Abstract
The paper presents a user-centric methodology in order to design successful mobile health (mHealth) applications. In addition to the theoretical background, such an example is presented with an application targeting chronic pain. The pain domain was decided due to its significance in many aspects: its complexity, dispersion in the population, the financial burden it causes, etc. The paper presents a step-by-step plan in order to build mobile health applications. Participatory design and interdisciplinarity are only some of the critical issues towards the desired result. In the given example (development of the PainApp), a participatory design was followed with a team of seventeen stakeholders that drove the design and development phases. Three physicians, one behavioral scientist, three IT and UX experts, and ten patients collaborated together to develop the final solution. The several features implemented in the PainApp solution are presented in details. The application is threefold: it supports the management, reporting, and treatment effectiveness monitoring. The paper is giving details on the methodological approach while presenting insights on the actual plan and the steps followed for having a patient-centric solution. Key success factors and barriers to mobile health applications that support the need for such an approach are also presented.
Highlights
IntroductionWe defined the evidence base and developed a theoretical understanding of the intervention’s underlying environment
Background and ConceptualizationDuring this phase, we defined the evidence base and developed a theoretical understanding of the intervention’s underlying environment
The study highlights the steps and methodology for how to effectively address, during development, the various barriers often encountered in most mobile health (mHealth) applications
Summary
We defined the evidence base and developed a theoretical understanding of the intervention’s underlying environment. For this to be done, we searched the literature for mHealth solutions targeting pain. We were able to obtain valuable information from both patients and healthcare professionals This led us to appropriate intervention targets (self-management and objective reporting). A human-centered approach, based on design thinking methodology, led the innovation process. During this phase, weekly meetings took place with IT and UX (user experience) experts, behavioral scientists, health professionals, and patients. Various mock-ups were designed and presented before deciding on the most suitable one
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