05 / 06 · Allergy Test VR · Clinic · Research

Finding where technology can ease pediatric anxiety

Company: Stanford VHIL × Sean N. Parker Center · 2018–2020
Responsibilities: Need-finding, patient journey mapping, interaction design, prototyping

Overview

Allergy Test VR is a virtual reality experience for kids going through oral food challenges, the gold-standard test for food allergies. Kids eat growing doses of the food they're allergic to under medical supervision, and anxiety during the test can look like an allergic reaction and slow the whole process down.

As a researcher at Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab, I spent months observing food challenges at Stanford Children's Hospital. I then designed an experience that makes each bite part of the story: every dose is a magic orb that gives the player magic to bring a barren forest back to life.

Results

Co-authored study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (opens in new tab)
78% of kids enjoyed it; 67% wanted it at their next food challenge
67% said they wouldn't be thinking about their dose while playing
Feeding in the headset proved hard, which pointed the next version toward passthrough

Allergy Study ↗Full story →

Campsite scene with the forest nymph character

Patient journey map — Patient journey · oral food challenge

Storyboard: the ask — STORYBOARD · PLAYER RELATIVE TO MAGIC SINKS

Storyboard: the hand-off — STORYBOARD · PLAYER CASTING MAGIC TO GROW TREE

3D-printed spoon attached to a VR controller — Hardware prototype · Tracked spoon

Night forest scene with tree stumps — Environment · The forest before the magic

Design process