RecoveryBuddy

An iOS app that matches two individuals with the same eating disorder to support each other. It allows them to create common goals and comment on them for encouragement, and it contains a small reward system to keep them going.

#Vision Statement The purpose of this product is to help people with eating disorders overcome their psychological illness. This product provides the users with the support they need by building a community where the individuals with the same disorder support each other. Our organization expects that after using our product, the users will recover, start recovering, or realize that they need professional help.

#Background By developing this application, our hope is that it will give a helping hand to people who genuinely could benefit from the service we provide. Our focus is providing an alternative treatment service for individuals who suffer from eating disorders. The ailment receives such very little attention in our daily lives, that people who would like to seek support for it are often misunderstood, ridiculed or given the wrong treatment. They are proven to be psychological illnesses characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. In the modern day, multitudes of people endure the effects not only physically but also psychologically. Seeking help is more often than not incredibly intimidating, especially here in Lebanon where psychological illnesses are commonly frowned upon and individual sufferers are alienated.

In contemporary society, user anonymity and ease of access is much more preferred than face-to-face talks with a psychologist or doctor. With our service, we empower the users, giving them complete control over their rehabilitation schedules, helping them in that regard. There are very few outlets for this anonymous assistance for individuals suffering from this condition to seek help with. The few services that are available are flawed in several key areas. There is much room for improvement in this area and this is the gap we are trying to fill by providing this platform. At the present time, the resources that are available for those afflicted, in terms of social and mobile support, are inadequate. We aim to decisively provide those in need with an effective alternate way of therapy, with a strong emphasis on positive social support. The individuals suffering from eating disorders will in turn have an effective means to assist them in overcoming the illness or at the very least encouragement and support in their struggle. Our association’s goal is well grounded and humane, seeking chiefly the welfare and benefit of a seemingly overlooked part of society.

#Major Features This product has 4 major features:

• The “Profile page” where the user can view or edit his/her information: username, picture, eating disorder, age, and gender

• The “Goals page” where the user can set goals for themselves such as:

1. Setting a meal/intuitive eating plan for a certain duration.

2. Setting a workout/exercising schedule for a certain duration.

3. Setting the goal of improving a behavior such as restricting, purging, binging and overeating.

• The “Milestone page” where the user can view his already completed goals as well as his rewards and comments from his partner

• Looking at a Partner's profile, goals and milestones

• A shared diary where the matches partners can communicate and update each other about their progress.

This project started as a project for software engineering course in the American university of Beirut. Wiem Ben Rim - Developer Ahmad Moussa - Ideation and documentation engineer

RecoveryBuddy