SONIIA SHARMA

ActivePal

This project aimed to design a mobile app that assists caregivers and physical therapists in managing the use of Orthosis and therapy for children. The app tracks therapy progress, records orthosis progress, provides therapy routines, and supports communication with healthcare professionals.

Problem Statement

Caregivers of children using orthosis and physical therapy face challenges in managing and tracking their child’s progress. These challenges include:

  • The absence of a centralized location for caregivers to access support and track improvement.
  • Difficulty in tracking the child’s daily orthosis and therapy progress.
  • The need for clear guidance on exercises and stretching routines.
Hypothesis

If we design a mobile app that helps caregivers track their child’s orthosis wear time, provides a structured therapy routine, and allows communication with therapists, caregivers will experience improved management and will be more likely to comply with therapy recommendations, leading to better outcomes for children with gait issues.

Target Users
  • Primary Users: Caregivers of children aged 1–12 who use orthosis for treating various gait issues
  • Secondary Users: Pediatric physical therapists who work with children using orthosis.
Key Tasks
  • Communication with Therapists: Send updates or concerns to the physical therapist through the app.
  • Track Orthosis Progress: Caregivers can log the amount of time their child wears the orthosis and exercise each day.
  • Therapy Routine Guidance: Access and follow animated exercises and stretches designed to improve Achilles tendon flexibility.
  • Progress Tracking: View the child’s progress in therapy, such as improved mobility or increased wear time.
Research Methods
  • User Interviews: Conducted interviews with 5 caregivers and 2 pediatric therapists to understand needs, pain points, and how they manage orthosis and therapy.
  • Surveys: A survey was distributed to gauge caregiver familiarity with current apps and their interest in a new solution.
  • Competitor Analysis: Studied existing apps that track therapy or wearables, such as MyTherapy and PT Pal, to identify strengths and gaps.
Design Methods
  • Wireframing: Created low-fidelity wireframes to explore layouts for therapy routines, progress tracking, and the wear time logging screen.
  • Prototyping: Developed mid-fidelity prototypes in Figma to test navigation and interactivity.
  • User Testing: Conducted usability tests with caregivers to assess ease of use, task success, and overall satisfaction.
  • Heuristic Evaluation: Conducted a heuristic evaluation to assess the app’s usability and ensure compliance with best design practices.
Competitive Analysis
  • MyTherapy App: Focuses on medication reminders but lacks features for wearable devices like orthosis
  • PT Pal: Offers physical therapy tracking but doesn’t provide detailed therapy exercises or tracking for children.
  • TheraBand App: Useful for exercise guidance but lacks integration for tracking wear time or progress.

Gaps Identified:

  • Few apps cater to both therapy tracking and specific wearable devices like orthosis.
  • Existing apps don’t offer communication features between caregivers and therapists.
  • Most apps do not provide a clear visualization of progress in relation to therapy goals.
Design Solution

The ActivePal addresses these gaps by offering:

  • A User-Friendly Dashboard: A simple, clear view of the child’s daily therapy, wear time, and progress.
  • Exercise Routines: Animated exercises that caregivers can follow and perform with their child.
  • Progress Tracking: Visual graphs to show wear time and progress in flexibility or mobility.
  • Communication Features: A way for caregivers to send daily updates or ask questions directly to therapists within the app.
User Testing and Feedback
  • Success Rate: 87% of participants successfully completed all tasks, with positive feedback regarding the app’s clean design.
  • Key Findings:
    • Profile Setup: 90% of users had no difficulty entering child data; a few requested more guided instructions.
    • Exercise Routine: 85% of users felt the exercise animation was easy to follow, though some wanted larger visual indicators for the therapy timer.
    • Progress Tracker: 80% were satisfied with progress tracking, but additional clarification on what each data point meant was requested.
    • Orthosis Logging: 95% success rate, with users finding the logging process straightforward.
Final Prototype

Based on feedback, refinements were made:

  • Progress Tracker Enhancements: Added tooltips for clearer data interpretation.
  • Improved Exercise Timer: Made the timer button more prominent and visually engaging.
  • Simplified Profile Setup: Added a drop-down list to help caregivers input therapy needs more easily.
Recommendations for Future Work
  • Expand Customization: Allow caregivers to adjust reminders and exercise routines based on specific needs.
  • Enhanced Onboarding: Add a tutorial for new users to guide them through the setup and use of the app.
  • More Therapist Features: Add the ability for therapists to create customized plans or schedules for each child.
Conclusion

The Activepal App successfully addresses key needs of caregivers and therapists by simplifying the management of therapy routines and Orthosis. With continued refinement, the app can become an invaluable tool for improving the outcomes of children using orthosis.

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