The document describes a conceptual mobile application called HydrateMe designed to help prevent dehydration. It aims to increase users' awareness of dehydration and encourage them to drink more water through reminders and a virtual coaching character. The target users are busy individuals ages 22-55 who often forget to stay hydrated. It proposes tracking water intake, using a calendar to time reminders, and having a character provide health advice and reward hydration. Testing of similar apps found users found them helpful for tracking intake. Limitations include reliance on calendars and no direct way to measure hydration. Future expansions could include more characters, social features, and technology to directly measure hydration levels.

1. HydrateMe
A conceptual design by
Stathis Grigoropoulos
Mario Narwan
Design Challenge
To design a mobile application to coach
people to Avoid Dehydration
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

2. Contents
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Overview
Target Group
Storyboard of user experience
Prototype
Features/functionality
Theoretical Justifications
Results of Applications Testing
Drawbacks of design
Expansion - what else is possible - to the future
Next steps in design process
Recap
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

3. HydrateMe
Persuasive Purpose
• Increase self-awareness
around dehydration and
water consumption
• Convince users to drink
more water
•Increase self-efficiency
and health status
Industrial Design
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

4. Target Group
Busy individual with a heavy schedule, often
forgetting to drink water…
They are likely…
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Ages 22 – 55
Smartphone owners
Using Online Calendar
Comfortable using technology
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

5. The Story of Dehydration
I am off to
work. Busy
day ahead of
me.
Bob is a very successful
businessman, who works at a
big corporation. His work is
very stressful and demanding.
He is on his way to work and
he is already late for an
important business meeting
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces
OMG! I
think my
head is going
to explode.
The meeting is with senior partners
and Bob needs to make a good
impression. During such an intense
situation Bob undergoes a lot of
pressure, which then leads to
dehydration.
Due to severe dehydration
Bob now suffers from a
headache and his
performance is greatly
decreased.

6. The Story of Dehydration II
Another day
at the office.
Yesterday
was just
dreadful.
Ring! Ring!
HydrateMe
notification
Bob is heading for another day
at the office. But this time he
downloaded the HydrateMe
app to avoid dehydration.
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces
Another stressful meeting and yet
again his water level is decreasing.
However, this time he gets notified
about this fact and can take proper
the action in order to avoid
dehydration.
Bob takes a nice sip of
water to keep him
hydrated and at his best
performance level as
well as keeping his head
at an optimal state of
mind.

7. Prototype of HydrateMe
• Daisio will accompany
you on setting your
water reminders
Possible Reminder
Set times
WORK
Lunch Break
Meeting
workout
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

8. Prototype of HydrateMe
• Daisio will remind you when to drink water
• Daisio will change behavior depending on
your level of hydration (or your attention…)
Mild Dehydration
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces
Severe Dehydration

9. Features/Functionality
• Keep track of your hydration level
• Incorporate online calendar to optimally time the
water reminding process
• Your Friend Daisio gives advice concerning
relevant health issues and manage your water
intake and level of hydration
• Gather personal data to adjust water
consumption (e.g. age, body weight)
• Gather environmental parameters to adjust
your daily water consumption (temperature,
humidity)
• Daisio’s hydration level( That’s you  ) can be
rewarded if normal or penalized if dehydrated
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

10. Theoretical Justifications
• Water is the most essential body nutrient, after
oxygen
• Proper water consumption can:
• Improve productiveness
• Improve mood factors
• Improve overall health
• Increase self-awareness about dehydration
issues
• Persuasion through our Character Daisio
• The link between watering your character as you
should drink water with apparent results
• Personalization through automation of water
reminders
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

11. Results of Relevant Apps Testing
• Waterlogged
• Record water intake on any day you want
• Use your own glasses to track your water
• Overall app
• iHydrate
• Focused on athletes
• Uses environmental parameters
• Help facilitate the replacement of fluids lost during sports
based on urine color and/or amount of weight lost.
Customers are pretty pleased with those mobile applications
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

12. Drawbacks of Design
• The automation of water reminding is based on
another application ( online calendar)
• The online calendar must have an API ( e.g.
Google Calendar API)
• The user must be precise on his/her schedule
filling
• No ways to prove water consumption by the
user
• There is no commercial, non invasive way to
measure hydration level on your body
• Approximate solution by weight measurement
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

13. Expansion - What else is possible?
•Create a variety of persuasive characters so user
can choose what he connects easier
•Connect with social media (e.g facebook)
•Incorporate features of the current state-of-the-art
to our application
•Take photo of your glass you drink water
•Produce statistics of your hydration levels, water
intake
Remember our biggest problem = no proper way to
directly measure hydration levels
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

14. Expansion - To the future…
Cantimer's first commercial products will be a family of
devices that address hydration measurement and monitoring needs by
measuring a tiny drop of saliva
Aimed for Medical use:
Still not FDA Approved
•Firefighters
•Infants
•Elderly
•Chronic Illness
•Ultimate coach to avoid Dehydration:
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

15. Next Steps in Design Process
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Refine research on State-of-the-Art
User Testing
Connect Prototype to scientific literature
Finalize Prototype in paper
Conduct research for the Ultimate agent
towards avoiding dehydration ( feasibility,
commercial value)
Certainty
• Build a demo of our Prototype
• Demo testing, learner studies
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces
Line

16. Recap
What we can do:
State of the art + innovation step
What we envision:
Intelligent Agent + further innovation
Utrecht University, Spring 2012
INFOIUI - Intelligent User Interfaces

17. Thank you !
Questions/Comments/Feedback?