User Research：
Redesign an app to help users intuitively improve sitting posture and prevent long-term strain.
We analyzed existing posture devices and apps, identifying their strengths, weaknesses, and design opportunities through hands-on testing and competitive analysis. This helped us define both marketed and user-reported strengths and weaknesses, guiding our design process.
UPRIGHT is a posture correction device paired with an app. We analyzed eight posture apps across medical, daily reminders, sports, and health markets.
With this 2X2 metrics, we found UPRIGHT had weaknesses like unstable connectivity, poor detection of subtle movements, and a lack of meaningful progress data. These gaps guided our approach to designing a better solution.
Interview
We conducted five user interviews to better understand their pain points and gather insights for refining our design. During the interviews, participants engaged in a participatory design session, testing UPRIGHT while sharing their thoughts and feedback.
Based on these findings, we decided to focus on In-Office Back Support, leveraging bioelectricity data from the back to prevent strain and reduce the risk of long-term ailments.
+Privcy
“I don’t care about other people knowing about my posture, but I don’t want it to track my location.”
+Awareness
“Sometimes just don’t want to open the app, seldom check back. Hope the app can work as easy as apple watch, which you only need to wear it, without additional attention.”
+Tool experience
“ I want minimize additional attention needs and operation on multiple platforms [app/device]. Calibration is still necessary”
+Effort correcting
“... but when I want to stretch (“wanted” bad posture), the frequent feedback (vibration) is too annoying. I want a distinct differentiation between working & relaxing”
HMW statement
How might we help long-time office workers intuitively improve their posture and prevent long-term strain during daily activities?
To address this, we are redesigning an existing app by immersing ourselves in the market and gathering user feedback. By leveraging body posture data, we aim to help users improve their posture across various activities, with a specific focus on long-time office workers.
Attention Distribution
Most apps present information without meaningful context, leading to confusion and wasted effort.
+ Reminders should be efficient and non-distracting.
Data Reliability
Many apps lack clear data representation.
+ Focusing on relevant and actionable insights while discarding unnecessary data improves user experience.
Bespoke Suggestions
Personalized recommendations help build trust and encourage better posture habits.
+ Individual calibration and attention to waist and neck support enhance effectiveness.
Mode Control
No distinction between sitting on a chair or sofa creates frustration.
+ Clear, visible mode switching improves usability and aligns with natural user behavior.
Design dive：
Reveal chance to improve onboarding, streamline posture correction, and provide actionable suggestions for reducing physical strain.
With insights and directions in place, our next step was understanding the system features and flow. By creating an experience map and user flow, we identified three main features to focus on: Onboarding, Posture Correction, and Suggestions.
Experience map
To understand the user experience, we mapped the journey based on UPRIGHT users' data, breaking it into three phases: pre-use, using, and post-use. This analysis helped us identify key areas for improvement: simplifying onboarding, enhancing posture warnings, and refining suggestion features.
Information Architecture
It is designed for ease of use and efficient posture tracking. The Navigation section provides access to key features, including real-time posture monitoring, progress tracking, and personalized recommendations. The Analysis section offers detailed insights, displaying historical trends and AI-generated feedback to help users improve their posture over time. Finally, the Settings section allows users to customize preferences, adjust sensitivity levels, and calibrate the device for a more tailored experience.
User flow
Using the experience map insights, we streamlined the app’s structure and logic. We made onboarding smoother for new users, created a seamless transition between work and relaxation modes, and incorporated expert recommendations to help users reduce physical pain.
Final design：
Deliver an app of an intuitive, user-tested solution with streamlined features to improve posture and reduce physical strain
Using our prototype, we conducted another round of user testing and gathered valuable feedback to refine our design. Below are three key frames showcasing our final delivery.
# first-time user onboarding experience
- Pairing devices with apps
- Gives a general concept of our product
# in office ambient slouch detector
- Gives gentle reminder on slouch occurrences
- Helps forming a habit with mostly clear directions
In poor posture, user can correct their to the right posture following with the body animation
In rest mode, user won’t be annoyed by correcting posture
- user can access even without phone app.
# habit helper and suggestion book
- Gives sustainable advices along with posture insights
- A more informed report at the end of the cycle, includes trend informationn
Reflection：
Redesigning an existing app taught me to balance empathy and detail, enhancing functionality while respecting existing design constraints.
Through this project, I improved my Figma skills and developed a stronger grasp of creating user flows and site maps. Redesigning an existing app proved more challenging than starting from scratch, as many apps have been refined over time. This pushed me to focus on the details and approach the process with greater empathy. I also learned the importance of balancing user needs with existing design constraints, finding ways to enhance functionality without compromising simplicity.
Tension
I recognize the ongoing tension between staying alert and avoiding distractions.
Subtle Modes
More research is needed on sitting postures across various chairs to better refine mode transition triggers.
Micro-interaction
Designing gesture-correcting pages taught me the importance of micro-interactions, where clear visual language is key to creating responsible and efficient feedback.
