Physical Augmented Reality Therapy
The Physical Therapy (PT) experience has always involved a combination of appointments and patient motivation. Currently, clinics see an average of 100 million to 200 million patients a day. Patients who seek to reduce long-term pain treatment costs have seen an average of 72% savings compared to traditional medical treatments. Outpatient PT care typically ranges from 7-10 sessions, and only 35% of patients comply with at-home exercise regimens.
Our aim was to enhance the completion of at-home physical therapy exercises for both PTs and patients by designing an end-to-end experience. We sought to achieve a smooth transition of physical therapy exercises from clinics to patient homes, which entailed the development of a WebXR product to guide patients in their home exercises, as well as a web platform to track patient data for PT clinics.
Below is a glimpse of the exploration we developed for our future of Physical Therapy vision.
Overview
School
University of Washington Bothell
Role
Design
Research
Creative Direction
Project Management
Strategy
YEar
2022
Platform
HoloLens, Oculus Pro
Responsive Web
01. Communication and Coordination
We solved two problems: patients' lack of motivation to complete at-home exercises and Physical Therapists' inability to track progress data in-between visits.
Our solution involved utilizing WebXR to guide patients through their exercises at home and designing a web platform for PTs to access relevant patient information and track at-home exercise data. This innovative approach enhances the patient experience and streamlines physical therapy processes.
02. Changing Paradigms
Our research methods included primary research through patient surveys and interviews, as well as clinical PT interviews, and secondary research through domain immersion, AR subject matter experts, competitive market analysis, and generative product user stories.
Through this research, we discovered that many patients felt unmotivated to complete at-home exercises, despite recognizing their efficacy. Physical therapist interviews revealed a lack of confidence in patient adherence to exercise regimens.
To address these issues, we developed separate products for patients and PTs, including a WebXR product to guide patients through at-home exercises and a platform for PTs to access exercise data in clinical settings. Additionally, we created a side-by-side experience to seamlessly transition between the two products.
03. Bring People Together
In Q2, we pivoted to host video analytics of patient exercise videos to support data-driven decision-making by PTs when preparing for patients' next clinic visit. This decision was based on stakeholder interviews and a review of the product space. We understood the privacy concerns with the pivot and took the time to explore possible tech workarounds regarding patient privacy.
