Keep On Keep Up (KOKU) Panel Review
Review updated:
KOKU is a tablet app that aims to make you less likely to fall over by encouraging you to exercise. Our reviewers found the app to be very simple and convenient to use, though some noted that the exercise programme is quite basic.
Highs
- Straightforward instructions and set-up
- Convenient to use anywhere
- Encouraged reviewers to exercise
Lows
- The exercises were too simple for some
- Notifications did not work consistently
- The app is only available on tablets, not smartphones or computers
The five reviewers in our panel were asked to test out KOKU for four weeks before sharing their feedback with us.
Symptoms: Our reviewers are living with a wide range of Parkinson’s symptoms, including poor balance, falls, freezing, shortened gait, fatigue, hypotension, slowness, stiffness, trouble swallowing, REM sleep disorder, tremor and apathy.
Tech confidence rating: Ranges from ‘neither confident nor unconfident’ to ‘somewhat confident’.
Location: Bedfordshire, Dorset, Dumfriesshire, Surrey and West Yorkshire.
Gender
- Men: 2
- Women: 3
Age range
Years since diagnosis
Background
Keep On Keep Up (KOKU) is an iOS (Apple) and Android tablet app designed to help older adults stay active and prevent falls through games and exercises.
Back in 2017, a team from the University of Manchester’s Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work conducted research into gamification (making ordinary tasks more engaging by adding game elements), behaviour change and how to empower older people to take control of their safety and health. KOKU founder, Professor Emma Stanmore, reached out to Reason Digital, a Manchester-based developer that frequently works with charities, and asked them to create an app based on what had been learnt through this research.
KOKU is a 12-week programme which consists of 30 exercises and 6 games. These exercises are split into different levels, designed to challenge you as you progress through the programme. These include strength and balance exercises developed using research from the New Zealand Falls Prevention Research Group (OTAGO) and the UK-based Falls Management Exercise Programme (FaME).
First impressions
Set-up and instructions
KOKU is a free app, meaning the first step is to download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You need a tablet to use the app as it is not compatible with smartphones.
Most of our reviewers found the set-up instructions to be “very clear”, with just one finding them to be “fairly unclear”.
Brenda, an 81-year-old reviewer, said that she was unsure how long to do each exercise and that she was unable to get past the first three exercises. She also said that the app returned to the beginning every time she closed it: “I seem to be going back to the beginning each time I shut [the app] down.”
However, she added that, “once I managed to find the exercises, with the help of my son, I could understand.”
Other reviewers described the instructions as “clear” and “just a case of following prompts.” They said that it took a few minutes to set up and that they didn’t require any help during the process.
Inez, a reviewer who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 3 years ago, praised the “good size of font and simple graphics.”
A reviewer called Graham, likewise, said, “the instructions and supporting animations were detailed and clearly set out” and “the product is well signposted and the various sub categories are clear and unambiguous.”
Daily use
Exercises and games
KOKU has four main tabs:
- Today
- Your Progress
- Games
- Exercises
The ‘Today’ tab is where you’ll find your three daily exercises, which KOKU says to work through at your own pace. These exercises start as light seated workouts and get more challenging as you move through the programme. The goal here is to improve your strength, balance and independence.
The ‘Your Progress’ tab lets you see how far you have made it through the programme.
The ‘Games’ tab includes a variety of puzzles designed to increase your knowledge of health and safety around the home. Some ask you to identify hazards in the bedroom or bathroom, while other games revolve around topics like bone strength and nutrition.
Finally, you can tap on the ‘Exercises’ tab to revisit your favourite exercises from different categories, such as movements to help with standing up and sitting down, or exercises designed to boost your circulation.
Integrating the app into daily life
All five of our reviewers found KOKU either fairly or very easy to integrate into their daily lives, with several people noting how convenient the app is to use.
Brenda called the iPad app "convenient to take around”, while Graham said there were “no hard-to-follow demands; the only requirement was for a small space to undertake the various exercises.”
Andy, a reviewer who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 23 years ago, said you can “just do [the] tasks when convenient,” while Sue, a reviewer who shared that her poor balance and falls have affected her confidence, added that you need a chair to complete some of the exercises.
The app offers to send notifications to your tablet. However, none of our reviewers found they worked well.
Sue said: “They did not happen so I might have missed something. Alarms would have been useful.”
For Inez, the reminders were “sporadic.”
When asked if they encountered any accessibility issues, three of our reviewers answered no. However, Inez mentioned that she “couldn’t enlarge parts of the games”.
Inez also found that the app forced her to repeat a day if she answered “incorrectly” regarding how she felt after an exercise. “Because the tasks were not challenging for me at the beginning it was extremely frustrating. It felt like jumping through hoops to let me get to the correct level,” she said.
That said, none of our reviewers felt the need to contact KOKU’s customer service to solve any issues and none of them flagged any long term concerns about the app.
As far as improvements go, Brenda noted that she would like to see a timer on the page during exercises.
Similarly, Graham said, “I think it would be useful for the product to be clearer at the outset regarding the number of repetitions or time the exerciser should be aiming for. I often felt as if I was just exercising ‘for as long as I could’ with no real end goal.”
Andy would like the app to show the previous day’s results and indicate a target for each day. He also said he felt he had to tap the screen too many times to start each exercise.
Value
Four of our five reviewers felt that KOKU impacted their lives in a positive way.
Brenda said, “it encourages me to exercise,” while Sue noted that the app “helped [my] core strength and coordination.”
“Whilst none of the exercises were new to me, I was encouraged to undertake them daily and the programme felt manageable and helpful,” said Graham. “I felt that the exercise programme helped to improve my strength and balance but I think that the product needs to be clearer in setting and explaining its initial goals and more proactive in chasing up the user’s compliance.”
Inez, on the other hand, felt that the product made “very little” difference to her daily life and was left “fairly unsatisfied” and less likely to recommend the app to a friend than most of our reviewers.
Is this free app worth a go?
Three of our reviewers were “fairly satisfied” with the value that KOKU provided being a free app.
“I will incorporate it into my routine,” said Brenda. “I need the structure in my daily life.”
However, Sue called the app a “bit too simple at times.” She said that this simplicity was not very motivating.
Sue did add that the app gave her “better coordination and [a] stronger core”, but that it is difficult to stop falling.
Graham said, “my commitment to regular exercise has helped to improve my balance and mobility and general feeling of wellbeing.”
Andy said that the app “was ok but gave nothing new … I would only recommend it to someone who does not currently exercise,” while Inez said that the app “didn’t meet [her] needs” at her level of fitness.
All of the information provided in this review is accurate up to the time of publishing. Any major changes to the app or device will be reflected on the product page.