YAZIO, the health management app that makes you want to come back even after quitting

Last weekend, cherry blossoms were in full bloom all over the country, and everywhere you went, people were enjoying hanami (flower viewing). Speaking of hanami, it is associated with cherry blossoms, but in the Nara period when it is said to have originated, plum blossoms brought from China were the mainstream. This is not to say that cherry blossoms were not liked, but rather that while the fragrant and beautiful plum blossoms were preferred, cherry blossoms were considered sacred trees to the Japanese people of that time and were not objects for appreciation. Since then, the native Japanese cherry blossom has gradually come to be loved as the representative flower of spring (though there are various theories). While hanami is synonymous with cherry blossoms, I personally like the splendor of plum blossoms, so I would like to enjoy hanami under a plum tree next year.

Now, in this installment of [Analyzing Good CX!], we will analyze the health management app "YAZIO".

💡 We deliver articles that analyze Good CX (Good Customer Experience) encountered in daily life in our series "Good CX Bookmarks." Please see this introduction article for the purpose of the series and other articles.

Health management apps end up being abandoned halfway through

Have you ever used a health management app? I previously started using a health management app called "YAZIO," which had a simple and easy-to-use UI design, to manage my health and diet through self-management. This app sets PFC (the ratio representing the balance of energy-producing nutrients—protein, fat, and carbohydrates—that is healthy to consume) according to the user's goals and situation, and automatically calculates them if you enter what you have eaten. Apps with such recording functions are not limited to YAZIO; they are now available in any health management app. It is a convenient era.

However, just because an app is convenient does not mean you can keep using it forever. At first, you start dieting and meal management with the app with great enthusiasm. You are satisfied with yourself for being able to manage it, and you are even happier when you see some results. But people are not strong enough to keep doing something forever. Before I knew it, I stopped opening the app. While I felt it couldn't be helped, I felt a vague, uneasy emotion somewhere, similar to the feeling of not having submitted homework to a teacher for a long time.

When I opened the app with trepidation, it said "Welcome back!"

One day, when I had some breathing room in my life, I wanted to try dieting and health management again, so I opened "YAZIO," which I hadn't used for a while, with some trepidation, partly to organize my apps.
Then, it started with the following message screen.

"Welcome back to YAZIO! We are happy that you have returned. Let's try again and continue the journey together. You can do it! We are by your side at every stage of the journey. Don't forget that."

I never expected to be told something like this, so I was surprised and at the same time, the feeling of "maybe I'll try again" sprouted in an instant.

When I went to the next screen, it delved into things like "What was the reason you took a few days off?", "How do you feel about continuing the journey?", and "How will you get back on track?", showing consideration for the user who had interrupted their usage while not being unpleasant, and in a direction that boosted motivation. And before I knew it, I was being guided to talk about future goals.

How to design the momentary experience when you return after an interruption

Looking at this from a CX perspective, there are two important points.

1. Approach to the "moment of return"
It is difficult for users to continue using apps for recording and management for a long time. It is inevitable that users will drop out halfway for various reasons, such as finding recording troublesome or stopping because they have achieved their goals. While it is important to keep them using it, the experience design for when they stop using it and then return is surprisingly often overlooked.

In other words, not only the "moment of starting the app," but also the "moment of returning (re-opening) after being away from the app for a while" is an important MOT (Moment of Truth)that is the case. I want to try again, but won't I just quit again because that's how I am? It is a moment where you can approach that instant for a user who opens the app in a state where such expectations and anxieties are mixed. I felt firsthand that the design of the experience here is so important for generating the next action.

2. For the user, the app is a "travel companion"
What kind of words do you say to the user the moment they restart the app... In the background, you can see what kind of existence you want the user to feel the app is. YAZIO consistently speaks to you as a "travel companion." The "journey" here refers to the "process until the user achieves their goal while managing their health." By using the metaphor of a "journey," it conveys the idea that it is okay to stumble along the way—that is, to interrupt the app. And even if you get lost on the journey, the design is such that by having a "companion" you can consult, you can maintain your motivation without being overly swayed by the ups and downs of your progress toward your goal.

In particular, one of the reasons why I cannot continue dieting is a "mistake in goal setting" due to a selfish way of thinking: "I don't allow failures along the way" and "I try to get the maximum effect on the shortest path." By using YAZIO, I came to think about what elements are necessary for me when setting goals, and I rarely make unreasonable plans anymore.

Behind the design of each of these individual experiences lies a philosophy about how we perceive diet and health, and what we want this app to represent for the user; this design aspect is crucial. This app uses metaphors to convey these ideas effectively and has guided me well.

However, the difficult part of dieting is finding conditions that you can maintain without strain, so my journey still seems to have a long way to go... I will continue this long journey with YAZIO.

(Author: Design Researcher Ikumi Umeda)

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