Mentia
Date
October - December 2017
Team
Amanda Kennedy
Naomi Berman
Methods
Contextual Interviews
Usability Sessions
My Role
User Researcher, Consultant
The Problem
How can we learn from contextual interviews with dementia patients and their caregivers to make Mentia’s product, Deva World, easier to use?
The team at Mentia developed a tablet-based app, Deva World, for people with dementia and their caregivers to express, connect, and explore through play. Mentia had already utilized co-design sessions with people with dementia at assisted living centers while developing Deva World. Now, they hired my consultancy, Lanternalia, to observe how people experienced DEVA in their home environments.
The Problem
How do you lead user research sprints to decide on a new product direction in the digital health sphere?
Process
After I recruited four participant pairs in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, my research assistant, Naomi, and I went to their homes and learned more about their stories, their relationship, and their home environment. We had conversations with the family caregivers and their loved ones with dementia.
Then, we spent time observing them interact with Deva World on a tablet device.
Impact
Here’s a slide I included in my final presentation with Mentia, noting some roadblock themes that participants encountered while playing Deva.
I presented Mentia with some roadblocks that prevented users from getting the most out of DEVA. My findings and recommendations helped set the stage for their OpenIDEO submission for the “How Might We Better Support Family Caregivers As They Care For a Loved One With Dementia?” challenge, for which they were a finalist. OpenIDEO will soon announce winners.
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