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One of the accents in the development of modern design was the concern for the health of the user. This problem is solved by digital diets and gamification methods.
It has become much easier for users to take care of their health with the advent of new gadgets and applications. The global trend towards self-care is also creating new challenges for designers: they are now working to enable users to consume digital content more consciously, as well as developing digital detox tools and using gamification to motivate sports.
Fitness in VR
Many fitness trainers offer to use the popular game of the Czech studio Beat Saber as a full-fledged interactive cardio exercise. The game can use controllers as lightsabers that cut colored blocks flying at the player in a virtual environment.
At first, the game was popular for its mechanics, but over time, the complexity of the levels made it literally physically exhausting, and many fitness trainers suggest using it as a full-fledged interactive cardio exercise.
With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, companies released fitness level packs with energetic music for their devices, making Beat Saber part of the VR user’s workout program.
And in April 2020, Oculus, which included the developers of Beat Saber, along with the VR studio Within, released a fitness app called Supernatural. It offers players personalized training and coaching in virtual reality landscapes on a subscription basis.
Digital detox
The habit of consuming digital content intelligently can increase emotional resilience, improve health outcomes, and even make a person happier. Additional applications can help with this.
AeBeZe Labs has created tools that help people control their state of mind when consuming information. It offers apps for “digital diets” and recommendations for digital content: the mood-tracking app Moodrise, a mobile tool called Daybreak that monitors mental health, and MoodTube, which analyzes YouTube content and offers a selection of videos that positively influence brain chemistry and uplifting mood.
Other tools that help take your mind off the hustle and bustle are also gaining popularity. More and more live broadcasts appear on YouTube with meditative music and pleasant video sequences. And Disney puts meditative music on cuts from their old cartoons.
The Russian Endel app analyzes data about a person using smart devices (for example, heart rate from a smart watch), combines it with information about external factors – time of day, weather, and so on – and produces a personalized soothing sound background.
The developers of the application have attracted celebrities such as Grimes and Miguel to create background tracks, and have also signed a contract with the Warner Music label.