IMPERIUM combines smart e-cigarette hardware with a personalized app to help users control or quit vaping effectively.
Winner in Product User Interface Design - European Product Design Awards
IMPERIUM addresses the challenge of e-cigarette addiction with a dual-pronged approach: a smart vaping device and a companion app. The system tracks user habits, employs behavior learning algorithms, and offers personalized plans for controlling or quitting vaping. Key features include real-time puff tracking, community support, and data-driven insights. IMPERIUM aims to increase cessation success rates by providing a human-centered solution to combat nicotine addiction.
Problem
E-cigarettes, initially seen as a smoking cessation aid, have become a new addiction problem, especially among youth. 80% of smokers switching to e-cigarettes continue vaping after a year, perpetuating nicotine dependence and health risks.
The rise of affordable, flavored e-cigarettes has led to widespread adoption among teenagers, creating a new generation of nicotine addicts. Despite known health risks, the "cool" image of vaping and the misconception that it's a safe alternative to smoking have contributed to its popularity. This trend poses significant long-term health risks and challenges for addiction prevention and cessation efforts.
Solution
IMPERIUM leverages digital technology to transform the typically harmful e-cigarette into a tool for positive change by combining smart hardware with personalized software to empower users to take control and offering personalized, data-driven cessation plans and community support.
Key Features:
- Real-time puff tracking
- Personalized cessation plans
- Community support system
- Data visualization
Design Process:
- Iterative development with user feedback
- Focusing on creating a non-judgmental, supportive experience
Discovery
The team employed user-centered design principles, conducting in-depth interviews with current e-cigarette users. This research revealed that many users reach for their devices unconsciously. Two key user personas were identified, informing the development of features like real-time puff tracking and personalized cessation plans.
Secondary Research
A 2019 study indicates that 80% of cigarette smokers that switch to e-cigarettes as a cessation method will continue to vape a year later. Due to the high levels of nicotine found in e-cigarettes, the belief that vapes are a better alternative to smoking regular cigarettes is misguiding and inaccurate.
The introduction of affordable and disposable vaping pods have made it a popular accessory for teenagers to wear -- more so with the addition of fruity and tropical flavors. Even with the knowledge that nicotine is bad for your health, this presents a challenging problem because the “cool” image vapes can give to young adults can lead to a lifetime of nicotine addiction.
User Research
The team employed user-centered design principles, conducting in-depth interviews with current e-cigarette users. This research revealed that many users reach for their devices unconsciously. Two key user personas were identified, informing the development of features like real-time puff tracking and personalized cessation plans.
A crucial insight was the dual nature of the problem: physical addiction to nicotine and psychological attachment to the act of vaping. This understanding led to the development of a solution that addresses both aspects, combining hardware modifications with software support.
Ideation
The design process was inspired by behavioral psychology and addiction research. The team incorporated user preferences and habits into the product design, resulting in a sleek, non-judgmental interface that aligns with users' desire for a "cool" accessory while subtly encouraging healthier behavior.
Design Goals to Design Solutions
After the user research phase, we identified aspects of the experience that users would attain from the solution. The following 5 design goals were the identified targets for the design work. The solution needed to be thought-less, keep users honest to achieve accountability, this would improve the user's confidence through a well-designed personalized plan of action. Afterwards, the 5 design goals were narrowed down into 3 design solutions.
Information Architecture
To better help future users identify their desired goal and information to help them reach it, we focused on organizing and structuring the user flow according to the two identified goals: control or quit vaping.
This approach allowed us to prototype on three different paths both for the physical product and the digital interface:
Storyboard
Final Designs
IMPERIUM is a two-part solution that involves a physical product and a digital interface that are connected to track the user's historical vaping data to generate a personalized plan to control or quit vaping. IMPERIUM consists of a physical product and an accompanying app to be a human-first mobile application that tracks the user's habits through the physical vaping device, collects the habitual information of the user, and displays historical data in a digestible dashboard.
Physical Product
In the physical model, the button connection that closes the electrical current will be utilized to measure the time the user spends inhaling and displays this data in the home-screen of the app.
Physical Structure
Taking advantage of the electronics already in the market, the physical structure of IMPERIUM is designed with microchips and sensors easily accessible to users. All electronics are compatible with each other and connect to the app via Bluetooth.
Digital Interface
The IMPERIUM app is designed to be a human-first mobile application that tracks the user’s habits and displays historical data in a digestible dashboard. The app allows family and friends to join in to support the journey. The app will collect enough information to utilize habitual behavior learning algorithms to assess and develop a personalized vaping plan: either a “control plan” or a “quitting plan”, depending on the user’s goal.
Takeaways
- The importance of non-judgmental design. Users respond better to supportive, empowering interfaces
- Data-driven personalization is crucial for some users
- Intuitive design encourages consistent use of the app and device
- Integration of hardware and software systems
- Designing nudges and interventions based on psychological principles
- Conducting effective user research and interviews
- Integration with other wearable devices
- Introduce achievement systems and rewards for meeting cessation goals
- Offer tailored educational materials based on user progress and interests