Travel Companion is a digital health app with a virtual pet function and emotional design that enhances user interaction.
Travel Companion
Overview
I designed a step-tracking app featuring a virtual pet as the main character. By incorporating rich visual elements and a travel-themed backdrop, the app creates the feel of a virtual travel companion, enhancing user interaction and strengthening the emotional connection between the user and the app.
Project Duration
4 months (Jun-Sep, 2024)
Tasks
Research / UX UI Design / Prototyping / Usability Testing
User Flow and Main Features
Based on our literature review and competitor analysis, we understand the priority of different features. This helps us create our information architecture. As the virtual pet function has the highest priority, we decided to place it on the main pedometer page.
Project Background
Digital health interventions (DHIs) have emerged over the past three decades alongside rapid advancements in technology and the internet. Their core functions include step tracking, calorie calculation, and health notifications. These apps act as accessible companions, offering convenient mental health support, interactive self-monitoring tools, and personalized feedback to promote health and prevent disease. This approach holds significant potential for helping users build healthier habits.
Challenges
User Engagement and Churn Rates
Research indicates that maintaining user engagement and reducing high churn rates are major challenges for DHIs. Users often lose interest as the app's novelty fades, leading to a decrease in long-term usage.
Design and Personalization Issues
Poor usability, repetitive features, and a lack of personalization further weaken user interest. These design shortcomings limit the app's ability to provide lasting health benefits as users disengage over time.
Problem Statement
💡
How might we incorporate a virtual pet into the step-tracking app to enhance user experience, increase engagement, and boost motivation?
Illustrations for Story Background
Research has shown that incorporating narrative elements like travel into apps can significantly boost user engagement and motivation. With this in mind, I used a travel theme as the app's backstory to strengthen the emotional connection between the user and the app.
The companion characters are designed to provide a rich, enjoyable experience through a variety of animal characters, unique travel accessories, and warm, vibrant colours. Each character is crafted with a distinct personality and style, enhancing the app's appeal and increasing user engagement and immersion throughout the journey.
By integrating these narrative elements and virtual pets (travel companions), users feel they are embarking on a personal journey when using the app. Each walk becomes a journey in which the user sets goals, sets out, and faces challenges. This design transforms walking from a purely physical activity to an exploration.
Final Design
Welcome Page
We designed a welcome page to introduce the purpose and features of "Travel Companion." I created illustrations to give the app a calm and warm visual style.
Select a companion pet and name it
The application allows users to select a companion pet based on their preferences, providing motivation and emotional support throughout their journey. This method of customising virtual pets has boosted user engagement and fostered a stronger emotional connection between users and their virtual companions.
Set the Goal and Walking Mode
I incorporated a goal-setting feature into the app, allowing users to create short-term and long-term goals based on their preferences. Upon reaching these goals, users receive immediate feedback and rewards.
Walk, Rest and Get the Result
The step-tracking process is simple and direct: users can activate or stop the timer mode with a single click while walking.
The walking page shows the pet walking alongside the user. If the user clicks on a virtual pet, a random interactive dialogue will be triggered. At the bottom of the screen, there is a progress bar showing the user's journey.
Social Connection: 2 player mode
The app includes a two-player step-tracking mode in addition to the single-player option. This allows users to connect with friends or family to set and achieve goals together. Users can also see their friend's virtual pet alongside their own on the step-tracking page, reinforcing a sense of companionship and shared progress.
Unlock New Companion & Country
Users are rewarded for continued activity by unlocking new travel buddies they can name. In addition, the app offers a virtual travel map, and users can unlock unique visual backdrops as they “visit” each country. This design allows users to see the results of their efforts visually.
Reflections
Reflecting on our MVP design, I'd like to continue working on these —
✨ Better Balance Entertainment and Core Functionality
While the virtual pet enhanced the emotional connection, it introduced operational complexity, occasionally distracting from the core functionality (e.g., step tracking). Balancing entertainment features with core app functions is critical for overall satisfaction.
Personalising the virtual pet strengthened users' attachment to the app. However, participants noted that the virtual pet's repetitive behaviour and lack of interactive depth limited its appeal over time. This highlights the need for more decadent customisation options to maintain user interest.