Sensorcise
Connecting kids, trainers, and parents with digital and physical sensory toys and interaction.
Overview
Sensorcise is a class project where we design an application for our clients; staff, trainers, and gymnasts at Inclusive Sports and Fitness (ISF). In this project, my role is to conduct research, analyze data, and design a mobile application for parents whose children are involved with ISF.
Timeline
4 Months
My Role
UX Research and UI Mobile Design
Tools
Figma and Procreate
Team
Kamille Estrella, Farrah Fox, Luke Iannone, Manuela Mensah, Joseph Klukosky, CJ Elhrich
Problem
During our visits to ISF, we noticed that a lot of gymnasts struggled with focusing their attention on a given task. This often led to them running away from their trainer and switching to a completely different task. Our goal with this project is to maintain the attention and motivation of gymnasts using technology. Additionally, there is a lack of parental involvement during their sessions. Many parents expressed that they would like to be somehow involved in terms of their kid’s workout schedules and if their health is improving.
Therefore, how can gymnasts at ISF stay motivated when trying to complete a task and create better parental involvement in their child’s activities?
Solution
Our solution is to create an application that works on multiple devices: smartwatch, tablet, and smartphone. These tools will help trainers keep track of gymnasts' workout schedules and points, motivate gymnasts to continue their workouts, make parents aware of their child's workout status, and enable them to redeem points for prizes.
Design Process
Research
Observation
Interview
Ideation
Storyboard
Sketches
Prototype
UI Design
Video Production
Research
For this project, it was divided into two parts involving two different teams. During the first part, I was in Team A with Manuela, Joseph, and CJ. Our task was to visit Inclusive Sports and Fitness (ISF) to observe the benefits of the gym for individuals with special needs and autism, whom we refer to as gymnasts. We observed the interactions between trainers and gymnasts, examined the gym equipment provided, and witnessed how the gymnasts utilized the equipment. Each team member had the opportunity to interact with their assigned trainer and ask questions.
What I Found
Each trainer has to train three gymnasts separately for one hour. Each gymnast has their own personalized working session; however, they all end with a cooling session in the cycle room.
With my trainer, she keeps track of each gymnast's wants, needs, behaviors, triggers, and interests in the notebook that she brings to work. It helps her understand her gymnasts more and provides them with an enjoyable experience. Additionally, I got to interact with the gymnasts, see their personalities, and observe their interactions with their trainers. Overall, it was a great interaction, although one of the gymnasts had a rough time being involved with the session because of the sudden change of who dropped them off. The trainer calmed them down by letting them touch her cheek, squeezing her hand lightly, and taking deep breaths. Afterward, the gymnast continued to work out and complete the session. Lastly, I got to understand and view the seven different pieces of equipment each gymnast used.
The goal of ISF is to increase brain activity, promote body awareness, improve socialization and cognitive skills, as well as foster independence.
Interview
My team member, Manuela, and I interviewed three parents waiting for their child to finish their session.
Parent A and Parent B discovered ISF through personal connections and both had positive first impressions. Parent A loves the place and finds it reasonably priced, while Parent B agrees but mentions the location is far from home. Both have been involved with ISF for about a year. Parents A, B, and C all agree that ISF has significantly helped their children improve in cognitive, coordination, and socialization skills; one child even learned to pedal a bicycle and hop. None of the parents had participated in similar programs before ISF, citing difficulties in finding specialized and affordable physical therapy on Long Island. Regarding fundraising, Parents A and B were unaware of ISF's fundraiser but are now interested in donating, while Parent C actively participates and recommends it to others.
After we were done, we went into different groups for the second part of the project which involved ideation and designing prototypes.
Ideation
In Team B, we discussed the notes we found during our time in ISF, and we each came up with solutions based on our users; gymnasts, trainers, and parents. We decided to design an application that connects with the tablet, smartwatch, and phone. Each of us had different responsibilities regarding whose user experience we were in charge of. I was in charge of the parents' experience, Luke was in charge of the gymnasts' experience, and Farrah was in charge of the trainers' experience.
Trainers’ Experience
The tablet, primarily used by trainers but also accessible to gymnasts, replaces traditional tools like PECS boards, notebooks, and sheets. This new application allows trainers to manage a gymnast's schedule, select activities, monitor vitals, and track points earned—all in one place. Gymnasts can use the tablet to choose activities via the digital PECS board. Once they accumulate enough points, they can redeem them for a prize.
Gymnasts’ Experience
The smartwatch allows gymnasts to choose a character to motivate them during their workout. If the watch detects any inactivity, the character encourages the gymnast to keep moving to continue earning points and complete the workout. After a successful session, the character congratulates the gymnast, and points are calculated based on their performance. All this data is then transferred to a tablet and mobile app.
Parents’ Experience
The mobile app helps parents monitor their child's schedule, progress, vital stats, and points, similar to the tablet version. Parents can redeem the points for their child to get a prize through the app. Once they receive a prize, parents scan its code to confirm the redemption.
Storyboard
Luke created the storyboard which combined all three of our solutions to showcase the experiences our users—trainers, gymnasts, and parents—will have during a day at ISF.
Sketches
After storyboarding, we sketched our solutions. We sketched out the important screens that best represent our solutions.
Trainer’s Tablet
Designed by Farrah Fox
Gymnast’s Watch
Designed by Luke Iannone
Parent’s Mobile App
Designed by Kamille Estrella
Video Production
Lastly, my team filmed a video at ISF showcasing our users using the tools we designed.
Presenting our project to the founder of ISF, Alexander Lopez
After completing our case study, we presented it to Alexander Lopez, the founder of ISF, via Zoom. He expressed enjoyment with our idea and appreciation that we focused on all our users, offering solutions that correspond with each other while also having their own unique perspectives.
Overall,
This project was an incredibly rewarding experience for me. It was not only fascinating but also enlightening to dive into research and firsthand observation at ISF. Collaborating with my team members, interacting with the dedicated staff, and witnessing the enthusiasm of the gymnasts made every moment memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process and am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such an inspiring project.