Abstract

Using interaction design, video, and social media to create an application that will encourage people to maintain or improve their quality of life when dealing with a chronic illness.

There are many tools, both tangible and online, for people with debilitating illnesses. There are websites and apps that focus on symptom management, medication monitoring or general wellness. The majority of these resources are mainly used for rehabilitation. There is technology used to help people, both healthy and those with an illness, to improve their health–featuring exercise, eating healthy, tips and tricks. Most people with a chronic illness are looking for ways they can be healthy, or ways to maintain their health; they want to be pro-active in their healthy journey. Multiple Sclerosis is one of these chronic illness–the people who have it may be active and mobile and they are looking for something to help them stay motivated and/or to improve their health. They are not looking for something to help with rehabilitation, because most of these people do not need rehab; they want something to encourage them on quest to healthy and wellness.

The needs of the target audience (people with MS) would benefit from a combination of mediums that would lend itself to the idea of activities to fully explore all of the potential aspects of a person’s illness and to motivate them to life a healthy life.

The purpose of the activities would be so each user could choose exactly what he or she wants and needs to work on. Cognitive exercises, fine motor skill exercises, social connections and suggested physical movement and recipes will help the user stay motivated. Elements of gamification will help create an active environment for the user and allow them to be motivated and excited to pursue wellness in their lives.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Multiple sclerosis--Patients--Services for--Interactive multimedia; Multiple sclerosis--Patients--Health and hygiene--Interactive multimedia; Health promotion--Interactive multimedia--Design

Publication Date

5-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Visual Communication Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

School of Design (CIAS)

Advisor

Chris Jackson

Advisor/Committee Member

Daniel DeLuna

Advisor/Committee Member

Nancy Ciolek

Comments

Physical copy available from RIT's Wallace Library at RA645.M82 D47 2016

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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