Ilera
Unlock Your Unique Wellness Journey with Ilera: Tailored Health Solutions for Every You.
Product Experience
Problem Space
Problem Statement
How might we create culturally tailored resources to bridge the gap in current health applications and guidance, enabling actionable solutions that align with users' unique dietary preferences and lifestyle practices? This initiative aims to enhance the management of prevalent health conditions and promote overall well-being.
Problem Background
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario underscores a pressing health concern — individuals of South Asian or Black descent in Ontario are reported to be three times (3x) more likely to suffer from hypertension than the general population, often experiencing its onset at a younger age (Liu et al., 2011). Despite their eagerness to embark on a health journey, individuals from these backgrounds frequently encounter a dearth of resources, be it nutritional or lifestyle guidance, and applications tailored to their specific needs. In a recent study by Cathcart (2022), European and Indian dishes were better recognized (greater than 70%) across all apps compared to West African and Latin American dishes. This stark lack of tailored support leaves members of the BIPOC community feeling disoriented, confused and demotivated to pursue their health and wellness goals.
Research Insights
User Pain Points
- Current apps lack features to track ethnic cuisine dishes, limiting the user's ability to monitor and manage meals aligned with their cultural preferences during weight loss efforts. The user is reluctant to sacrifice flavorful meals.
- Individuals with busy schedules may find it challenging to prepare fresh meals, often resorting to fast food options due to time constraints. A desire exists for a tool providing quick and easy recipe ideas tailored to cultural diets.
- Users are concerned about the abundance of information, often contradictory, available from various sources. They express a need for a personalized tool to provide reliable suggestions and recommendations for nutrition ideas and exercise routines.
- Users face struggles with maintaining consistent exercise habits and express a wish for opportunities to diversify their routines through potential partnerships with others.
Supporting Data
To delve deeper into this problem space, a survey and user interviews were conducted, engaging with 38 respondents and 6 interviewees, respectively.
The research revealed that approximately
- 60% of respondents have a family history of hypertension or diabetes.
- Notably, 90% strongly believe that personalized guidance and resources tailored to their unique cultural backgrounds would be beneficial.
- Moreover, 80% of respondents described facing constant challenges while trying to develop a healthy lifestyle, citing issues such as time constraints, contradictory information, cost concerns, cultural roots influencing eating habits, and the struggle to balance cravings.
- Finally, around 70% of respondents expressed their willingness to consider using an application that caters specifically to their unique cultural and lifestyle dietary needs.
Landing on the Solution
Based on our target users' pain points, we knew we wanted to work on the following features in Ilera—an innovative health app crafted to revolutionize personal well-being. Utilizing cutting-edge algorithms, Ilera takes a personalized approach, understanding users' health habits, taste preferences, and cultural backgrounds. This approach results in curated suggestions for culturally sensitive recipes, personalized vitamin and mineral recommendations, and tailored exercise plans. What sets Ilera apart is its commitment to empowering users from the BIPOC community, offering unique, user-centric solutions that enable individuals to take charge of their health journey. In response to ongoing user feedback, we continuously refine Ilera to address the evolving needs of our diverse user base, with exciting future features outlined on our roadmap to further enhance the overall well-being experience
Explanation of Solution
Ilera allows users to select their preferred mood for food, offering 3-5 meal prep suggestions based on taste preferences, cultural inclinations, and personalized nutritional needs. The app boasts a repository of 1000+ culturally sensitive recipes, making it a comprehensive culinary companion. Ilera also provides tailored exercise plans grounded in users' health histories, ensuring safe and effective workout options for individuals with preexisting health conditions.
Backed by research studies, Ilera offers personalized suggestions for vitamin and mineral intake, enhancing the nutritional aspect of the user experience. Users can also track calorie intake and search for any ethnic food, contributing to a comprehensive and individualized dietary record.
In essence, Ilera doesn't just offer a health app; it presents a holistic, culturally sensitive, and user-centric solution that redefines the approach to personal well-being.
Future Steps
I plan on stretching myself to develop this product even if it is not something I have done previously. This product idea came from a personal problem I had encountered for years. Exploring this problem space helped me solidify the jobs to be done (JTBD) and create a nexus between their pain points and how my product provides solutions.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Olamide Egbewumi
The process of completing this Co.Lab program has been an amazing one. A crucial highlight for me was crafting the user personas. It's more than just demographics; it's a compelling narrative about our target users. These personas illuminate their challenges, creating a nexus between their pain points and how our product provides solutions. As a product manager, aligning with user needs and keeping the focus on the customer is paramount. This ensures your customers not only recognize the problem but also feel connected to the solution. This simple yet profound idea reinforced the significance of understanding our users' perspectives.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.