the problem?

In our initial research, we found that the Health and Fitness app field has grown exponentially these past few years and yet, we have seen cases upon cases of lawsuits and complaints.

What is the problem? We don't know yet. Our goal is to conduct research to find out.

what is the goal?

We wanted to investigate and understand the problem space of health and fitness apps and how it impacts and affects its users.

the plan

Phase 1: Discovery Research to identify the problem space

We want to understand the landscape within this problem space of health and fitness apps and so our discovery research included resources from the internet, podcasts, discussions with friends and family and more. The goal is to get a wide range of information to get an accurate picture of our topic and to find consistent patterns and similarities.

Phase 2: Secondary Research

In this phase, we will look into peer reviewed academic literature, feedback from neutral parties, videos and recordings from professionals online, journalism podcasts and also downloaded the apps to go through the experience ourselves. The sources in secondary research must be either peer-reviewed or trusted. These efforts were done to confirm findings from our discovery research in phase 1.

Phase 3: Understanding data and defining our problem

Gather all of our research and analyze findings to form conclusions.

Phase 4: Reflection

Think about what would be improved and lessons learnt. Discuss design recommendations.

PHASE 1.1: DISCOVERY RESEARCH

identification of a problem space

Health and Fitness apps have been going on a speed ride of growth by the combination of growing need of mental health and medical services, the limitations of traditional medical treatment models, and the belief that technology can provide innovative solutions.

However, a quick search on the internet revealed the ongoing issues that demanded law suits with some of the most popular apps in this space.

Health and Fitness apps category encompasses a WIDE range of themes and specifications.

Questions: What are the guidelines and specifications for an app to be categorized under "Health and Fitness"? If apps can easily fall into this category, can users trust these apps for accurate health related information?

this question led us to more questions. we were concerned.

After investigating the Health and Fitness category, we were particularly drawn to the topic of safety. We realized through reviews and forums that users do rely heavily on these apps for their claims on improving their wellbeing. We noticed discussions and statements that were worrying to us and so we defined a few problems:

Are the information in the apps reliable?
Can users trust "medical" advice found in these apps?
Are the medical treatments such as therapy sessions reliable and are they of high quality?
Can apps replace traditional treatment methods?
Are there regulations in this space?
Since we are concerned for users safety, we naturally focused on the subcategories that provided medical and health services such as therapy apps and diet apps.

These concerns helped us narrow down our focus to health apps related to mental health, fitness and diet.

problems and perceived unmet needs

A quick search on the internet revealed a series of issues with this industry.

PRIVACY ISSUES
A vast majority of mental health apps tracked, shared and commercialized their users' data, including information shared during therapy sessions.
Unmet need: Lack of Data and Privacy Protection
ARE THE INFORMATION MEDICALLY RELEVANT OR ACCURATE?
A lot of wellness apps that target mental health provide crisis number for users, but out of 46 apps that prevent suicide, "9% of the crisis contact information in these apps was incorrect". (Robinson & Kallmerten, 2022). Not only that, a therapy app recommended its users to "take a shot of hot liquor" during a manic episode to solve insomnia.
Unmet need: Lack of Evidence Base and Medical Professional Involvement
POOR BUSINESS ETHICS AND BAD SERVICES
Users frequently complained about the service provided by the apps. These complaints are recurring over the years.
Unmet need: Poor Business Ethics and Professionalism.
WHO KEEPS THESE COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE?
What are the guidelines and regulations that govern Health and Fitness apps in response to the ethics and safety concerns?
Unmet need: Lack of Government Regulations and Enforcements

PHASE 2: SECONDARY RESEARCH

methods

Based on our initial research, we formed a few hypothesis and opinions on the users unmet needs. In order to confirm our findings, we conducted secondary research based on peer-reviewed and trusted resources. Each method provided different supplementary proof and insights to our initial findings.

At this stage, we are finding data and information to begin narrowing down and defining our problem statement.

new findings from secondary research

While majority of our secondary research supported out initial findings, there are new discoveries that offered different insights.

Initial Insight:

The Health and Fitness apps field generally has poor business ethics and lack professionalism. Some of the typical issues are poor pricing model, subscription plans that are difficul to cancel, and low quality app features.

New findings:

According to a research published on JMIR Mental Health, different users had different opinions on the affordability of health apps. Some users suggested that in order to provide high quality services, apps should prioritize on fair compensation for their professionals who are prividing their services through the app.

New Insight:

Users are willing to pay if the app is able to provide high quality services.

PHASE 3: ANALYSIS

refining our results

As we dove deeper into our research, we began to see a repetitive pattern of issues. We consolidated our findings and created three main themes. These main themes will help us define a problem statement.

PHASE 4: REFLECTION

problem statement

The current saturated health and fitness app market is impaired by a lack of regulations, poor business ethics, and poor usability, collectively contributing to negative app performance and lower user retention.

impact

With the latter problem statement, we are aiming to create awareness and stimulate creative thinking. The statement contextualizes the pressing problems we found and addresses how our research will be able to guide such apps towards a beneficial solution for all parties involved. It highlights the key insights we found during the discovery that are relevant in the effort to solve the issues. The issues found in our research are pressing and limit the potential growth and success in an oversaturated market. By addressing these concerns, an app not only differentiate itself from competitors but also ensures user satisfaction and long-term engagement.

Please take a look at the full project for detailed literature bibliography, interview transcripts and so on.