A qualitative study for co-designing the future of technology to support physical activity for adolescents living with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Aim: The aims of this study were to (i) understand what adolescents (and their parents) identify as positive and negative experiences with technology for engaging in physical activity (PA) when living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and (ii) identify possible future design considerations for supporting or enabling technologies for this population. Methods: Nine online collaborative workshops (n = 25 people) were held over a month with participants who were either adolescents attending with (n = 22) or without (n = 3, aged 16 and over) parents. Each workshop involved (1) a training activity, (2) a design task involving describing a good day vs. a bad day, and (3) a design task asking people to consider future design changes for technology to support them in engaging with physical activity. Results: The following key themes emerged from the first design task: (1) Wearable factors; (2) Social acceptance & identity; (3) Negative emotions; (4) Glycaemic stability offers positive emotions and PA Enjoyment; and (5) Presence, preparation & prevention. The second design task identified the following additional key themes: (6) Improve attachment experiences; (7) Connected devices reduce user burden; (8) Improve accuracy; (9) Personalisation of devices; (10) Funding and policy changes – health equity. Conclusion: Technology can reduce the burden and improve PA support, but there are still gaps in how these technologies can be better designed to consider the psychosocial and emotional factors of both adolescents and their parents as co-users.