WAVE
-- A smart solution for people with eating disorders
IoT Wearable product | Mobile App design | Smart service design

Feb 2023 – Sep 2023

In today’s society, individuals with eating disorders often face limited access to effective treatment options and supportive tools. This project aims to accompany them on their recovery journey, providing warmth, empathy, and scientific guidance.
WAVE is an innovative IoT-based product that integrates (1) an app, (2) a smart plate, and (3) a smartwatch.
The smart plate monitors eating behaviors in real time, while the smart watch continuously tracks and provides feedback on physiological data. The application collects and analyzes this information, generating regular recovery reports and setting personalized stage goals through a multidimensional approach. Through the collaboration of these three components, WAVE seeks to assist patients in their recovery journey in a scientific, personalized, and human-centered way.

Tools: Rhino, Keyshot, Figma

WAVE
Recovery from an eating disorder is a wavy, iterative and uncertain process. But we have to believe that the wind and waves will pass, as long as the brave face, there will be calm.

01 Social Context

1.1 World Data

a. Worldwide, one patient dies every 62 minutes, and eating disorders are the only disease that directly causes death, with a mortality rate of up to 20%
b. Prevalence of eating disorders: Worldwide, up to 70 million people suffer from eating disorders

1.2 The number of ED patients in China

The number of people suffering from eating disorders has continued to rise in China in recent years. The patient could fill 90 Metropolitan museums.
China has the highest number of deaths from eating disorders.

02 Literature review

2.1 Etiology of ED

2.2 Pathological definition of ED

Eating disorders (ED) are a group of syndromes characterized by abnormal eating behaviour, excessive attention to food, body weight and body shape, which usually lead to inner pain, impairment of physical function and impairment of social function.

2.3 Symptoms of patients with ED

Anorexia

Emetic

Depression

Anxiety

Bulimia

Lose flesh

Sammary

How can we help ED patients for relief from current situation?

Having successfully recovered from an eating disorder for 5 years, I know the courage and pain that recovery takes. Therefore, I decided to design a product to assist the rehabilitation of eating disorders through my own learning, so that the rehabilitation process of patients with eating disorders will have an extra "helper" to alleviate the existing recovery difficulties.

03 First-hand Research

3.1 Observation

Through three months of observation on Chinese social media platforms and news public accounts such as Xiaohongshu and Tieba, as well as authoritative Chinese media reports on eating disorders, the current situation and problems faced by patients with eating disorders in China can be summarized as follows:

a. Chinese authoritative media rarely reported on eating disorders, resulting in insufficient awareness of patients and lack of attention, thus affecting the enthusiasm for treatment

b. Due to the lack of professional medical resources, patients will share their experiences and seek support on social platforms

c. Patients with eating disorders will secretly make harmful behaviours that are difficult to control, and it is difficult for guardians to detect and effectively prevent them in time, leading to further deterioration of the condition

3.2 Questionnaire

A total of 254 questionnaires were collected from July 17, 2024 to August 17, 2024, all of which are valid questionnaires.
Questionnaire link: https://www.wjx.cn/vm/miV2mxp.aspx
Statistics of Questionnaire Results (Please click)

a. Treatment dilemmas regarding eating disorders in China

b. The most important part of eating disorder healing

c. Treatment methods considered effective by participants

Key Points:

1. The company of family members and the improvement of self-awareness are the most important

2. Chinese people have a low overall cognition level of eating disorders and a longer course of disease
3. Each person is suitable for different treatment methods, and it is necessary to propose a personalized treatment plan
4. Medical resources for eating disorders are scarce, and many patients do not have access to scientific treatment

3.3 Design opportunities

04 Persona

05 Competitor Analysis

06 Ideation

2.1 Etiology of ED

The existing APP and plate functions are relatively simple, and there is no APP designed for patients with eating disorders. Therefore, according to the preliminary research and questionnaire, the purpose is to design an integrate product to meet the needs of patients with eating disorders.

07 Information Architecture

08 User Flow

This product is used before, during, and after eating. The following illustrates the user flow at each stage.

8.1 Before eating

8.2 During eating

8.3 After eating

09 User Testing

9.1 APP TEST

I chose to test the usage flow of the two main core functions of the APP, home page and consulting.

Test progress

Iteration

9.2 TECH TEST

Test task: real-time heart rate monitoring and anthropomorphic reminder function of the watch
Test method: UNO development board of arduino, heart rate pulse sensor.

Test task: Accurately weigh portions of food. Evaluate the nutritional quality of the entire meal according to the weight of the food
Test method :arduino development board, pressure sensor, display module

9.3 SHAPE TEST

For full portability needs - lunch box form, with a lid
Ensure nutrient intake - The plate must have a separate structure, each part corresponding to a different nutrient
Convey warm emotions - steady and solid appearance, soft and smooth lines
Easy to use and comfortable - ergonomic shape design

9.4 COLOR TEST

I chose several colors that I thought could convey the power of warmth to try and compare, and finally decided to use beige as the main color of the whole tableware, and then add coffee brown to the details.

9.4 MATERIAL TEST

I purchased three kinds of materials. After the test on the four standards were made, I decided to choose Polypropylene. It was mainly considered that:

The plate needs to be insulated material
Light weight, portable
The texture of the material gives people a feeling of stability, advanced and good quality

10 Plate Exhibition

10.1 Explosion diagram

This section describes the main functions of the product.

10.2 Product introduction

Product name: Smart eating tableware
Applicable population: Eating disorder patient
Material: polypropylene
Dimension: 8*8inch
Structure: The product is divided into four parts: outer structure, detachable partition, thermal insulation layer, digital weighing. Each part serves a different purpose.
Advantages: 1. Simple and portable easy to carry 2. Assess your nutritional intake at each meal

10.3 Usage scenario

Each grid corresponds to a different nutrient element that the body needs to consume. By placing the food in the corresponding grid according to the introduction, the nutrient content can be automatically detected and the nutritional assessment of each meal can be seen on the WAVE APP.

11 APP design

01 SIGN IN

02 CHOOSE PET

03 ENCOURAGE TIPS

04 HOME PAGE

05 REHABILITATION PROGRAM

06 RECIPE

07 RESOURCES

08 SPECIALIST CLINIC

09 HEALTH INDEX ASSESSMENT

10 ONLINE CONSULTATION

12 Watch design

The watch will evaluate whether your eating speed and state are in the normal range according to the heartbeat, breath, Body temperature, etc. If it is not in the normal range, it will give feedback according to the corresponding situation. For example: if you eat too fast, the watch will light up to remind, the pet will say: "enjoy the food, slow down."

13 Takeaway

“The end of the project is not the end of the idea.”

KEY LEARNING AND CHALLENGES

Realized the importance of user testing, which helped identify many overlooked issues.
Understood the necessity of balancing ideal concepts with practical feasibility.
Gained a deeper understanding and hands-on experience in user experience design.

REFERENCE

Further improve the accuracy and timeliness of health status monitoring
Further enhance the experience of anthropomorphic eating
Further improve APP usability

Shihan.

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