Personalized Habit replacement for Vape addiction
FUMO
My Role
UX Designer and Researcher
Team
4 members
Duration
9 weeks
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Miro, Google Forms, Zoom.
Let's get some Context
2023
As I moved to the states, I experienced a sudden sense of independence, much like many of my peers. However, for a lot of them, this newfound freedom became a gateway to addiction. I witnessed many of my peers getting addicted to e-cigarettes, commonly known as vapes.
The societal perception of vapes as cool and trendy, often endorsed by our pop culture, played a significant role. I observed that many of my peers wanted to quit but didn't know where to begin. That's when my team and I decided to address this delicate issue and see what could be done to effectively quit vaping.
How big is the Problem?
Vapes and Nicotine addiction
vapes are contributing significantly to the emergence of a new generation grappling with nicotine addiction [1]
2.5 million
According to 2022, young adults were reported to have employed e-cigarettes [2]
27.6% of them
were found to be utilizing these devices on a daily basis [2]
Identifying the target Problem Space
Main Problem
Vaping as an addictive and challenging-to-quit habit
Sub-Problems
Highly subjective quitting Journeys: The quitting journey can be different for everyone, so a one-size-fits-all solution cannot be applied. What works for one person may not work for another. The process of quitting vaping is highly individualized, varying from person to person.
Frequent setbacks in quitting journey: The quitting journey is often riddled with constant setbacks. Individuals attempting to quit vaping may encounter recurring challenges and stumbling points, highlighting the need for comprehensive support systems to address and overcome these hurdles.
Difficulty in avoiding temptations and maintaining commitment: Staying committed to the quitting process becomes challenging due to the difficulty in avoiding triggers. Staying committed to quitting vaping is tough because it's hard to avoid situations or emotions linked to vaping habits.
Here's a Sneak-Peak
But how did I get Here?
I followed a the mentioned Design process for defining the research and consecutive design of the solution.
Feel free to click and go to any particular section of the process
Who are the target Users?
As quitting vaping is a challenging and motivated decision. We focused on users who-
Frequent vape users who wish to quit/ are already on the journey
Description
18-24
Age group
We recruited such users through a User survey where we had received 77 responses. View Google Form
Understanding Users & their Story
Detailed Interview protocol was designed in order to understand their daily routine with vape, their triggers that tempt them to vape, their quitting journey and challenges while quitting
8
Users Interviewed :
What the Users Said?
Some of the quotes that we got from the interviews-
"I want to quit, but I don't know where to start"
"Relapse is embarrassing, I feel like a failure"
"I feel like I'm spending so much of my time on vaping, which I could've spent with my family"
"My story is different than others, so I know what might work for me in order to quit"
"I've tried quitting but it just takes 1 relapse and I'm back at it"
"I need a reality check time and again to stay focused on the quitting journey"
Getting on the Ground
In order to understand the implicit problems and habit of vape users, we decided to conduct Observation sessions. I conducted 2 sessions of the 8 sessions -
Observation pictures
Observation Notes
Summarizing and Analyzing User Insights
Referring to the notes from survey, interviews and observations, we undertook Affinity mapping (link to board) using the user quotes and insights in order to get a mental clarity of what the user wants
Individually coding ideas that were related
Individual notes from Interviews and observations
Clustering ideas of the team - Affinity Mapping
What emerged from Affinity Mapping?
Reason to Quit : users feared the implications of vaping on health and money, or family finding out that they vape
Social Barriers : User started vaping trying to "fit in" as vape is considered cool and trendy.
Setbacks : Users felt guilty when they relapsed and felt like giving up.
Coping techniques : Most users used chewing gums, candies as replacement
Quitting Journey : Every user had their own story of trying to quit, but failing multiple times due to uncontrollable cravings.
Stimuli for vaping : Vaping has become a reflex, but some cues like meals, meetings, bath triggers them to vape.
Cravings : Users had uncontrollable cravings based on specific factors personal to users.
Withdrawal issues : Users face severe hot flashes or headaches at times as withdrawal symptoms
No Internal Motivation : users lack that internal motivation to quit and stay focused on the journey.
How existing solutions Fail?
The next step was to understand what has been done previously to address this Issue. So we referred to a few existing apps.
We found out that they primarily concentrate on collecting data related to vaping habits, such as puff counts and vaping device usage.
They overlook critical information about what prompts their behavior and their present emotional, physical, and mental states during their quitting journey
Additionally, the applications primarily provided guidance to users on quitting and provided them with tools and resources to aid in the process, without consistently aligning with evidence-based practices
Escape the Vape
no vape
Kwit
Meet the potential Users
Taking insights from the research, I created 2 User Personas to get clarity of the needs and pain-points of users
What is the Problem?
After understanding the users and the existing research gaps, we established a Problem Statement to have a clear objective of what the design should solve
How might we help in replacing the habit of vaping with something productive and personal to the user?
Brainstorming Sessions
After establishing a clear problem statement, we moved to Brainstorming solutions and potential design directions based on the research insights. We Conducted 3 rounds of brainstorming resulting in 80-90 design ideas
What came out of these Sessions?
After an iterative process involving the analysis of potential future scope and feasibility of our brainstormed design direction, we narrowed it down to 3 possible solutions
Personalized intervention for habit
A personalized plan for the user, customized to address their specific triggers. We connect these triggers to recreational activities designed to divert their attention from their previous cue, which was vaping. This gradual process of habit modification over time will effectively transform their vaping habit into a more positive one
Relapse recovery and management plan
In terms of relapse recovery, we plan to normalize the relapse process and serve as an assistant to help users get back on track. Taking cues from our research we know that this is a critical
stage in the journey which can either make the addict more addicted or take him to a path that can help him get back on the quitting journey.
Quitting-Journey engagement
The engagement plan is centered around offering competitive incentives to users and giving them ways to engage with the app personally thereby having an interactive user experience. Giving them a reality check of how far they have come in the journey might motivate the users to stay focused on quitting the habit.
What we Propose?
We strive to help individuals quit vaping with a personalized and motivating journey, while offering support for overcoming setbacks.
We help them throughout their quitting journey
Personalized plan : To begin quitting journey
Relapse recovery and management : To help users in times of setbacks
Journey engagement : Motivational pieces personal to users to keep them going
Let's understand this through Storytelling
Habit replacement and motivation
Harper has been addicted to vaping for the last three years, finally she decides to quit but does not know how. Through the app she logs in her triggers and vaping habits, and the app reminds her to pursue her hobbies in the time she usually vapes, in order to replace her habit of vaping with hobbies.
"Fail-safe" mode during relapse
Harper is sober for a few weeks now. All of a sudden her cravings take an all time high. Through the app she is able to press the panic button which activates her "Fail-safe" journey curated for relapse. The app helps her in getting over her initial phase of craving, by telling her to breathe, and breathe in order to calm down, and make decisions rationally.
Wireframing Solutions
Working on a rough canvas open to iterations, I created a few low-fidelity wireframes of the solution
Validating what we Propose
In order to move forward we though of first validating our concept with a vape addiction therapist
"It is hard to make people willing to quit stay committed. Subconsciously shaping their habits into positive choices they make for themselves would not only motivate them but also enhance their commitment."
-vape addiction therapist
Final Screens
Personalized Schedule
Personal Trigger
Before
Now
Cue
Vaping
Recreation
Creating a personalized plan for the user, customized to address their specific triggers, involves connecting these triggers to recreational activities designed to divert their attention from their previous cue, which was vaping. Over time, based on the success of the recreational activities, we can suggest activities that work best for their specific cues.
Handling cravings
Takes users' minds off the urge to vape by incorporating a surprise element through tasks
Relapse Recovery and Management
Relapse Button
From the interviews, we learned about the stigma and mental strain that individuals go through when they experience a setback. To address this, we provide them with a relapse button. This button serves to empathize with them initially and then generates a schedule based on their previously logged data, tailored to work best for them. This approach helps them anticipate and plan for potential challenges, providing them with a proactive strategy in case of a relapse.
Journey Engagement
Internal Motivation
Reality Check
To keep users focused on their quitting journey and prevent them from succumbing to addiction, we provide personalized motivation through a motivation board. Additionally, we offer an analysis tailored to their triggers based on their logged-in data. This aids in better self-understanding and helps them avoid falling back into addiction. By providing confidence and self-realization, this approach serves as a reality check, a realization we found to be crucial through research
Usability Evaluation
For a structured and quantitative measure of the overall usability of the application, we conducted SUS (System Usability Scale) evaluation. We started by taking responses in the SUS sheet from 4 participants in order to get quantitative data of the usability of the application. Link to calculation sheet
Average SUS Score :
86.25
Signifies High Usability
My Learnings
This was my first project after coming to Indiana University. And I'm grateful to have worked with some amazing and talented teammates. Some of my learnings from the project were-
Observations for understanding inexplicit behaviors
Through in-person observations of vape users and careful analysis of their triggers, cues, and behaviors, I could understand the interconnected factors influencing their habits, which were not explicitly explained during interviews
Using Human psychology in User-centered design
Leveraging human psychology by drawing inspiration from habit formation principles, particularly from "Atomic Habits," we could understand triggers, cues, and effective habit replacement strategies. This approach aimed to align with users' psychological tendencies, enhancing the potential for successful habit transformation in the context of overcoming vape addiction
Validating solutions from Experts
I feel that our solution got refined after we validated the concept with a verified vape addict therapist. The expert through his first-hand knowledge and experience helped us in knowing effective vape habit replacement strategies.
Thanks for reading
Check out my other projects
Developed a system for visually impaired people for safe navigation achieving 82.24% accuracy and reducing response time by 79%, through user feedback iterations. people for safe navigation achieving 82.24% accuracy and reducing response time by 79%, through user feedback iterations.
Designed an app for reducing mental strain caused exposure to negative digital content.
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If not here, then you can definitely find me petting some dog 🐶