Special Olympics APAC: Encouraging Athletes to Stay Active
Industry
Nonprofit, Sports, Health & Wellness
Client
Special Olympics (APAC)
Platforms
Mobile
Date
2016
CASE STUDY BRIEF
Capability
Inclusive design, mobile UX, research synthesis
Leadership level
Director
What I led
Designed Sprout, a mobile activity concept for Special Olympics Asia Pacific that linked approved exercises to the growth of a virtual plant.
Why it matters
Turned athlete and caregiver needs into a simple activity loop with a clear, friendly form of progress feedback.
DECISION RECORD
Problem and stakes
Athletes needed encouragement to stay active between events, while caregivers and coaches needed an experience that was simple, supportive, and suitable for different abilities.
Role and scope
Led the product and interaction-design concept at Palo IT, translating research and training needs into a mobile activity experience.
Key decision and trade-off
Used the visible growth of a virtual plant to connect approved activity with progress, keeping the feedback loop concrete and easy to understand.
Systems and artifacts
Mobile product concept, activity loop, virtual-plant feedback model, exercise flows, and accessible interaction patterns.
Related content
The design constraint
The experience had to encourage activity between Special Olympics events without becoming a clinical training tool. It also had to remain understandable for athletes with different abilities and useful to the caregivers and coaches supporting them.
The interaction model
I connected approved exercise moments to the growth of a virtual plant. The plant made progress visible through one friendly metaphor and gave athletes a reason to return without adding a dense dashboard.
What was produced
The work resulted in a mobile concept, exercise and activity flows, the plant-growth feedback loop, and accessible interaction patterns. It remained a concept, so I do not claim adoption or health outcomes.
