scholarly journals Integrating user-centered design and behavioral science to design a mobile intervention for obesity and binge eating: A mixed-methods analysis (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea K. Graham ◽  
Sean A. Munson ◽  
Madhu Reddy ◽  
Sarah W. Neubert ◽  
Emilie A. Green ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Accounting for how end-users engage with technologies is imperative for designing an efficacious mobile behavioral intervention. OBJECTIVE This mixed-methods analysis examined the translational potential of user-centered design and basic behavioral science to inform the design of a new mobile intervention for obesity and binge eating. METHODS Twenty-two adults (33% non-Hispanic white; 36% male) with self-reported obesity and recurrent binge eating (≥12 episodes in 3 months) who were interested in losing weight and reducing binge eating completed a prototyping design activity over one week. Leveraging evidence from behavioral economics on choice architecture, participants chose treatment strategies from 20 options (aligned with treatment targets that comprise a theoretical model of the relation between binge eating and weight) to learn which strategies and treatment targets are relevant to end-users. Analyses were of the process by which participants selected and implemented strategies and their change in outcomes. RESULTS Though prompted to select one strategy, participants selected between 1-3 strategies, citing perceived achievability, helpfulness, or relevance as selection reasons. Over the week, all practiced a strategy at least once; 82% struggled with implementation and 23% added a new strategy. Several themes emerged on successes and challenges with implementation, which yielded design implications for supporting users in behavior change. In post-experiment reflections, 82% indicated the strategy was helpful and 86% planned to continue use. One-week average within-subject changes in weight (-2.2 +/- -5.0 pounds) and binge eating (-1.6 +/- -1.8 episodes) indicated small clinical improvement. CONCLUSIONS Applying user-centered design and basic behavioral science yielded design insights to incorporate personalization through user choice with guidance, which may enhance engagement with and the potential efficacy of digital health interventions. CLINICALTRIAL

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea K. Graham ◽  
Sarah W. Neubert ◽  
Angela Chang ◽  
Jianyi Liu ◽  
Emily Fu ◽  
...  

Introduction: Weight loss apps to date have not directly addressed binge eating. To inform the design of a new mobile behavioral intervention that addresses binge eating and weight management, we applied user-centered design methods to qualitatively assess how target intervention consumers experience these conditions in their day-to-day lives.Methods: The participants were 22 adults with self-reported obesity (body mass index ≥30) and recurrent binge eating (≥12 episodes in 3 months) who were interested in losing weight and reducing binge eating. The participants completed a digital diary study, which is a user-centered design technique for capturing individuals' day-to-day experiences in relevant contexts. Qualitative data describing the participants' experiences with binge eating and obesity were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results were then used to create personas (i.e., character archetypes of different intervention consumers).Results: The participants described triggers for binge eating and indicated that binge eating and excess weight negatively impact their mental health, physical health, and quality of life. The resulting personas reflected five different struggles individuals with these health problems experience in managing their binge eating and weight.Conclusions: Individuals with binge eating and obesity have varying precipitants of problematic eating as well as varying motivations for and challenges to behavior change. To meet the needs of all who seek intervention, an ideal intervention design will account for variations in these factors and be relevant to diverse experiences. Insights from the diary study and resulting personas will inform the next phases of the user-centered design process of iteratively designing prototypes and testing the intervention in practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-49
Author(s):  
Lorraine R. Buis ◽  
Jina Huh-Yoo ◽  
Gabriela Marcu

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Zickler ◽  
Sebastian Halder ◽  
Sonja C. Kleih ◽  
Cornelia Herbert ◽  
Andrea Kübler

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-19
Author(s):  
Hannu Haapala

Abstract.The author has shown that modern technologies do not always meet the expectations of farmers, and this may adversely affect the pace of innovation. It has been confirmed that the developers of agricultural equipment do not clearly understand the context of the use of products and identified the need to use a multi-factor approach: therefore, partners possessing specific knowledge in different areas should join efforts in project activities at all stages of innovation. (Research purpose) To prove that a user-centered design and a multi-factor approach in the development of agricultural machinery increase their efficiency and accelerate the introduction of innovations. (Materials and methods) It is shown that Finnish research and development projects of agricultural machinery design involve numerous participants and end users. For example, the seven-metre-wide combi drill ‘Junkkari W700’ was designed by the Finnish manufacturer Junkkari Oy in close cooperation with end-users and researchers. As a result of the innovation process several benefits have been realized. The drill is easy to operate and service. The users appreciate the straight-forward construction and moderate cost of the drill as compared to competing pneumatic drills. The need for hydraulics is minimized and the row spacing and coulter design has been optimized so that economical tractors with moderate drawbar power can be used. The ISOBUS-based control electronics was designed to be fitted either in the existing tractor or, if ISOBUS is missing, with an optional cable-set and terminal. That enables the users to easily integrate the drill in existing machine chains, having either modern or older tractors, without extra tractor investments. Much attention was put on quality, e.g. individual feeders for every coulter give accurate dosage of seed and fertilizer. The prototyping together with end-users and researchers enabled Junkkari to speed up the innovation process. (Results and discussion) Several benefits proved to have been realized. First of all, the drill is easy to operate and service. The users appreciate the straight-forward construction and moderate cost of the drill as compared to competing pneumatic drills. The need for hydraulics is minimized and the row spacing and coulter design has been optimized so that economical tractors with moderate drawbar power can be used. The ISOBUS-based control electronics as well as an optional cable-set and terminal were designed to be fitted either in the existing tractor. That enables the users to easily integrate the drill in existing machine types, having either modern or older tractors, without extra tractor investments. The design quality was approved, e.g. individual feeders for every coulter give accurate metering of seeds and fertilizers. (Conclusions) The author proves that user-centered design and multi-factor approach methodologies have benefits both for the users and manufacturers. Swift innovation process saves resources and minimizes the need for excess iterations in the innovation process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 448
Author(s):  
Katie Aylward ◽  
Joakim Dahlman ◽  
Kjetil Nordby ◽  
Monica Lundh

Maritime user interfaces for ships’ bridges are highly dependent on the context in which they are used, and rich maritime context is difficult to recreate in the early stages of user-centered design processes. Operations in Arctic waters where crews are faced with extreme environmental conditions, technology limitations and a lack of accurate navigational information further increase this challenge. There is a lack of research supporting the user-centered design of workplaces for hazardous Arctic operations. To meet this challenge, this paper reports on the process of developing virtual reality-reconstructed operational scenarios to connect stakeholders, end-users, designers, and human factors specialists in a joint process. This paper explores how virtual reality-reconstructed operational scenarios can be used as a tool both for concept development and user testing. Three operational scenarios were developed, implemented in a full mission bridge simulator, recreated in virtual reality (VR), and finally tested on navigators (end-users). Qualitative data were captured throughout the design process and user-testing, resulting in a thematic analysis that identified common themes reflecting the experiences gained throughout this process. In conclusion, we argue that operational scenarios, rendered in immersive media such as VR, may be an important and reusable asset when supporting maritime design processes and in maritime training and education.


10.2196/17809 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. e17809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Stara ◽  
Sara Santini ◽  
Johannes Kropf ◽  
Barbara D'Amen

Background The rapid increase of the aging population is pushing many national governments to reshape retirement legislation in order to extend older adults’ working life. Once retired, older adults can be invaluable resources for the community as family carers, as volunteers, or by returning to work. Healthy aging is one of the main conditions for being able to work longer and being active after retirement. The latter, indeed, represents a very sensitive life transition, which can entail psychological and social difficulties. Interventions for promoting older workers’ health and well-being and supporting the transition to retirement are on the top of the policy agenda of most European countries. Recently, computer-based and digital health interventions have been seen as promising means to reach this purpose. Objective This systematic literature review aimed to explore studies on digital health coaching programs for older workers that followed a user-centered design approach and evaluated their effectiveness in providing older adults with guidance for adopting a healthy lifestyle and being active in the community. Methods The search identified 1931 papers, and 2 relevant articles were selected by applying specific eligibility criteria. Results To our knowledge, only few digital health coaching programs have targeted the population of older workers to date; there is an insufficient number of studies on the efficacy of such programs. The results show the difficulties of assessing the efficacy of digital coaching itself and with respect to older employees. The 2 studies suggest that digital health programs for workplaces can improve various aspects of older employees’ well-being; however, they considered health mainly from a physical perspective and neglected contextual, social, psychological, and cultural factors that can influence older workers’ health and general well-being. Future digital health coaching programs should adopt the healthy aging paradigm as a multidimensional lens for interpreting the impact of eHealth technology on aging and retirement. The literature around this issue remains at an embryonic state, and this gap needs to be filled by further investigations that apply a user-centered approach for designing the technology, test innovative research methodologies, and adopt new technical solutions for high-quality interaction design. Conclusions Further digital health coaching programs aimed at supporting healthy and active living for older workers and retirees are necessary. The user-centered design approach is recommended in order to fully address the users’ health needs and the technological requirements throughout development. Moreover, the healthy aging perspective allows inclusion of physical, social, and psychological factors influencing the transition from work to retirement, as well as the experiences and interactions of individuals with the technology.


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