The Pulseband is a concept medical device and fitness tracker developed specifically to accommodate people who are at risk for certain heart conditions. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women. However, almost all of its symptoms can be prevented through changes in lifestyle by those at risk. My team used the design thinking process to design a companion mobile app for the wristband.
Due to the premium our team placed on user experience, a lot of research and many interviews took place in order to determine what vitals were of the most importance to health care professionals and what could be done to motivate patients to make healthy decisions. This meant that as the lead visual designer I had to be ready to iterate and make adjustments to my concepts as new insights came forward.
Because the product's capabilities and intentions are different from that of a typical quantified self device, the typical user was also quite distinct. Our interviews with potential users informed the creation of three user personas who were at varying degrees of risk of being diagnosed with heart disease. These users didn't want to geek out over a bunch of line graphs and bar charts, but rather needed a simple indicator of their overall health on any given day, and clear actionable steps they could take to improve.
Our solution was to compile key data points into one single number out of 100 that would provide at a glance the cardiac status of the user. We called this number the Heart Health Score. We placed this number right on the main dashboard. Right below the visualization of the Heart Health Score we showed the user a couple of goals selected from the challenges section of the app. These would be the goals, which if completed, would have the biggest positive impact on their overall score.
For the branding, the goal was to make the experience feel innovative, trustworthy, friendly, and smart. The logo I created combines elements of both a simple heart shape with the imagery of a bracelet so that the mark is a literal representation of the word PulseBand, but it is done in a subtle way that takes advantage of the juxtaposition between the solid shape of the heart and the negative space left by the band. There is a subtle illusion in the way that the bracelet appears to move through 3D space, but when viewing the logo from a flat perspective, it mirrors the half-heart to complete the shape. Within the app I chose to apply a modern color scheme and typography. This creates a look that is both relevant and conservative, which is appropriate for this type of medical product. The flat graphics keep the focus on the data and promote a professional feeling.
Pulseband
