1Loop // Imagine Colorado Innovation Challenge

When your surroundings don't support physical activity, it can be very difficult to make a lifestyle change. One in three Colorado kids live in neighborhoods without access to parks or sidewalks and one in four are overweight or obese. 

In February 2016, The Colorado Innovation Network launched the nation's first statewide open innovation challenge in two categories, physical activity and nutrition. I'm always inspired by efforts for health promotion and wellness, so I decided to submit an idea. With known data points, I started brainstorming concepts to help Colorado kids increase their physical activity. Inspired by news of UK schools instituting a "daily mile" requirement for their students, I wanted to make it easier for kids to find a place to be physically active in their area. The result was a concept called 1Loop; an app that encourages physical activity by providing a safe, nearby one-mile loop you can complete and then share.

Even if a child did decide they wanted to do something active (or in other words they are motivated), other barriers can get in the way. For instance, barriers in knowledge and time (“What kind of activity should I do? Where should I go? How long will it take?”). The 1Loop app would help kids identify the easiest and safest 1-mile loop route near their current location by first looking for nearby parks/trails and filtering out routes that do not have known sidewalks. This type of interaction would also provide an opportunity for kids to report a problem to the city along their 1Loop route. This could create positive community impact and engage our younger citizens as catalysts for change.

In the competition, my submission received a Top 25 distinction out of 76 ideas. Taking this idea from an initial concept to low-fidelity prototyping was a fun and humbling experience. An important mindset for any innovation process is vulnerability, and putting a raw idea out into the world then asking for social media votes was a fantastic learning experience. I'm also proud to see the engagement with this open innovation challenge. The Top 10 ideas came from counties across the state of Colorado. It is wonderful to be part of a community that prioritizes a healthy lifestyle for all.