We’re excited to announce the publication of our latest research. HealthCheck: A Method for Evaluating Persuasive Mobile Health Applications led by Shweta Premanandan along with Åsa Cajander and Awais Ahmad from the HTO research group.
This new method addresses a crucial challenge in the fast-evolving world of mobile health (mHealth)—evaluating usability and persuasiveness in a way that aligns with agile development processes.
Published in the Health Informatics Journal, this study presents a usability evaluation method tailored for persuasive mHealth applications. Whether designed for caregivers or other health-related purposes, HealthCheck helps ensure these applications are user-friendly, effective, and engaging.
What is HealthCheck?
HealthCheck is a usability evaluation framework tailored to meet the challenges of developing persuasive mHealth applications in agile environments. Unlike traditional methods that may be resource-intensive or slow to provide feedback, HealthCheck delivers quick, actionable insights that help developers iteratively refine their applications.
What is HealthCheck About?
The method integrates established usability heuristics with principles of persuasive system design to evaluate critical aspects such as:
- User Engagement: Ensuring that apps effectively motivate and sustain user interaction.
- Personalization: Assessing how well apps adapt to individual user needs.
- Usability in Agile Contexts: Supporting iterative development cycles with timely feedback.
HealthCheck also emphasizes the unique needs of informal caregivers, who often rely on such tools to manage complex caregiving tasks while balancing their own well-being.
How was HealthCheck Developed?
HealthCheck was developed using a rigorous Design Science Research (DSR) methodology. This process included:
- Problem Identification: Recognizing the need for a usability evaluation method suited to persuasive mHealth apps in agile contexts.
- Solution Design: Combining insights from existing usability and persuasive system heuristics.
- Implementation: Testing the method using a prototype app (AnhörigCare) designed to support informal caregivers in Sweden.
- Evaluation: Engaging seven experts in usability, UX, and eHealth to assess the method’s effectiveness.
- Reflection and Improvement: Refining the method based on expert feedback to enhance its practicality and relevance.
Tested on AnhörigCare: eCoaching application for Informal Caregivers
To demonstrate its practical application, HealthCheck was tested with AnhörigCare, an e-coaching app designed for informal caregivers in Sweden. This case study showed how HealthCheck could identify areas for improvement, such as streamlining navigation, tailoring content, and enhancing user feedback, making the app more supportive and user-friendly. This test case underscores the method’s adaptability and value for a wide range of mHealth applications, beyond caregiving.
Key Insights from the Paper
- Effective Heuristics: The HealthCheck framework includes a set of heuristics tailored for persuasive mHealth applications, such as ensuring clear feedback mechanisms, privacy protection, and user education.
- Expert Validation: Feedback from usability experts demonstrated the method’s ability to identify and prioritize usability issues in a structured and efficient way.
- Iterative Feedback: HealthCheck’s design supports agile development by enabling rapid cycles of evaluation and refinement.
Why does HealthCheck Matter?
The usability of mHealth applications is pivotal to their success, especially for informal caregivers who often juggle demanding responsibilities. HealthCheck offers a structured yet flexible way to ensure these applications are user-friendly, engaging, and effective in meeting their goals. By providing tailored feedback and highlighting actionable areas for improvement, the method helps developers create tools that truly make a difference.
What’s Next?
We hope HealthCheck will become a valuable tool for researchers, developers, and designers working on persuasive mHealth applications. We’d love to hear your thoughts and how you envision using HealthCheck in your projects!
Let us know in the comments or reach out directly.