This post is sponsored by Healthcare Experience Design.
As healthcare costs continue their upward climb, everyone involved in the industry, from insurers to hospitals, to care providers and patients, is looking for ways to help keep people healthy and deliver better outcomes when they do get sick. All without breaking the bank, of course.
If reducing medical costs starts with leading a healthier life, how do you make that happen? According to Persuasive Design pioneer BJ Fogg, it can all start with one tiny step. Want arms like Michelle Obama? Do 3 pushups when you get out of bed every morning. Wish you could finish a novel? Write one sentence after you drink your first cup of coffee.
So what does it take to get people to swap French fries for fresh fruit? How can you motivate someone to take the first baby step toward better health? And once they’ve started, how do you ensure that those new, healthy behaviors “stick?”
- Make it unforgettable. Anchor the new behavior to an old one, and don’t forget to congratulate them when they’re done, says BJ Fogg.
- Make it social. MeYouHealth’s Trapper Markelz says give them simple daily challenges and let them share their accomplishments with friends and family.
- Make it fun! Dustin DiTomasso, Experience Design Director at Mad*Pow, knows that an engaging, rewarding game-playing experience can bridge the gap between people’s intentions and actions.
- Make it adaptable: It’s easy to support someone who is already motivated to change unhealthy behaviors. But, what about all of those people who aren’t quite there yet? NutriSystem’s Debra Gelman helps design online experiences that support, motivate and inspire people to be healthier no matter what stage they’re in.
- Make it elegant: Why bother designing an app that nobody wants to use? Josh Clark, Founder of GlobalMoxie, inventor of the wildly popular C25K (Couch-to-5K) running program, specializes in “designing for touch,” where ergonomics and interfaces are key.
- Make it efficient: If you’re adding mobile or online self-service functionalities, they’d better be just as easy and save twice as much time than what the customer can do offline. Just ask John Yesko, Director of User Experience at Walgreens.
All of these recommendations — and many more — will be explored, discussed, and expanded on at this year’s Healthcare Experience Design Conference which takes place from March 25th-27th, in the heart of Boston’s Innovation District. Last year’s inaugural conference brought together a wide range of healthcare industry professionals, from entrepreneurs to experience designers with the goal of exploring the role of great design in delivering better healthcare outcomes.
This year’s conference has another stellar speaker lineup, including all of the names mentioned above. BJ Fogg will offer a full one-day preconference Behavior Change Bootcamp. And the conference will be followed by a full day of hands-on workshops, including one by Dustin DiTomasso on leveraging the motivational dynamics of gameplay to promote behavior change. The HxD Conference is designed to give attendees real-world skills and strategies that can be taken “home” and implemented immediately. One baby step at a time, of course.
