Inspiration
We were inspired to create Rejuve after discovering the detrimental effects of the Boredom Epidemic on clinical outcomes. Currently, a vast majority of long-term hospital patients suffer from boredom, impeding their recovery. As a result, many patients are forced to endure prolonged hospital stays, which further exacerbates their social isolation and inactivity. Based on our research, there exists no effective solution to this growing global health concern. Thus, we decided to develop our own solution to the Boredom Epidemic through our app Rejuve.
What it does
Our app uses gamification to enhance hospital care for patients faced with serious illnesses. Rejuve features all of the traditional elements of gameplay: leaderboards, randomized reward systems, and competitive tasks. These features will be used to help patients find motivation in completing the otherwise mundane tasks of long-term medical care, such as staying hydrated and physically active. Additionally, our app will allow hospitals to set up accounts in which patients can join and compete against one another by accumulating points. In order to gain points, patients will be invited to complete a set of tasks, such as exercising for an allotted amount of time, drinking the daily recommended amount of water, and completing a variety of challenges. After completing their assigned tasks, patients will be given the opportunity to spin a wheel for points. This is an entirely randomized process, as we believe incorporating chance into our app adds excitement to the gameplay. In addition, patients can compare their progress to others through a leaderboard, which displays the names of the patients with the most points.
How we built it
We first used a platform called Figma to plan and design our app. Following the planning phase of our project, we went on to develop our app in Android Studio and Firebase.
Challenges we ran into
One aspect of our app that was particularly difficult to develop was the daily reset functionality. Two major components of our app, exercise and nourishment, depended on a daily reset function. This function would allow us to reset the number of exercises and cups of water logged at the beginning of each day. Initially, we were unsure of how to approach the task of creating a time-based operation, as it was completely new to all of us. However, we eventually discovered the AlarmManager class, which was served our purposes perfectly.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are most proud to have completed the following aspects of our app, as they all incorporated entirely novel programming concepts which we learned and applied: Daily reset function - We used the AlarmManager class to reset the exercise and nourishment components of our app at the start of each day. Separate user interfaces for hospital staff and patients - Hospital staff and patients have access to different screens and capabilities within our app. Prize wheel - Upon completing various tasks, patients are rewarded with an opportunity to spin a prize wheel to win a random number of points. As a result of integrating animation into our app, the user experience is significantly more exciting and appealing. Leaderboard - Patients ("Paladins") enter a join code to be added to their hospital's parent account ("Guild"). From there, patients can access the leaderboard, which displays the highest scoring patients in their hospital. Exercise Timer - We designed our own in-app timer, which tracks patients' workout progress and physical activity.
What we learned
In developing our daily reset function, we learned how to use pending intents, alarm receivers, and the AlarmManager class. Additionally, in order to complete our reward wheel screen, we learned how to manipulate various aspects of the RotateAnimation class. Finally, we delved deeper into Firebase while learning how to create parent and child accounts as well as leaderboards.
What's next for Rejuve
In the future, we plan to finish developing our challenge feature, where hospital staff design custom challenges for patients to complete. Afterward, we hope to expand our unique gamification model to encompass other aspects of patient wellbeing and continue to enhance our app.
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