Gamification is gaining recognition as a powerful tool for contexts far removed from gaming itself, and the approach has been used for applications as varied as advertising, to recruiting, to rewards programs. Litesprite hopes to expand the gaming approach to a rather important sector: health.
Litesprite’s mobile application, Sinasprite, helps patients proactively manage their chronic illnesses, including mental illnesses (anxiety, depression, stress, substance abuse), cancer, and diabetes. The company’s app features Socks the Fox, a cartoon fox aiming to be a “zen master.” Patients tell Socks about their worries and frustrations, and Socks listens and then instructs the patient to, for example, take deep breaths and visualize their problems floating away. In a recently published study, users of the platform reported lower levels of depression and anxiety; users also reported that they were able to learn better coping skills. Currently, Sinasprite has over 500 users.
Litesprite Founder and CEO, Swatee Surve, previously developed and launched initiatives for Microsoft, Nike, T-Mobile, Premera Blue Cross, and Eastman Kodak. Surve holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, an MSME in Biomechanics from Pennsylvania State University, and a BS in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. While she is clearly experienced in building healthcare technologies for major companies, we asked her a few questions about her own venture.
Litesprite Helps Patients Manage Illnesses Through Gaming [Medgadget]