OxiWear
User research aimed at expanding the existing market reach for OxiWear by targeting high-cardio athletes.
OxiWear specializes in wearable technology designed to monitor and improve users' health and well-being by tracking vital signs and providing valuable health insights.
Download the presentation deck here ↘
Overview
What is OxiWear?
OxiWear, an early/mid-stage startup established in 2018 by Georgetown CCT alum Shavini Fernando, is developing an ear-wearable Oxygen (SPO2) monitoring device. Their innovative technology offers continuous SPO2 monitoring and safety alerts, primarily catering to patients at risk of hypoxia. OxiWear's strategic expansion now centers on the high-cardio athletics sector, with a focus on enhancing training methods for improved athletic performance.
Research Aim
The research aims to understand high-cardio athletes' experiences with SPO2 monitoring and wearable tech. Our focus is on athletes’ habits, performance goals, and perceptions of OxiWear. The goal is for OxiWear to gain insights into how to best target and understand athletes as customers.
Client
Shavini Fernando, CEO, OxiWear.
Team Members
Aakansha Chacko, Bradlee Sutherland, Stella Chen, Ava Schafbuch, Grace Lee
My Role
Led interviews, took point on analysis of coded data to develop themes, led visual direction.
Timeline
8 weeks
Problem Statement ↘
How can OxiWear best target and understand high-cardio athletes as potential customers for their SPO2 monitoring and wearable technology based on insights into athletes' habits, performance goals, and perceptions?
Methodology ↘
Semi-structured interviews
The objective was to conduct qualitative research among current Georgetown students, including those with a casual interest in sports and current collegiate athletes. We initiated the process by sending out a prescreener, followed by conducting Zoom interviews. Afterward, we analyzed and coded the data, identifying four central themes.
Interviewee demographics
5 participants: 3 rowers, 1 swimmer, 1 cross-country runner
↙User Persona
Rebecca, age 20, student at Georgetown University, involved in high cardio sports (on the Rowing team and does personal training at the GU fitness center), limited income because she is a student.
View presentation deck for full persona
Data Analysis ↘
Developing a codebook
Based on our interviews, the following codebook was developed
We Love Wearable Tech!
3 out of 5 interviewees were already wearing smart technology during their workout.
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OxiWear: Cool, but $$$
Intrigued by its novelty, but admitted they would not buy it for personal use.
🤷🏽♀️
Metric Used: Heart Rate
Heart rate monitors used for distance/time measurement and other types of workouts.
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Key Findings 💡
❤️
Little Understanding of O2 Monitoring
On a scale of 1 to 5, their average knowledge of SPO2 monitoring remained at a 1 or 2.
4 Key Areas of Focus
#1 UX Design
Issues with website and content
Slow load times
Issues with button visibility
inconsistent image quality
powerful imagery, but photoshopped device
Issues with current state of knowledge
5 of 5 interviewees indicated that they had limited knowledge of SPO2 importance for training
It is unclear under the “Why OxiWear” page why SPO2 is important
Recommendation: Conduct a full website audit
Useful way to catch errors or inconsistencies at once instead over time
Quickly identify performance issues
Review fonts and buttons
Optimize website for different devices
Identify photos to be replaced
#2 Knowledge Building
Recommendation: Conduct SPO2 Usage Campaign
Write copy on the homepage that explains the fitness use of SPO2
Conduct a social media campaign raising awareness on what SPO2 monitoring is
Consider digestible infographics to explain SPO2 monitoring instead of only academic papers
“I don't know much about [O2 monitoring], but from what I learned just by reading like a synopsis, I think it's a really interesting product. And I definitely would use it during training, because I think that would be very valuable to know more than just what's going on with my heart rate. As a runner, I think knowing your oxygen levels would be really useful for sure.”
Interview #1, Runner
#3 Product Features
More information about the product novelty
Novelty of ear placement was appreciated and should be asserted on the home page
Link between the device and the app is unclear
The device’s additional metrics or functionality should be highlighted
Recommendation: Rewrite copy and community testing
Consider rewriting copy and graphics on homepage of website to emphasize:
Ear placement
Other measurements outside of SPO2
How OxiWear works
Possible opportunity for an experiential marketing campaign to allow sports teams to “trial” the device
“I think that they could do a better job of highlighting some of the features of it, because some other products that I've looked at, they kind of do more of an in depth visualization of how it monitors your vitals and what that would look like if it's connecting to the app on your phone. It says that it connects to an app but doesn't really say anything about that app.”
Interview #2, Rower
#4 Hesitations: Cost
Issue with cost
College-level athletes expressed the cost was too high for individual purchase
But, would use if funded by team
Recommendation: Target team structure and affordable options
Target team coaches and finance officers to see if cost can be absorbed in teams instead of individual athletes
An OxiWear “Lite” version to be an affordable alternative. It preserves ear functionality, but may not have all of the features
Offer special pricing for team-wide use
“I just feel like, that's very, very high cause I know that most smart watches out there, I feel like, are under or around $300, and most likely under. So I just feel like compared to other products that can kind of do similar things, that's a little bit far above the price point.”
Interview #4, Rower
