Technology-Supported Behavior Change—Applying Design Thinking to mHealth Application Development
Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of global deaths. The risk of their development and progression is increased by modifiable behavioral risk factors. Yet, despite the known benefits of primary and secondary prevention, people often do not follow recommendations for a healthier lifestyl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/14/3/39 |
| _version_ | 1797241350993739776 |
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| author | Ramona Schweitzer Stephan Schlögl Marco Schweitzer |
| author_facet | Ramona Schweitzer Stephan Schlögl Marco Schweitzer |
| author_sort | Ramona Schweitzer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of global deaths. The risk of their development and progression is increased by modifiable behavioral risk factors. Yet, despite the known benefits of primary and secondary prevention, people often do not follow recommendations for a healthier lifestyle. To this end, mobile health (mHealth) applications offer features for behavioral interventions. Yet, reported user engagement is often low. The objective of the work presented in this article is thus to evaluate the suitability of Design Thinking (DT) as a means to inform the development of an mHealth application that helps increase long-term engagement, and consequently supports individuals in sustainably changing their lifestyle. Applying the DT approach, key user needs and challenges were investigated and used to design a first low-fidelity mHealth application prototype. Think-Aloud analysis, task completion, and post-test interviews were then used to evaluate the prototype and generate early-stage insights. Subsequently, a structured, retrospective analysis of this process, evaluating the insight-generation potential of each step in the DT process cycle, was used to reflect on its suitability to inform mHealth application development. The respective results highlight (1) the distinct value of the DT method, particularly in the early stages of a development project; (2) the strong need for interdisciplinary collaboration in such projects, so as to capture realistic end-user requirements and improve the overall effectiveness of the application design; and (3) the significance of integrating behavioral change theories into the design of mHealth applications, in order to promote long-term engagement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:21:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0007ba033d1a4d539cb95b15c96431d7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2174-8144 2254-9625 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:21:56Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-0007ba033d1a4d539cb95b15c96431d72024-03-27T13:34:36ZengMDPI AGEuropean Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education2174-81442254-96252024-03-0114358460810.3390/ejihpe14030039Technology-Supported Behavior Change—Applying Design Thinking to mHealth Application DevelopmentRamona Schweitzer0Stephan Schlögl1Marco Schweitzer2Department Digital Business & Software Engineering, MCI|The Entrepreneurial School, Universitätsstrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaDepartment Management, Communication & IT, MCI|The Entrepreneurial School, Universitätsstrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaDivision for Digital Health and Telemedicine, UMIT TIROL—Private University for Health Sciences and Health Technology, Eduard-Wallnöfer-Zentrum 1, 6060 Hall in Tirol, AustriaNon-communicable diseases are the leading cause of global deaths. The risk of their development and progression is increased by modifiable behavioral risk factors. Yet, despite the known benefits of primary and secondary prevention, people often do not follow recommendations for a healthier lifestyle. To this end, mobile health (mHealth) applications offer features for behavioral interventions. Yet, reported user engagement is often low. The objective of the work presented in this article is thus to evaluate the suitability of Design Thinking (DT) as a means to inform the development of an mHealth application that helps increase long-term engagement, and consequently supports individuals in sustainably changing their lifestyle. Applying the DT approach, key user needs and challenges were investigated and used to design a first low-fidelity mHealth application prototype. Think-Aloud analysis, task completion, and post-test interviews were then used to evaluate the prototype and generate early-stage insights. Subsequently, a structured, retrospective analysis of this process, evaluating the insight-generation potential of each step in the DT process cycle, was used to reflect on its suitability to inform mHealth application development. The respective results highlight (1) the distinct value of the DT method, particularly in the early stages of a development project; (2) the strong need for interdisciplinary collaboration in such projects, so as to capture realistic end-user requirements and improve the overall effectiveness of the application design; and (3) the significance of integrating behavioral change theories into the design of mHealth applications, in order to promote long-term engagement.https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/14/3/39mHealthbehavioral changedesign thinkinguser-centered design |
| spellingShingle | Ramona Schweitzer Stephan Schlögl Marco Schweitzer Technology-Supported Behavior Change—Applying Design Thinking to mHealth Application Development European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education mHealth behavioral change design thinking user-centered design |
| title | Technology-Supported Behavior Change—Applying Design Thinking to mHealth Application Development |
| title_full | Technology-Supported Behavior Change—Applying Design Thinking to mHealth Application Development |
| title_fullStr | Technology-Supported Behavior Change—Applying Design Thinking to mHealth Application Development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Technology-Supported Behavior Change—Applying Design Thinking to mHealth Application Development |
| title_short | Technology-Supported Behavior Change—Applying Design Thinking to mHealth Application Development |
| title_sort | technology supported behavior change applying design thinking to mhealth application development |
| topic | mHealth behavioral change design thinking user-centered design |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/14/3/39 |
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