UX Case Study: Aqua Therapy Program
How to cater to varying user needs and requirements
Background
Aqua Therapy is an online hydrotherapy video program that specialises in pain management for people who suffer from knee osteoarthritis. Having run a free six-week trial, they noticed that while a number of people had completed the program, some clients dropped out of the program early. They attribute this partially to how their program is being delivered.
They want to understand how they can improve the delivery of their program to have stronger client retention. The Customer Journey Map is the main deliverable as well as a new concept for program delivery.
Problem Statement
“Aqua Therapy wants to improve the quality of life for people living with knee arthritis, through hydrotherapy. However, the way their program is being delivered doesn’t cater to their clients’ particular needs.”
Scoping Framework
In scoping the project we uncovered some key assumptions we wanted to validate:
Issues around technology make the program too difficult to access or use for some users.
Social embarrassment creates obstacles for users while doing the program.
Key Insights
We conducted surveys and interviews with 4 users to get a deeper understanding of their needs, pain points and motivations with the Aqua Therapy program. We came to the following key findings:
Persona
We came up with the above persona, Judy, based on the common traits of Aqua Therapy users:
Judy has a long history with osteoarthritis and suffers from chronic pain in her back and hips. Judy has had to stop her regular activities due to her osteoarthritis. After trying various treatments, surgery is the last resort. Judy’s main motivation for joining the Aqua Therapy program:
“Looking for a long term alternative to surgery.”
Customer Journey Map
At the beginning of Phase 1, technology is a major pain point for users, whether it’s using the devices or downloading the videos. This validates the first assumption about technology being an obstacle for users.
As the users acclimatise to the mode of delivery, in Phase 2, frustrations were more about quick video transitions, micro-movements of the exercises not being explained as well as having to navigate around other people.
By Phase 3, users have made social connections which have helped them to stay motivated with the program, disproving the second assumption around social embarrassment.
HMW Statements
The following statements will form the guiding principles of our concept.
MVP Matrix
With technology being a major source of frustration in the user journey, our solution aims to iron out these obstacles by providing alternatives to tech-based program delivery and by simplifying the way users can access the exercise videos.
Given the pain points users have around timing and lack of explanation, program content has also been adjusted to better cater to the users’ pace and level of understanding.
User Flow
Given that technology was a major pain point in the user journey, it was necessary to explore other options for program delivery.
The key to our solution lies in allowing the user to choose how their program is delivered to them. During the fortnightly reviews the user is given a chance to nominate their preferred method of delivery for the next phase, whether it’s a physical copy of their program, or a link to their video playlist via email or SMS.
At each phase of the program, the user flow branches out according the different modes of delivery. Customised program delivery directly caters to the users’ individualised needs around access and use.
Hi-Fi Prototypes
The above diagram illustrates how all our different components work with one another.
Welcome Kit: As the user is onboarded, they are sent out a physical welcome kit. This contains a welcome letter detailing how the Aqua Therapy program will be run and what to expect for the next six weeks. With technology being a major issue for a number of users, the welcome kit also provides users with a waterproof pouch to protect their device as well as a laminated copy of their exercise program that users can take with them to the pool.
As the user does the program, during the fortnightly reviews the user is given the chance to nominate their preferred method of delivery for the next phase of their exercise program:
Option 1 — Hard Copy: This is a laminated copy of their exercise sheet. Many users noted that technology was a major obstacle for them and that having their device at the pool was a concern for some. Having a physical copy of their program means that users can have a reference for their exercise routine without having to fiddle with their device.
Option 2 — Email: This is a digital copy of the user’s exercise program with a link to their corresponding YouTube playlist. This email curates the program’s videos in one place with links to each exercise video. The user can also click on the link to their program’s YouTube playlist where it can automatically play through the all videos in sequence.
Option 3 — SMS: The user can schedule an SMS to be sent to their phone on the days they will be attending the pool. Having an SMS with a link to their program’s YouTube playlist means that the user won’t have to look around for their hard copy or email, and with one click they can start their program straight away.
The user has the choice of nominating one or a combination of these program delivery options.
Videos: User’s had noted frustration with using Vimeo and so for our concept we have chosen to host the program videos on YouTube, a platform that users are more familiar with.
The exercise videos come in three screens:
Title screen: This signals the current section of the exercise routine, e.g., control exercises.
Get Ready screen: Users have expressed concern about a lack of time between exercises. The Get Ready screen features the name of the upcoming exercise and a countdown timer to give users enough time to readjust before the next exercise.
Main Exercise screen: This features a countdown timer and the names of the current and upcoming exercise. Users have said that they were sometimes confused about form. The animated figure demonstrates the exercise in clean and precise movements. The Tips section carefully explains the details of form, movement and technique.
YouTube Playlist: This playlist curates the videos for the user’s current program in one place. With one click, the videos will automatically play in the same sequence of the user’s exercise program, making access easy and convenient.
Website: The website acts as a central hub containing all the information about the Aqua Therapy program while also housing the videos of the user’s individual exercise program. Here they can track their progress as well as watch the videos to get familiar with the exercises outside of the pool.
Conclusion
With technology being a major source of frustration in the user journey, our solution aims to iron out these obstacles by providing alternatives to tech-based program delivery and by simplifying the way users can access the exercise videos.
Given the pain points users have around timing and lack of explanation, program content has also been adjusted to better cater to the users’ pace and level of understanding. From content to delivery, our solution models facilitation of the Aqua Therapy program around individualised user preferences and needs.
Limitations
Working with only 4 participants, our sample size is very limited which risks skewing the data towards individual needs and personal biases. In order have a more accurate representation of user needs, we would need to conduct research with a much bigger sample size. It might also be helpful to conduct research with non-participants to gain a better understanding of higher level needs.
Next Steps
The next steps would be to undertake usability testing, to implement the features of Phase 2 & 3 into the design and to align it with accessibility guidelines.
Team
Jessie Obien, Haruka Sawa, Shaini Ratnatilake