RADOS: Digital health intervention app for teen dating violence
Teen dating violence is a significant health problem impacting the minority youth. Dr. Smith of the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC) wanted to create a game-like social media emulation to teach the LGBTQ youth skills to maintain healthy peer relationships.
Technology Used
Xamarin | Figma | Dialogflow | Azure
What We Did
UI/UX Design
iOS and Android Development
API Integration
Strategy and Planning
Digital health interventions to suit the minority youth population
Research conducted by Dr. Smith showed that "establishing healthy dating relationships is critical to the social development and mental health of SMY (sexual minority youth), who are presented with unique and complex vulnerabilities." Digital health interventions such as serious games are feasible and effective tools for improving health outcomes.
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With the RADOS (Reducing Adversity Outcomes) app, we created an experience that will serve as an accessible vehicle to teach SMY skills to maintain healthy
peer relationships by engaging them in a safe, virtual environment where they can make mistakes and learn
without negative repercussions.
How we helped the client
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Created a research-based UX/UI design that emulates a social media applications to create an experience familiar to adolescents.
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Develop an Android and iOS app using the cross-platform framework Xamarin.
Technicalities
Since the app is a social media emulation, the app required integration of all the same features that a modern social media app has.
Stories
The app uses Stories, commonly found in real social media apps, to simulate a real-life situation for users. For example, the app could present a scenario in which a user is faced with a difficult decision, such as whether to stand up for a friend who is being bullied, and ask the user to choose how they would respond.
Point System
The app uses a point system to track how well users are answering questions and understanding the material. The app can present questions related to various topics, such as how to recognize the signs of an unhealthy relationship, how to intervene when someone is in danger, and how to access resources for help.
Chatbot
The app uses a chatbot for the user to interact with various character. The chatbot was created in a way that allows users to have a realistic conversation about specific tops and situations in a safe virtual environment.
From Discovery to Development
When the client came to us, she had a brilliant idea but wasn't exactly sure of how to translate the idea into a digital product. That's where we came in! The Denovo Studios team started with a discovery phase where we deep dived into the client's idea and help them bring it to life.
Once we had a solid understanding of what we were building, we worked together to map out the journey. We created wireframes and mockups to give the client a design of what the final product would look and feel like.
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With the plan in place, our development team got to work, and we made sure to keep the client in the loop every step of the way to ensure their vision is brought to life.
I've worked with [Denovo Studios] for over a year now and the process has been absolutely seamless! [...] Denovo Studios has been knowledgeable, patient, understanding, and professional throughout every phase of development.
Dr. Ariel Smith
University of Illinois at Chicago - College of Nursing
From Idea to Reality: A Look at our app development process
To bring RADOS to life, we followed our proven process and leveraged our expertise to make successful digital products.
This includes:
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Our deep cross-platform development knowledge
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Rapid prototyping
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Agile development
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Our ability to understand the vision and translate that into a digital product
Tech Stack
Xamarin, Figma, Azure
