Overview

The Problem

The year is 2008, and biofeedback is just beginning to be a buzzword. Clinically, biometric driven software has been around for decades, and NEUROfeedback, or using Brain Computer Interface software to train the brain into a more functional, or optimized state, has been used in university labs and high-powered research facilities since computers were the size of warehouses. Technology evolves, though, and the doctors, therapists and researchers have demanded better and more usable interfaces for themselves. The data visualization is on point, with dashboards of line graphs, bar graphs, and really high-tech spectral imaging... but there is a major problem, and the clinicians are starting to complain about it...

What about the patient? Aren't they the ones that REALLY matter?

Well, the system companies had been so focused on making the researchers and therapists happy that they had FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE REAL USER!!! The therapist might purchase the software, but they were using it with clinically sensative clients who had been putting up with a simplified version of, not joking, Pac-Man for almost 20 years. They were so bored in some cases that the therapists were having to basically bribe them with treasure box prizes just to keep the engaged long enough. This was especially true for their younger, more inattentive clients.

The Solution

Instead of watching a little yellow pizza eat a series of white dots in a maze over and over again, pausing when the brain isn't in state, and chomping away when it is, we created a 3D animated skateboarding game with characters and environmental objects that could be customized by the clinician to better fit the level of visual stimulation needed by each client. We focused on personalization and customization of both the visual and auditory environment, so that clients were able to remain engaged without getting overstimulated.

The Impact

There are approximately 6,000 neurofeedback and biofeedback systems in the US that use the game we created as feedback. It completely raised the standard for feedback in the industry worldwide.

My role

My official title on this project was "Clinical Technician Advisor" which was a fancy way of saying I was the clinician and patients' voice for the software company, and I was responsible for UX Research and UI Testing both in and out of the clinical setting. The company took my insights and knowledge and used it to iterate for almost 2 years before launching the product. At the end, I wrote the technical manuals for the products, demoed and tested it in convention halls and pilot clinics, and helped with customer support and UI testing long after the products were deployed. Overall I'm probably prouder of my work on this project than almost anything else I've had the pleasure of working on.

My Process

UX Research steps:

• User Personas (both patients and therapy providers)

• Interviews with stakeholders and users

• Defining and articulating clinical requirements and brain computer interface constraints

• User testing of auditory tones as discrete and proportional feedback with different clinical populations

• Design of therapist's dashboard with biometric data visualization for 2 clinical system integrations

• A/B testing of various visual feedback options, customization options, etc.

• Competitive analysis

• Usability testing of prototype iterations in clinical and non-clinical environments

• Demonstrations for stakeholders and end users

• Technical writing and UX Copywriting