A Speculative Design on the future of proactive personal health management

Holis Wristband

Holis is a cutting-edge wearable device with advanced sensors monitoring various bodily activities. Its AI-powered system analyses the data to create a real-time digital twin of the user. Featuring a volumetric 3D projector, Holis renders a dynamic holographic representation of the user and vital health metrics, enabling real-time health monitoring.

Controlled by voice and neural hand gestures, Holis’ neural interface seamlessly interprets finger and wrist movements, offering an intuitive and interactive health management experience.

Holis Band 3D model in Blender. Image by Author

Holis Vision

By 2080, humans will have an accurate, proactive health self-monitoring system that will aim to increase their quality of life by empowering them to manage their physical and mental health on the go.

Design Process

Personal Health Management

Personal health management involves taking proactive steps to control well-being through informed decisions about daily habits, such as diet, exercise, sleep, and stress (Civan et al., 2006). Methods include regular health monitoring, making healthy lifestyle choices, and seeking medical care. Recently, technology has enhanced personal health management, with at-home devices, mobile apps, and smartwatches tracking fitness, nutrition, and vital metrics (Ashwini, Pandit, and Barot, 2024). Proactive health management reduces the risk of chronic illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular disease and lowers healthcare costs, promoting overall well-being (Sachinopoulou et al., 2007; Fredens, 2020).

Speculative Design Methodology

The methodology is based on Damien Lutz’s (2020) speculative framework, which helps designers envision future possibilities and trends. It includes steps for creating solutions for hypothetical future scenarios. Additionally, the futures wheel and future cones of possibility are used to ideate, compare, and select the most preferable scenario.

Speculative Design Method. Source: Lutz (2020).

Identifying Signals

Signal mapping (Figma 2024, 07:51) identifies and analyses emerging trends, behaviours, or technologies that hint at possible future developments. With the help of Chat GPT, various ideas are explored using simple prompts such as ‘Give me ideas about how the future of personal healthcare will look like’. Then, the response from Chat GPT is organised in a mind map to identify interesting signals that are highly preferred and aligned with my future practice.

Signal Mapping (Illustrated by Author).

Research Question

How might we create a wearable device controlled by a neural interface that uses AI to analyse health data, generate a real-time digital twin, and display health analytics via volumetric projection?

Creating Future Scenarios

Using identified signals, various future scenarios of personal health management were created. With prompts like “Create future scenarios of personal health management using wearable tech, AI, immersive tech, and digital twins,” ChatGPT generated over 20 scenarios, six of which were selected for their distinctiveness. Using Voros’ (2003) futures cone, these scenarios are classified by likelihood: Scenario #1, a “preposterous,” falls into science fiction and is unlikely; Scenario #2 is “possible,” aligning with current tech trends. Others are “probable” or “plausible.” This research focuses on Scenario #3, the preferred scenario, as it promises greater benefits for humanity.

Various future scenarios co-created with Chat GPT (Illustrated by Author).

Future cones adapted from Joseph Voros (2003) (Illustrated by Author).

Holis represents the future of personal health management, seamlessly blending advanced technology with user-friendly design. By combining real-time monitoring, AI-powered insights, and an intuitive interface, Holis empowers individuals to take control of their well-being, fostering a more proactive and holistic approach to health.

References

Akama, Yoko, Pink, Sarah, and Sumartojo, Shanti. 2018. Uncertainty and Possibility: New Approaches to Future Making in Design Anthropology. Oxford: Taylor & Francis Group. ProQuest Ebook Central. Accessed October 27, 2024. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=5264896.

Civan, Andrea, Meredith M. Skeels, Anna Stolyar, and Wanda Pratt. 2006. “Personal health information management: consumers’ perspectives.” In AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, American Medical Informatics Association. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1839450/doi/10.1108/14636680310698379/full/html.

Dunne, Anthony, and Fiona Raby. 2013. Speculative Everything. Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming. MIT Press. https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=a115ac3d-caf6-44a9-8c93-05ec9c4dea22%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNzbyZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#AN=672907&db=nlebk.

Figma. 2023. From speculative methodologies to crafting delight - Kalyani T, Shihan Z, Richard E, Kim B, Nick J. YouTube video, 46:57. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-nYLQZ7vRA&ab_channel=Figma.

Pandit, Ashwini, and Haresh Barot. 2024. “Embracing Digital Health Innovations: Strategies for Anticipation and Adaptation.” Journal of Informatics Education and Research 4 (2). https://doi.org/10.52783/jier.v4i2.907.

Sachinopoulou, Anna, Juha Leppanen, Hannu Kaijanranta, and Jaakko Lahteenmaki. 2007. “Ontology-based approach for managing personal health and wellness information.” In 2007 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society: 1802-1805. IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4352662?casa_token=ee_XF1ywbuYAAAAA:0w-_4clmzB6GS0aOqMAGS7oeyy7dnVf_rHu5HL4pYUKCwBfs3EP_cROFaEo_gZuTj4t61Sj2ZnZS.

Voros, Joseph. 2003. “A generic foresight process framework.” foresight 5 (3): 10-21. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/

Wu, Jing, He Li, Sherri Cheng, and Zhangxi Lin. 2016. "The promising future of healthcare services: When big data analytics meets wearable technology." Information & Management 53 (8): 1020-1033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2016.07.003.

Yelavich, Susan, and Adams, Barbara, eds. 2014. Design As Future-Making. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Accessed October 27, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=1742610.

Acknowledgement

Dr Qasim Saad - Unit coordinator

Curtin University