Healthcare System Using Virtual Attribute Refunds for Behavior Change
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with conditions like type 2 diabetes often struggle to change behavior, such as diet and exercise, preferring medication with side effects over lifestyle changes, and existing methods lack effective incentives for behavior modification.
Innovation Solution
A healthcare system that utilizes a combination of loss aversion and visualization by receiving payment for virtual attributes, where improvements in behavior lead to partial or full refund, with graphical representations of future states motivating users to change their behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users are provided with medication to manage health conditions, then health outcomes are improved, but users avoid making behavior changes and incur ongoing medical costs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary visualization of future health states before behavior changes occur, allowing users to preview potential outcomes. This advance presentation of future scenarios motivates users to take action now, resolving the contradiction by making behavior change more accessible through psychological preparation rather than forcing immediate change.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where sensor data tracks actual behavior, compares it to goals, and updates visualizations of future health states accordingly. This real-time feedback mechanism makes behavior change manageable by showing users their progress and adjusting motivations dynamically, rather than presenting a static choice between medication and lifestyle change.
2Reliability
If users are required to make significant behavior changes for health improvement, then long-term health outcomes improve, but users find it difficult to sustain motivation
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts visualizations and goals based on user progress, making the motivation mechanism flexible rather than static. As users achieve milestones, the system updates future state visualizations to reflect new targets, maintaining engagement over extended periods by continuously presenting achievable rather than overwhelming challenges.
Solution Approach 2:
By showing users visualizations of their future self before they actually achieve the transformation, the system provides psychological preparation that sustains motivation throughout the journey. This preliminary exposure to the desired outcome creates an emotional anchor that users can reference during difficult periods, extending motivation duration.
3Ease of operation
If users purchase virtual attributes with refund conditions, then behavior change motivation increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses virtual copies or representations of health attributes rather than managing complex real-world transactions. Instead of handling actual financial refunds and attribute tracking, the system creates simplified digital representations that mirror the essential motivation mechanism without the full complexity of financial systems, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining motivational effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A method to change a behavior of a user includes receiving state data indicative of a current state of a user. The method includes receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors, the sensor data indicative of one or more behaviors of the user. The method includes receiving payment from the user to purchase a virtual attribute, at least a portion of the payment to be returned to the user responsive to an improvement to the one or more behaviors over an earn-back time period. The method includes determining a behavior-based virtual attribute of the user based on the sensor data. The method includes estimating a future state of the user from the current state of the user, the behavior-based virtual attribute, and the purchased virtual attribute. The method includes generating graphical data including a visualization of the future state of the user to display to the user.