The Challenge
With the COVID-19 health crisis, the work office work paradigm shifted to mostly home office or hybrid work modes.
Office workers face recurring ergonomic and psychological risks — poor posture, visual strain, long hours, stress, and the rise of technostress.
With telework, these risks increase due to:
Non-ideal home office setups
Lack of ergonomic control
Blurred boundaries and digital overload
How might we design a proactive tool that helps workers maintain healthier habits…
…without increasing cognitive load or becoming intrusive?
The process
Looking to showcase my acquired knowledge of the backbone of the UX/UI field, I chose to follow the Design Thinking framework.
Empathy
Discovering what our users need via a combination of secondary (analysis of scientific literature and official sources) and primrary research (quantitative survey and qualitative interviews)
Definition
Defining the problem we want to solve through personas, empathy maps, experience mapping, and value-proposition tools.
Ideation
Brainstorming potential solutions together with a user selection in a brainstorming workshop.
Prototyping
Evolving from mapping user journeys & service blueprint, to defining dialogues and conversational flows accompanied by setting the information architecture + sitemap.
Testing
The core flows were picked to be tested in Mid Fidelity via Moderated Testing.
Empathy
Discovering what our users need via a combination of secondary (analysis of scientific literature and official sources) and primrary research (quantitative survey and qualitative interviews)
Definition
Defining the problem we want to solve through personas, empathy maps, experience mapping, and value-proposition tools.
Ideation
Brainstorming potential solutions together with a user selection in a brainstorming workshop.
Prototyping
Evolving from mapping user journeys & service blueprint, to defining dialogues and conversational flows accompanied by setting the information architecture + sitemap.
Testing
The core flows were picked to be tested in Mid Fidelity via Moderated Testing.
Research Insights
To understand the wellbeing challenges faced by office and remote workers, I conducted a mixed-methods research process.
Insights were triangulated This allowed me to identify the key behavioral patterns and unmet needs that shaped the concept of Vitalflow as a proactive, adaptive, and ethical wellbeing assistant.
Workers only react when discomfort is already severe.
Workers need help identifying harmful habits (breaks, posture, eye rest) early on.
Simple preventive habits are often forgotten, ignored, or overshadowed by workload.
Digital overload and technostress are increasing — amplified by remote work.
Unfiltered notifications and constant demands create chronic stress.
People value proactive support — but only if it is subtle, contextual, and adaptive.
Overly visible or rigid interventions increase annoyance instead of helping.
Wellbeing tools fail when they are manual, disruptive, or high-effort.
Current tools demand too much manual input or disrupt the workflow, leading to drop-off.
Telework increases inequality in ergonomics and access to preventive resources.
Workers need ergonomic support that adapts to their real environment because telework conditions vary widely.
Workers want wellbeing support — but fear being monitored.
Fear of surveillance directly reduces trust and engagement.
The result: Vitalflow
A multimodal coach that assists workers throughout the day through subtle interactions.
The Vitalflow Method
Based on the Atomic Habits framework, we established a methodology to help users boost their physical and mental health during their workday.
1
Day 1
You register, you sync your tech and we have a chat to get to know you
2
Day 2
We establish goals together
3
Every day
We accompany you on the workday,
you see your progress
4
Day X
You reach a goal, we establish a new one
Making the most of the workday
Optimizing the effectiveness of work breaks is the core feature of Vitalflow. We help users shift from passive coffee and phone breaks to more active, social, or relaxation-focused breaks, enhancing overall well-being and productivity.
Stretch breaks
Adapting the exercises to the available space in your home and your availability, your assistant will guide your stretching sessions to keep your muscles strong.
Socialising from home
One of the major drawbacks from home office work is the lack of social interaction. Vitalflow helps users with similar profiles and availability connect. The assistant helps out during their first interactions with some topic suggestions.
True relaxation
One of the biggest challenges for workers is to find a screen-free activity appropriate for a short available time slot. Vitalflow speeds up the decission making, and suggests different activities that allow these short wind down moments. From guided meditations, to music jams, to art therapy exercises, Vitalflow has got you covered.
