The engaging work application Stretchify

A collaborative project by Isabelle Kjellström, Amanda Djäknegren, Lina Ring, Frida Grothérus & Sanna Göransson.

In the last year, the number of people working or studying from home has rapidly increased due to the spread of the pandemic. The experience of working from home can differ from working in an office in many ways, both positive and negative, for example concerning equipment, distractions, social interactions, and working time. The goal of this project was to gain an understanding of people’s experiences of working from home, to then design a product that targets one of the negative aspects with the aim to improve the experience.

The final product consists of the application Stretchify and the figurine Norman. By letting the figurine light up and stretch, the user is reminded to make ergonomic decisions during their workday. In line with the UX goal to give the user a more joyful experience, the figurine is given a cheerful and lively personality that the user can connect with.

For a Concept overview and a list of the Methods, tools & PC programs used, please scroll down.

Concept Overview

The final product consists of the application Stretchify and the figurine Norman. By letting the figurine light up and stretch, the user is reminded to make ergonomic decisions during their workday. In line with the UX goal to give the user a more joyful experience, the figurine is given a cheerful and lively personality that the user can connect with. The concept is designed to be meaningful to the user, both by the fulfillment of goals. Moving more throughout the day can improve the overall well-being of the user, both physically and mentally, and the expressiveness of the figurine makes the user more prone to emotional attachment. The unconscious everyday movement has disappeared, users need to reflect on the situation more. The product aims to make stretching and movement a part of the user’s behavioral level, something that they do for their body and that to a certain degree becomes a part of their routine.

The product was experienced as joyful, it brought happiness to the user. The movements in combination with the colors and the shape carried this message through. It was established that the product creates a relationship with the user and that it to some degree feels like a social product. An aspect that many miss when working from home. The product connects to what the user aspires to be and helps them reach that goal. It has potential short and long-term implications on the body and mind by engaging movements which relates to the goals the users want to fulfill. It was discovered that some users, in some instances, experience the notifications as annoying. It is a balancing act to remind about movement without making the user experience disturbance of their work tasks. Something that may need to be developed further.

Methods, tools & PC programs

The project was highly collaborative meaning that each project group member was present in most areas throughout the project. The following methods, tools and PC programs were used throughout the project:

• Research

  • Literature studies

  • User interviews

  • User questionnaires

  • User diaries

  • User scenario & personas

• Concept development

  • Brainstorming: brainwriting & braindrawing

  • Pugh matrix

  • Digital interface in Adobe XD (PC program)

  • Digital model in Autodesk Fusion (PC program)

• User testing

  • Interviews

  • Scenario

  • Semantic differential scales

  • Hesselgren’s emotional scale