Stroke
by Rachel Ampley
Introduction
Living an active lifestyle is uniquely challenging for the visually impaired, who are affected in
greater numbers by obesity and other health issues related to sedentariness. Many rely on guide
dogs or human aides to be active, but these bring their own complexity, cost, and lack of
freedom.
I would like to strengthen my product and service portfolio with a smart device that tracks
health/fitness metrics for the visually impaired with the following considerations:
• Non-visual feedback for the primary user
• A mobile app for caregivers focused on setup and tracking of metrics
• Attachment to and removal from the body with intuitive orientation
• Other features beneficial to those with sight impairment, such as navigation, awareness,
alerts, etc.
This point of view has informed the following:
• Meaningful metrics, and how they relate to the concept of “health”
• How is “success” defined
• Personalized user goals
• How progress, consistency and improvement are acknowledged and communicated
(visually/non-visually)
Walking, running, hiking, swimming, indoor gym/circuit training, and fitness classes were all considered during this process. At the very beginning of this process, all of the advanced graphic design students were combined and split into random groups in order to simulate a sense of team-building in the environment to enrich our experience as college students. The purpose of this Adobe Creative Jam project was to help us collaborate and work like team, just like we would if we were in the field. Unlike other groups, my team and I thought of creating a device in which the user would be able to operate it while swimming.
What Is Stroke?
My team and I came up with Stroke as a device that would be able to help the visually impaired while swimming. We designed our device in a way that would encourage people to take advantage of this technology in a simple and effective way in order to accomplish their fitness goals. Stroke was originally a small rectangular screen encased in waterproof materials and water wicking fabric to resist all forms of moisture. It was also designed to provide the user with the accessible features while also producing the least amount of friction for comfort and ease. An early mock up of the device is depicted below.
How It Works
We largely based this idea around perimeter sensor technology, similar to what people have been using in cars. Instead of using that specific technology, we have decided to utilize a laser measuring device to measure the perimeter around the pool in order to alert the user when they are close to collision. This device can also be used to measure the distance between lanes. Additionally, we have infused the following features into this device for an easier experience:
• Multiple unique vibrations
• Understands voice commands
• Gives audible notice of time elapsed via underwater headphones
• Diction capabilities
• Zoom capabilities
• Tracking of relevant metrics
• Intelligent goal changing
• Different modes for different intensities
• Usage in casual and competitive areas
The Interface
When initially given the prompt, my team and I agreed that this device should focus on the ease of the user since he/she would hypothetically be visually impaired. That being said, we thought that a large sans-serif typeface would suffice for the user. We wanted everything to be as easily recognizable as possible. Therefore, we created simple symbols in order to communicate which metric was which. We also tried to incorporate a color coordination system in our device; however, I feel as though we failed to integrate our actual branding into the device. There was neither color scheme nor a logo present in our mock-up. Due to the fact that we had limited time to develop this product, we thought it was okay for us to ignore some of those things at the time. We attributed that aspect of the device to furthering the development of the device.
After breaking off into our separate explorations of the device, I have decided to (1) make this an app instead of a device to reduce costs and (2) incorporate a few upgrades into the interface. Firstly, I incorporated a little bit of color scheming into the system to make it appear more adhesive. Secondly, I created larger borders to separate information. Lastly, and most importantly, I integrated a gesture-based interface where the user could tap the center portion of the device in order to hear audible feedback. Additionally, I have decided that the user could double tap in order to switch or cycle through the various metrics. They can also swipe to start and end any workout of their choosing. However, if the user is completely blind, the user can still utilize the voice command capability of the device. Unfortunately, Adobe XD does not allow for double tapping capabilities. Therefore, in my prototype, you will only be able to cycle through the metrics with one tap instead of a double tap. Also, Adobe XD only allows for users to swipe in one direction; therefore, my design will be slightly faulty. Lastly, since I have added functions to all aspects of my initial design, there is no way for me to prototype my end screen without showcasing the speech functions. Nevertheless, I have included my prototype below.
Expansion Possibilities
For this app, I believe that it would be possible to expand this concept to help people of all ranges of sight. A major component of my expansion idea would be the pre-installment of four-corner sensors within participating pools in order to ease the accessibility for the user. Another expansion possibility would be to have a companion app. This way, if the user had a caregiver, the caregiver would be able to track the metrics and also the location of their patient. Additionally, a social component could be integrated, which would allow for further interaction between swimmers by including functions such as tracking friend’s stats.
