Designing an even healthier app: Meet Morsel 2.0

Lately, we’ve been increasingly seeing the power of what’s called “design thinking” in the healthcare space. On one end of the spectrum, it’s literally transforming equipment designs to improve efficiency and to humanize the technology so that the anxiety that comes with medical care can be reduced. On the other end is what is called “designing for behavior change” which is all about taking cues from the world of design and applying them in everyday life, so that small lifestyle changes, often fueled by new technologies, can have enormously positive results when it comes to improving health. One example can be seen in Morsel 2.0, a new version of a smart phone app that GE’s healthymagination team launched last year to help people stay healthier by offering up daily, bite-sized, achievable goals that anyone can do to help stay healthier. It’s explained in the “how to” video below:

In the app, a “morsel” is basically a short suggestion on a way to exercise or avoid unhealthy habits — all while you’re actually doing something else. At its heart, Morsel takes the approach that big lifestyle changes can sometimes be daunting, if not outright impossible, but little ones can certainly be tackled — and the positive effect of those baby steps can add up. Which, in turn, is whole idea behind design thinking: encouraging behavior change, but in subtle ways.

The original Morsel application saw nearly 250,000 Morsels completed. For example, it suggests easy-to-do, healthy activities and explains why taking these steps are good for your health — such as drink two large glasses of water before sitting down to eat a meal because the water will start to fill you up, helping to prevent over-eating. Other Morsels might be: “Don’t put extra salt on anything you eat today” or: “The next time you’re sitting down, flex your abs, extend your legs, and point your toes. Repeat this a few times.”

The new version expands the potential reach of the tips by allowing consumers to share via Twitter and Facebook — and it allows users to create customized favorites and to-do lists to make personalized plans. The free app for the latest version of Morsel is now available for the iPhone in the Apple iTunes store, and is coming soon to the Blackberry and Android marketplace.

* Download Morsel 2.0
* Check out the Morsel summer survival guide

Learn more in these GE Reports stories:
* “IDEO’s Tim Brown on ‘design thinking’ in healthcare”
* “Mermaids & pirates take the fear out of hospital scans”
* “Prof. Bruce Nussbaum on design, tech & emotion”
* “Dr. Kalkut on feeling spleens, fearful patients & design”
* “Hey, good looking! GE’s medical designs win 5 awards“