Human-Centered Design

Date: 08 August 2020

“Americans Face an Increasing Problem with Obesity.

Using Technology, we can overcome this problem as a nation”

Obesity is a medical condition where the body mass increases than the healthy level prescribed by doctors and medical experts. There are many reasons for obesity but the prime being intake of a high amount of food which is more than the body needs. Other reasons include genetics, food addiction, engineered junk food, certain medications, physical inactivity, frequency of eating, and a diet high in carbohydrates. Obesity is one of the biggest medical conditions in the United States. Over 70 million adults in the United States are suffering from Obesity and an additional 99 million people are over-weight in which the proportion of men is higher than women. According to recent statistics over 39.6% of adults in the United States are obese (Coons & Duncan, 2013). To deal with this growing problem, technology can be employed. An easy solution is a sensor-based tracking system for calorie intake and the requirement of the body. This can be achieved through an inbuilt feature in smartphones where a record can be kept on how much calories are being taken on a delayed basis and how much is required based on the sex, height, weight, and medical conditions of each individual. This can be offered through a mobile application as well where the app also records the physical activity undertaken by the person on a daily basis and presents daily calculations on how much more physical activity is required. This can be connected with a reminder system on continuously motivating the user for more physical activities (Marešová, 2019). A brief business model canvas for the proposed mobile application for curing obesity through technology is presented below:

Key Partners:

Key partners for this prosed idea will be healthcare experts, application developers, mobile phone manufacturers, and representatives from regulatory bodies to ensure that there is no violation of personal rights. The data must be factual and be able to advertised correctly to gain prospective users attention.

Key Activities:

Key activities for the senor-based tracking mobile application will be to record the intake of calories, record blood pressure, sugar level, and the required number of calories. A hybrid of gyroscopic data mixed with GPS will be able to determine actual physical activity vs. riding in a car automatically without user input. This will also record the physical activities of the user and match it with the required physical action. This way the application will generate a comparison and will remind the user through notifications to reach the required level of physical activities. An additional user enabled feature might even be disabling the phone until a certain amount of an exercise is complete.

Value position:

The core value delivered by the proposed mobile application is to introduce a lifestyle that supports healthy living and provides a cure for obesity. Are goal is to reach the average person who is experiencing tigher closes and does not know where to begin to correct the situation. This solution does not require any medications or a hardcore workout. Rather this is possible through simple changes in lifestyle through controlling food intake and increasing physical activity (Forman & Goldstein, 2016).

Customer relationship:

Customer relationships are not very difficult as the customers are used to the mobile application and tracking their daily lives through their mobile phones. The only need will be to convince them to use their mobile phones to model their lives into a healthy lifestyle. Once they begin using the application we will make every effort in the application requiring minimal effort to achive goals of weighloss.

Customer segments:

The targeted customers will be those segments of society where the obesity rate is high. Specifical looking into the population with higher than average Body Mass Index (BMI). It will include the adults where the obesity rate is highest and possible reach people predisposed to weight gain from underlying medical conditions. It will also cater to the needs of older people. The segmentation will be based on age and physical lifestyle (Gilmore, 2014).

Key resources:

The key resources needed are expert opinion form medical and healthcare experts, skilled mobile app developers, and enough resources for marketing. Having accurate data that will produce real results for the users will encourage more customers. The more effort in the design and testing of the simplistic yet elegant use of the application will also build the customer base.

Distribution channel:

The distribution channel is not conventional for this proposed idea. The way of the future is utilizing the spread of digital content. The mobile application can be downloaded from the Apple store or Google store for iPhone and Android phones respectively. The application can also be marketed as a web based product as well without having to download files for the more conservative user. Anywhere digital content is available this can be marketed appropratly.

Cost structure:

The proposed idea does not charge high prices from the users. The basic version of the application monitoring the food intake and calorie intake and matching it with food requirements will not charge any cost but the advanced version with full workout ad food routines will charge a monthly fee (Kozak, 2018).

Revenue stream:

There could be multiple revenue streams for the proposed idea. Two basic revenue streams could be a monthly subscription for the premium accounts for the workout routines and food intake routine. The second model for revenue generation can be an advertisement.

References Coons, M. J., & Duncan, J. (2013). Technology Interventions to Curb Obesity: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature. Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep, 120–134. Forman, E. M., & Goldstein, S. (2016). Could technology help us tackle the obesity crisis? Future Sci OA, 1-23. Gilmore, L. A. (2014). The Technology Boom: A new era in Obesity Management. SAGE journal, 22-27. Kozak, A. T. (2018). Technology-based interventions for weight management: current randomized controlled trial evidence and future directions. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 99-111. Marešová. (2019). Management of Overweight and Obesity: Technology-Based Interventions Among Generation Y. SAGE journal, 1-34.

Mission, Vision and Value Analysis

Stefanie Williams

Grand Canyon University

07/26/2020

Strategic Direction

A firm’s strategic direction is developed through the establishments of a strategic plan. The direction that a firm opts to take to attain its goal is an essential part of the strategic planning process. A clear strategic direction positive impact is felt all over the firm. A strategic direction for aids in providing clarity direction and focus for a firm; it as well aids in driving organizational alignment and lastly it aids in communicating the firm’s message in a clear manner. Mission and vision statements tend to contribute greatly to the effectiveness of strategic planning process (Becker’s Hospital Review, 2020). The mission statement provides a firm with the purpose and meaning and speaks to the reason why clients would want to visit the firm. In contrast a vision statement is used to provide each person with a description of what they are working towards.

In my previous assignment I chose the Parkview Health System which is a community base firm that provided healthcare services to citizens from the Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio. It is mainly known for its motto “Excellent Care, Every Patient, every time.” The Parkview health care system is comprised numerous health care facilities including the specialty care physicians and a moderately sized primary care network. The firm boasts on nursing excellence and proud fully promotes itself as the location’s greatest employer with more than 13,000 workers (“Parkview Health,” 2020). The firm dictates itself to employing qualified and dedicated workers. The main goal of the firm is to aid in improving health as they create inspiration to patient on taking the required strategies in improving their health. Through consistent updates and assessment in technology and the vision and mission statement, the firm will be consistent in enhancing the quality of care.

Mission and Values

Within their ten facilities, Parkview Health provides high quality care and excellence with a wide range of quality treatments all while the services are easily accesable. With this we can conclude that it has a well detailed and focused mission vision statement. The mission and vision statement of Parkview Health include: “As a community owned, not for profit organization, Parkview Health is dedicated to improving your health and inspiring your wellbeing by: tailoring a personalized health journey to achieve your unique goals; demonstrating world class teamwork as we partner with you along that journey; and providing the excellence, innovation and value you seek in terms of convenience, compassion, service, cost and quality.” (“Parkview Health,” 2020). This shows that the firms makes the care that the patients get unique and specific to them as they make them responsible for their well-being. Quality is key to the values of the mission and vision as they ensure that the patient are convinced that Parkview is dedicated to their healthcare needs.

Effectiveness

For a health care facility, certain features should be reviewed when developing a mission and vision statement, the statement should be short in length, but meaningful. Because of this, a brief, short statement will create ease when memorizing or stating the statement. Organizational goals should also be included (“Defining the Future Direction of the Organization,” n.d.). Parkview Health describes it mission and vision statement in one lengthy statement. However, this statement is effective in describing the firms’ objectives for any and all to comprehend. Goals of the firm can be seen within the statement and aid in developing motivation for the organization by basic service and care enhancements. Parkview is dedicated to offering the most appropriate patient based care to patients and their families. They mainly aim at making that all the patients and families get quality care and that they maintain the health facility as a safe and comfortable place (“Parkview Health,” 2020).

Christian Worldview

Parkview Health mission and vision are aligned to the biblical principles since it majors on the well-being of other. They are commitment to objectively and honesty when caring for others. Christians tend to believe that they should be committed to enhancing the well-being of others. Christians as well believe in the principles of ethics that guide the evaluation of people and nation. Parkview health system is aligned to ethics since with regard to its vision and mission system it is even a nonprofit firm that enhances the health of the patients. Adherence to these values of Christianity aids in providing a good direction for the firm to follow and gives the employees the reason as to why they want to attain their vision.

Major Organization Resources

The firm is a nonprofit firm that is legally bound to do well for the benefit of the society. Their leadership board is composed of community leaders and earnings are reinvested in order for the society to benefit. Since the facility main aim is to make health care accessible to all the citizens where some are unemployed, uninsured, low income families and individuals with disability and many others. Parkview along with its partnerships, offer school nurses as an affordable health services to the uninsured, and also provide transportation assistance to those whom are unable to provide transportation for themselves. The community partner benefit programs assist in helping to promote a healthy lifestyle, and long with this they also offer education and initiatives that have been implemented to aid in addressing health care needs. Additionally, their vision and mission enables them to collaborate with firms with similar beliefs as they create outside funding in the locations that they serve.

Strategic and Organizations

Funding are distributed as an approach for strategies to be managed and reviewed in a firm (Strategic, 2009). The modifications of care and services are the top tier priority, then once this has been completed Parkview will begin to focus on putting patient before profits which include not allowing patients. The firm’s development mainly dependent on the services provided. The goal within the region is to provide the communities with high quality health care professionals.

Strategic Objectives

Strategic objectives acts as a firm’s ambition. The firm’s ambition include the mission and the vision statements. Thus the strategic objectives aid in describing the main thrust of a firm and its goal which can be attained by successfully conducting business strategic objectives. Strategic objectives aids in fulfilling a strategy, addressing concrete and develop company unity. Strategic objectives is as well essential for strategic planning since it aids in clarifying the purpose and the basic measurable objectives of the firm. It as well aids in describing the firm’s purpose (Hawthorne, 2019).

Conclusion

The mission and vision statements of Parkview health systems shows a primary goal of offering quality care, by quality health care professionals, all while maintaining a patient focused organization. As the funding and the needs of the facility continues grow and increase, the mission and vision statement will also needs to be revisited and evaluated overtime for potential changes, since as an organization grows and evolves, so will the mission and visions for the future.

References

Student Name: Stefanie Williams

Thesis statement (State the name of the selected organization and what will be covered in the SWOT Analysis in one sentence):

· The Parkview Health System presents strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats it encounters in an attempt to achieve their mission, upon which this discussion paper are established.

Strategic Goal(s) (Identify at least one strategic goal that could be pursued in the business plan based on the SWOT Analysis):

· SWOT analysis is a methodology of planning that enables the Parkview health system in establishing a strategic plan to achieve goals, boost operations and business relevancy.