Evaluating current research in the field aided our understanding of the problem at hand, and why it is a pressing concern. According to the CDC, "About half of all Americans have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or smoke" and furthermore, Americans often times have additional medical conditions or make poor life choices leading to additional risks.

From here, we researched current methods for evaluating high blood pressure, which is a key risk factor that raises the chance of developing a heart-related disease. The two tests evaluated were:

• Electrocardiogram (EKG): can be conducted with only two points of contact between your skin and two electrodes by reading your heart's electrical activity and records the normal heart rhythm, as well as any abnormalities that may be occurring.
• Blood pressure tests: measure tension in your arteries caused by increased blood flow.

To evaluate and give recommendations on heart disease risk, we researched into the Framingham Heart Score. The algorithm uses family history, life habits, and other questions to produce a 10 year risk number of developing or having heart disease. Between the Framingham Score and EKG trends, our team agreed that we would be able to present accurate data/recommendations to users.

Currently, there are three primary devices in the Heart Health Monitor department:

• Mocacare: a brand of heart information and data visualization products that focus on heart rate and blood pressure. MocaHeart is a vital signs monitor, that allows a user to get on the go measurements of heart rate and blood oxygen, while MocaCuff is a wrist blood pressure monitor. The main goal of Mocacare is to empower people to make healthy habits, design a product wary of users, make it easy for self care, and simplify everyday health monitoring.
• Qardio: has an EKG wrist interface as well as a smart blood pressure device, but also has a scale system so the user can update their BMI and track their daily weight. Their “state of the heart” technology is aimed at designing an innovative new way to monitor your heart that fits the modern lifestyle.
• Kardia by AliveCore: a clinically validated mobile EKG device that fit on the back of your phone. It allows a user to manually read their heart rate, and allows for a user to track palpitations, shortness of breath, and other patterns.

After analyzing each of the devices, we determined that our solution needed to be a mobile app, and portable for ease of use. Tracking and evaluating health data should also be automated.

The survey had five total questions (two demographic, three primary). It received 40 responses in total. There are some limit to the survey such as: most respondants were males between 18 - 21 attending UW, and the online survey didn't refrain people from googling the answer. Additionally, it may have been helpful to ask if the individual was aware (or not) of any family history of heart disease, and to release the survey to a larger audience for a wider age range.

Based on our initial research and progress, there were a number of challenges we wanted to address as the project moved forwards. At the time, we had identified the following:

• How to collect reliable and accurate information.​ The device will need to collect accurate information because the user’s well-being and awareness may be dependent on it. This will affect the design decisions on how the device will be worn and where or how the information will be collected. We have already decided to use a combination of EKG readings and the Framingham risk score, but we need to make sure the app can analyze an EKG reading effectively and establish a baseline that is appropriate for each unique user.
• How to represent the information in an easily understandable manner.​ The information be easy for anyone to understand regardless of how knowledgeable they are. Since large amounts of data will be collected, as a group, we must consider how the information will be presented and how quickly can they process the information.
• Considering the effects of the design on how the device is used. ​Integrating the device into daily life means that it should not affect how they function normally. Depending on how the device will be worn and how the data will be collected, the overall design of the device could vary from around the wrist, bicep or chest. Another impact will be the size and weight of the device.
• Protection of User Information.​ Since all the data we are collecting is intrinsically private to a user and their health care providers, we must make sure we establish the appropriate security measures with the data collection and storage parts of the wearable, and any phone app we may use.

Martin is a 33 y.o Accountant living in New York. He has a family history of Heart Disease (his Dad had a heart attack at 65) and is married with 1 child. Due to his busy work schedule, he hasn't been focusing on his health but wants to be safe for his family.

This storybard follows Martin while he is on a work-related trip, and how DokiDoki might be integrated into his daily life.

Here, we outlined the general flow and interaction of our app. We wanted it to be simple for intuitiveness and clarity.

The overall concept focused on making a user's health data clearly visible and educating them on what the values mean, and what they can do to improve their health. Together, these metrics could inform the users if they were at risk for any heart-related disease.

While preparing for testing, we designed two tasks for prospective users. They focused on the key path scenario, and how a user would most likely interact with the app.

1. Find health recommendations on how to improve their current condition.
2. View progress by comparing their current hearth health to previous.

After reviewing the Task Analysis, we determined that they needed further clarification and that an additional task should be added. For the test, users were asked the following:

1. Find recommendations on how to improve your heart health.
2. Look at your heart rate and update your blood pressure levels.
3. Send all your heart health information to your doctor, Emily Alonzo.

Overall, the app had a nice balance between functionality and intuitiveness, but most users had trouble determining difference between the 'Send to doctor' and 'Recommendations' icons.

These mockups were designed collaboratively using Figma, and then uploaded to InVision to add interactions and more realistic during usability testing.

Using the same set of tasks as before, there were a number of improvements. Users were quicker in completing each task, meaning that it was more intuitive and easier to understand. The navigation icons still needed additional clarification, but the overall response was positive. You can check it out here!