Admo is short for an obsolete term, “admotion”, which means to be in motion towards something. In this modern day, it has been increasingly common to get a job where you work from home. Working from home correlates to lowered physical activity and hence, increased musculoskeletal pain in the lower back, upper back/neck, and hands (Radulović AH, et al).
As a UX designer, I saw an opportunity to create a solution that could empower individuals to take charge of their physical well-being, even in the comfort of their own homes. I envisioned a product that would encourage short, effective physical therapy exercises without the need for specialized appointments. Recognizing that many young professionals may not seek treatment due to the cost and time constraints of their busy lifestyles, I was motivated to develop a solution that could address these challenges.
To bring this vision to life, I conducted user and comparative research and learned that users do want to reduce their body pain but find it difficult to find a specific and effective solution. With these valuable user insights, I developed Admo, a physical therapy app that encourages individuals who work from home or anyone that wants to incorporate more body movement and stretching into their daily lives to be in motion towards their goals of a better quality of life.
1. Conduct research to understand the current industry of physical therapy and exercise apps and see what they are lacking or have weak points with.
2. Identify the user goals, user needs, and pain points for users that work from home that experience body pains and do not seek treatment; understand what kind of body pains they are experiencing.
3. Seek out what would motivate those same users to engage in short, effective physical therapy exercises and identify what exercises would help improve their quality of life.
4. Develop, ideate, and test a MVP of the app that will be included in the final handoff to the client
Assumptions were made based on a best guess of the potential user group in order to ideate the scope of this app design.
• Users who work from home commonly experience body pain.
• Users want to reduce body pain levels that affects their daily lives.
• Users like having guided sessions that will lead them to body pain relief.
Purpose: Gather qualitative data on potential interviewees’ experiences with working from home and experiencing body pain.
Participants: 17 participants
Mode: Google Forms
I conducted 45-minute user interviews with 5 participants, all whom work from home. The purpose of these interviews was to understand the user experience with pain caused by periods of little to no physical activity and what motivates users to seek treatment or a solution to the pain.
What I found was that users agreed that they all experienced body pain as a result of working from home and sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time, but also what was revealed was that users did not find physical therapy to be something accessible for their age group and saw it as a last resort solution.
Users spend between 8-12 hours a day sitting at their desk working from home.
Users acknowledge that they are not getting as much movement that they should be in their daily lives and they want to change that.
Users avoid the idea of physical therapy now because of the price and time commitment.
Users feel that they can remedy their body pain on their own before they choose to go to physical therapy.
Users recognize that they are young now but they worry about what their conditions will be in the future.
I developed a persona named Danielle to represent the users that I spoke to during my user interviews.
Danielle expresses the same user needs and pain points as shared by those said users, which include struggles with experiencing body pain related to working from home.
After identifying the main user problem, I wrote out Point of View Statements that helped create How Might We Questions in order to open up the opportunities of how to address user pain points.
💡 I’d like to explore ways to help users who work from home with reducing their body pain because they spend long hours sitting in front of the computer or not getting up for long period of time.
❓ How might we help users reduce their body pain while they work from home?
💡 I’d like to explore ways to help users who work from home to encourage more movement while they are working because they want to avoid the long-term effects of decreased physical activity happening to them.
❓ How might we inspire users to involve more movement into their daily lives?
💡 I’d like to explore ways to provide users who work from home with access to physical therapy exercises because they see the benefits of physical therapy but cannot commit to the price and time of the treatment.
❓ How might we provide access to physical therapy treatment on a mobile platform?
I brainstormed on a Notion document to come up with a few solutions to address the user problems. The most notable ideas included:
Virtual AI physical therapy sessions
AI-powered physical therapy sessions where users perform exercises in front of their camera while they are presented exercises based on their body pain areas
Movement reminder
An app that reminds users to take breaks from sitting and encourages them to move throughout the day. It could provide customized reminders based on the user's schedule and preferences and offer suggestions for simple exercises or stretches they can do to relieve tension and pain.
Posture and ergonomics tracker
An app that helps users track their posture and provides ergonomic advice for their home workspace. The app could use the phone's camera or sensors to track posture and provide real-time feedback on how to improve it. It could also provide tips on how to set up a comfortable and ergonomic home workspace to prevent physical pain.
The most relevant option that would most likely address user needs would be the movement reminder app, which is what I chose to develop moving forward.
To start visualizing what the reminder app would entail, I developed a site map that would give a general structure. This initial version of the sitemap included four primary pages: Learn, Profile, Stats, and Exercise Plan.
After wireframing, I ended up removing the "Learn" primary page as it was a high-effort, mid-priority feature that required a lot of building.
This site map allowed me to structure the app through logical and efficient user flows.
After the site map was created, user flows and task flows were mapped out to model logical sequences of what the user experience would be like. The main user and task flows that I focused on building were the onboarding process in addition to a movement session (called "Exercise session" in initial design process), where the user would be participating in a short session of stretching or movement.
The onboarding process was significant to the app purpose because it was the first glimpse of what it would offer. Therefore, I wanted to include an onboarding questionnaire followed by sample exercise plan. This initial version of the onboarding was not followed through because it may overwhelm the user if there are many steps to signing up. I ended up highlighting the privilege of choice for users to customize their experience through a thorough questionnaire that sets up the user's movement sessions.
The movement session, called Exercise Session here, is most similar to the final version of this user flow in the app prototype. This first version of the user and task flows depict an experience where the user has the opportunity to customize their sessions for the day with a daily check-in, where users input their preference for movement intensity levels and how they feel (tired, motivated, etc.). The final versions of the exercise session omitted this initial check-in after user testing; instead, the design focused on a feedback questionnaire after the session if the user wants to make any changes moving forward in the day.
I challenged myself to sketch out many potential versions of what the reminder app would look like. The main screens I wanted to ideate were the onboarding, questionnaire, dashboard/homepage, and exercise timer pages.
I came up with several versions of the homepage, as users would be presented with multiple options to check in on their body and how they feel, pain-wise.
Initially, I started the branding process with a list of brand values that the app should entail, with user needs in mind. After much deliberation, the most significant and relevant brand values of motivation, efficient, focus, mindfulness, and encouraging were prioritized out of all the ones that were originally conceptualized.
Following this, I generated a few names and chose Admo, which is an obsolete term that meant, "to be in motion towards something." The term Admo stuck out compared to the other options because it tied together with the brand values of motivation and encouragement for physical movement.
Inspiration images were then collected on a moodboard to start generating the branding. This included the UI design, color palette, illustration, and logo. I initially selected a warm palette of ochre and burnt orange, then contrasted it with minty and sage greens as an alternative direction. After presenting these options to my mentor and peers, it was suggested that I go the route of warm toned hues, as it felt more inviting and comforting while the cool toned palette was reminiscent of medical companies.
Finally, the logo design involved many versions of the lettermark "A" with the intention of evoking modernity and movement through the design. I finally landed on an abstract-like version that is stylized to also mimic the figure of a person extending their arm over their head in a stretch.
Once all aspects of branding was decided, I moved forward to create the mid-fidelity wireframes that would outline the more nitty gritty details of Admo.
Moderated usability testing on the functional Admo prototype was conducted to measure the functionality, usefulness, and first impressions of the end-to-end app. The key objectives were to assess if the product conveyed the intended tone, performed its intended functions, and aligned with research goals.
The testing has revealed that overall, the feedback from users was generally positive and provided valuable insights for improvements in areas of tracking, customization, timer function, and contextual feedback. These insights will inform enhancements to the user experience and better meet user needs in Admo.
All users were able to complete all tasks with few errors, which indicates that the prototype has a familiar and recognizable flow. Furthermore, users used positively associated phrases/words to describe Admo, such as "pleasant", "friendly", "refreshing", "optimistic", "energetic", and "encouraging", indicating a positive perception of the product. All users understood the purpose of the product and validated the value of reminders for physical movement, indicating that the intended purpose of promoting regular physical therapy exercises was clear and appreciated by users.
Usability testing was very successful and provided an abundance of insight to how users perceived the first prototype of Admo. In order to organize and make sense of the feedback and results from the usability testing, I created a feedback prioritization matrix to highlight what I needed to make alterations with in the next iteration of Admo's prototype.
All users used positively associated phrases/words to describe Admo, such as "pleasant", "friendly", "refreshing", "optimistic", "energetic", and "encouraging", indicating a positive perception of the product.
All users understood the purpose of the product and validated the value of reminders for physical movement, indicating that the intended purpose of promoting regular physical therapy exercises was clear and appreciated by users.
50% of users mentioned a desire for more specific overviews of their daily, weekly, and monthly progress, indicating a need for more detailed tracking and reporting features to monitor their progress over time.
66% of users expressed a desire for more specific customization of questions/settings for their movement sessions, particularly in terms of timing of sessions and severity of specific body pain, indicating a need for more personalized and adjustable settings to cater to individual needs.
50% of users wanted to see a countdown timer with the number of seconds left during their sessions, citing accessibility reasons and subconscious encouragement, suggesting a potential improvement to the timer function for a more inclusive and motivating experience.
50% of users wanted more context and confirmations during features like Account Set-Up and Session Follow-up, indicating a need for clearer feedback and guidance during key interactions to enhance usability and user satisfaction.
My last step was creating the new iteration of the Admo prototype that would be the delivered MVP. This new iteration contained a few alterations to the visual design in addition to updating user flows.
Below are the details for key features of Admo, with explanations and descriptions of specific design decisions made with research, user flows, and user testing insights in mind.
The Admo onboarding process provides users with a quick overview of the product's benefits and uses bright, whimsical, and calming colors, along with inviting 3D illustrations, to set the tone for their experience.
After onboarding, users are given the option to customize their Admo experience through a questionnaire. This questionnaire covers various aspects, such as demographic information, areas of pain, exercise intensity preferences, and timing preferences for movement sessions. This ensures that Admo creates a personalized movement plan that aligns with the user's preferences and goals.
The initial versions of the movement session feature only included two questions, asking users about their desired start time and frequency. However, feedback from user testing revealed that the wording and intention of the frequency question was confusing to some, with users expressing uncertainty about the lack of presence of an ending time they can select.
As a result, subsequent iterations of the feature now include a question that allows users to choose not only the day, but also the time frames during the day. In future versions, it is planned to introduce more complexity by allowing users to select specific time frames for specific dates, thereby enhancing the customization and flexibility of the feature.
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The dashboard and profile are crucial components of the user experience in the Admo app, as they provide users with an overview of their upcoming movement sessions and track their progress.
Based on user testing and mentor feedback, I identified that the previous version of the dashboard had conflicting calls-to-action (CTAs) for movement sessions and daily check-ins, which led to confusion. To address this, I designed two versions of the dashboard to contextualize these actions. The first version displays only the upcoming movement sessions during the day, and towards the end of the day, the user is prompted with the daily check-in, accompanied by a card congratulating them on completing all sessions or displays the upcoming movement session.
In the profile section, I included information on the user's progress, such as their streak of consecutive days, weekly accomplishments, and body areas targeted for pain treatment. To visually represent progress, I implemented a progress bar that tracks the completion of movement sessions, exercise time, and mindfulness sessions on a weekly basis. In future iterations, I would like to develop a settings page, which would allow users to further customize their Admo experience, such as adjusting session timings, time frames, and availability dates, among other options.
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The core function of Admo revolves around movement sessions, where users are prompted throughout the day via notifications to participate in these sessions. The content of the movement sessions is generated based on the user's responses from the initial onboarding questionnaire and their previous check-in.
To enhance the user experience, I designed a movement session preview that allows users to see what exercises are included in the upcoming session and provides them with the option to customize it by incorporating equipment, adding or removing exercises, and selecting specific areas to target for pain relief. During usability testing, users expressed appreciation for this level of customization at this stage of the experience.
During the movement session itself, I incorporated an automatic timer that moves in a box shape around the gif or video of the exercise. In earliest versions of Admo, there was only a visual timer without any numerical indication of the time remaining for each exercise. Usability testing revealed that users were initially confused about the duration of each exercise, as the time allotted was only visible on the movement session preview page. To improve clarity and accessibility for color-vision impaired users, I added a numerical timer to ensure accessibility and a seamless user experience.
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I designed the Session Follow-up feature in Admo empowers users to provide feedback on exercise difficulty and completion status. Additionally, users have the flexibility to adjust the intensity of their next session from low to moderate intensity or vice versa. This optional feature gives users control over their experience, allowing them to modify their exercises based on their comfort level and avoid feeling stuck with the same exercises if they encounter any pain or discomfort.
The Daily Check-in feature in Admo allows users to input their mood, body pain, and other feedback related to their movement sessions. Based on their responses, the movement plan for the next day is customized accordingly. Ideally, users would complete the Daily Check-in after finishing most or all of their movement sessions for the day, resulting in a tailored movement plan that best suits their needs for the following day.
Initially, the daily check-in was shown to users at the very beginning of the day, before any movement sessions took place. Three users mentioned that it would feel displeasing to have to think about what is in pain the first thing in the morning; therefore, the daily check-in was changed to show up later in the user flow, at the end of the day.
Further user testing revealed that users felt that there was a slightly overwhelming abundance of questionnaire-type actions throughout the app. To reduce cognitive load and any user frustration with answering many types of questions, I would make a future iteration where the daily check-in would be a weekly or monthly check-in for users to assess their physical condition over time and recognize if there are any changes to their body pain levels, whether it be better or worse (ideally, better 😅).
Admo was created with the user who works from home in mind. The final MVP should be a result of my initial research plan, which outlined how I can solve the main research problem of how to help those experiencing musculoskeletal pain improve their quality of life due to low levels of physical activity.
In the end, does Admo fulfill the purpose of research and design? Let’s refresh….here are the research objectives again:
Conduct research to understand the current industry of physical therapy and exercise apps and see what they are lacking or have weak points with.
✅ Yes, I conducted comparative research with direct and indirect competitor physical therapy or exercise apps and learned what they lacked and what worked for users
Identify the user goals, user needs, and pain points for users that work from home that experience body pains and do not seek treatment; understand what kind of body pains they are experiencing.
✅ Yes, through usability testing, I learned what they found to be useful and effective for users when they use Admo’s features of a movement session and daily check-in
Develop, ideate, and test a MVP of the app that will be included in the final handoff to the client.
✅ Yes, I developed an MVP of Admo with high-fidelity wireframes, branding guidelines and assets, and near-fully functioning prototype
This project has been incredibly cathartic and fulfilling for me, as it allowed me to combine my passion for UX design with my background as a physical therapy aide after graduating from UC Davis. Working alongside physical therapists to provide quality care to patients and witnessing the positive impact of exercise on their body pain and quality of life was truly invaluable. Even more so, it also gave me the opportunity to connect with patients from diverse backgrounds, which further fueled my passion for healthcare and UX design.
As I transitioned into UX design, I was determined to carry forward the lessons of active listening, patient empathy, and attention to detail that I learned in my previous role. Due to this, creating Admo has been a full-circle experience for me as it carries a significant part of my early career within its intended function and mission. I've poured a significant amount of time and energy into perfecting it within the given timeframe, including some overtime to enhance the final MVP that I am presenting now; I am incredibly proud of the outcome.
Thank you for taking the time to read about Admo’s beginnings, explore its design, and understand its potential impact in the physical therapy and work-from-home space! 💌
...was how to create a more interesting and dynamic design. I explored a new style of design because I wanted to make this product nice to look at, yet be useful for anyone who encounters the app; one user commented during usability testing, “I feel that because of the way you designed this app, it would be approachable and useful for anyone at any age; an older person would be able to understand how to use the app while at the same time the design style you went for is appealing for younger people.”
….was connecting my physical therapy aide background into this project! I was able to incorporate actual exercises I used to teach patients in the movement sessions I developed in my design.
...was choosing what feedback to prioritize for my iterations. I learned a lot of valuable insights and feedback from usability testing and there were some really important features I wish I included or spent more time designing. I had to put the feedback into a matrix and determine what was the most high-impact and relevant changes I could include in the final MVP.
….to ideate and develop any further features that I was not able to get to in this MVP. I want to explore how a settings page and daily/weekly/monthly progress page would look like for users to further customize their experience as well as keep up with their improvements.
Special thank you to my DesignLab mentor, Nicola Rushton, for the guidance and support during this project! Thank you to my DesignLab peers for the support in user interviews, usability testing, and providing feedback. Everyone’s generosity has not been overlooked – 💌