posture guard

ar invention design to track, predict
and improve one's own posture.

time frame

dec - feb 2021/22

team

sabrina kuom, alexander struppe

tools

figma, after effects, premiere pro

my role

research, ideation, conception & development, prototyping, ui design, animation

"what will happen if ..."
-
bringing the future into the present

insights

the digital work posture

digital work is an achievement of the new world of work that makes life convenient, saves time and money, but also means many hours spent sitting in front of a computer. this permanently one-sided posture can lead to postural damage in the long term.

In the burden 2020 study by rki and destatis (oct 2019 - march 2020), 61.3% of participants reported back pain and 45.7% neck pain in the last twelve months.

in addition to intrinsic motivation, which develops strongly through autonomous "self" discovery, for example, an important part of the motivation process is goal commitment with a high level of self-efficacy. we combine various motivational strategies, such as mental contrasting and the implementation intention from psychological practice in the application.

process

1/5 method research

in addition to desktop research, we conducted 3 interviews with two medical students and a psychology student to define the area of necessity and correct methods of prevention.

2/5 technology research

we analysed various technologies and assessed them in terms of their advantages and disadvantages in relation to the goal. Using a morphological box, we analysed various combinations and developed solution concepts based on personas.

3/5 concept development

we developed the concept iteratively based on concept sketches, the feedback from interview partners and research work. we developed a storyboard and the information hierarchy.

4/5 screendesign

in a process from wireframes to screen variants, we developed the elements of the augmented reality application.

5/5 presentation

we built a turntable and a green screen to show the simulation of looking at oneself through the hololens. we later merged the content in after effects.

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"posture guard" is an augmented reality application for digital workers that uses smart textiles to track and analyse the current posture in everyday life. it provides a causal analysis for potential problem areas and predicts the future development of posture based on the user's further actions, in order to motivate users to improve their posture preventively.

preventive approach

our aim is for people to use the application to pay attention to their posture and improve it preventively through suggested exercises before potential problems arise.

microelectronics technology makes it possible to track muscle activity in detail using emg signals over long periods of time in flexible situations.

the hololens makes it possible to create an image of yourself as a life-size person in real space. this strengthens the perception of the future simulation as real and increases motivation to take action.