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For Xavier Louis, founder of Five Lives, brain health is a deeply personal topic. When his father was diagnosed with dementia, Xavier saw just how little support existed for people in the early stages of cognitive decline, and for the families trying to help them.
At the time, he’d already made a name for himself in the tech world, having co-founded Peak, one of the world’s most successful brain training apps. But while Peak reached over 60 million users, he knew brain games weren’t enough.
“What has been proven to be very efficient at improving brain health is what’s called a multi-domain approach,” Xav explains. That includes brain training alongside sleep, nutrition, stress, and physical activity.
This thinking became the foundation of Five Lives.
The app offers users a highly personalised program that blends coaching with daily challenges, covering everything from mindfulness and movement to cognitive exercises. And it’s all wrapped in gamified design that’s engaging enough to keep people coming back, while still rooted in science.
“People don’t even realise that they’re using a kind of medical product,” Xavier says. “It’s naturally engaging and fun, but they do benefit from the rest of the coaching.”
The Science of Engagement: Why Gamification Works
Retention is one of the biggest hurdles for any digital health tool.
Five Lives tackles this by blending game design with personalisation. Sessions are short, guided, and varied so they’re easy to complete while having a coffee, but still long enough to be effective.
“It’s better to blend the broccoli into the chocolate, rather than on top of the broccoli,” Xavier says. It’s about making gamification an integral part from the start of the experience, perfectly woven into it.
While many only consider brain health after a diagnosis, Xavier wants to shift that mindset. He explains that a lot of people believe “dementia is just something that happens to you.” “There are changes you can make to reduce the risk, and the earlier you start, the more effective it is.”
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