Project Name: Humana Innovation Center

Client: Humana Inc.

 2008-2014

As part of a multi-year partnership with the Humana Innovation Center, Tellart developed dozens of prototypes–from games to objects to applications–that were meant to address issues of obesity, long-term disease management, social interaction as wellness indicator, aging in place, and more.

 

One of the earliest and most widely used, the Horsepower Challenge was an interactive game targeted towards elementary school students and utilizing web-connected pedometers to encourage activity. Using principles of “gamification,” the game was a huge success in its initial run and has since been played by thousands of students and in multiple countries. These early game prototypes led to multiple patents and the successful launch of Humana’s wide-reaching games platform, HG4H.

Other suites of prototypes focused on issues of health and wellness within the context of the office environment, and used further interactive technologies and experience design to effectively encourage hydration, physical activity, and emotional health awareness amongst colleagues in a corporate environment.

 

Our later prototypes with the Innovation Center were often focused on issues of the elderly and aging in place. Tackling a wide range of issues from diet, to personal care and hygiene, to connectivity with younger generations, the prototypes facilitated innovative thinking and discussions both within the organization and beyond.

 

Humana and Tellart engaged in a multi-year partnership to create mixed-reality games that encourage healthy living in adults and kids. These games combine a social platform with web-connected sensors embedded in clothing, toys, everyday objects, and even buildings. Energising challenges, friendly competition, and positive feedback make healthy behaviors easy and fun for people of all ages. These game prototypes led to multiple patents and the successful launch of Humana’s wide-reaching games platform, HG4H.

 

Prototyping a device for the Family Registry, a mixed technology, intergenerational budgeting tool.

In the Horesepower Challenge,each student was represented by a customizable avatar and earned points by taking steps.

Wireless message tags were designed to incorporate personalized communication via physical objects.

Physical activity in the workplace was another focus of the project’s integrated technologies.

Hardware disappeared into familiar objects, enhancing the experience.

Early versions of wearable fitness monitors were quickly iterated and subsequently refined in studio.