Creating An Interactive Aid to Mediate Obesity Diagnoses and Management Through Visualization

The purpose of this research is to discover if an app was the best method of delivering nutrition and exercise facts and obesity information to a patient with obesity. This study also emphasized usability testing and prototype creation. The study consisted of three phases: the research phase (pre-phase), prototype phase (Phase 1), and app phase (Phase 2). During the research phase, group discussions were held with four experts, chosen for their experience with a patient population with obesity. Questions about the patient population and desired functionality of the proposed app were discussed. Feedback from the pre-phase informed decisions for Phase 1 of the study, where a paper prototype was developed for the app. Next, one-on-one interviews were held with the same group of experts. They were asked general questions about their patients and then given tasks to complete using the prototype. Comments about the intuitiveness and usability of the prototype were recorded. In Phase 2, the app was developed in Unity2D, a gaming engine. Feedback from Phase 1 testing was implemented in design and functionality choices. Two patients total from the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center were recruited for the study. One received the app on their Android phone, to use for a week. The other received handouts with the same nutrition, exercise, and obesity information as the app included. All subjects were given a pre-test, including questions about their comfort levels with their health care provider, and knowledge surrounding exercise and nutrition, before they were given their treatment. A post- test was given one week after they had the opportunity to interact with their materials (app or handout). Results from the pre- and post- test were not statistically evaluated, and therefore no conclusions can be drawn. However, the qualitative data from prototyping and iterative design testing is invaluable to improve such apps in the future.