Untold Stories in User-Centered Design of Mobile Health: Practical Challenges and Strategies Learned From the Design and Evaluation of an App for Older Adults With Heart Failure

• DOI: 10.2196/17703
• Publication Date: 2020-07-21T12:32:51Z
• Authors: Victor Philip Cornet; Tammy Toscos; Davide Bolchini; Romisa Rohani Gha...; Ryan Ahmed; Carly Daley; Michael J Mirro; Richard J Holden
• Keywords: mHealth; User-Centered Design

Background User-centered design (UCD) is a powerful framework for creating useful, easy-to-use, and satisfying mobile health (mHealth) apps. However, the literature seldom reports practical challenges of implementing UCD, particularly in field mHealth. Objective This study aims to characterize encountered propose strategies when UCD Methods Our multidisciplinary team implemented process evaluate app older adults with heart failure. During after this process, we documented they used or considered using address those challenges. Results We identified 12 challenges, 3 about as whole 9 across stages formative research, design, evaluation. Challenges included timing stakeholder involvement, overcoming designers’ assumptions, adapting methods end users, managing heterogeneity among stakeholders. To these recommendations are provided researchers practitioners. Conclusions gold standard approach that increasingly adopted mHealth projects. Although well-described easily accessible, them underreported. improve implementation mHealth, must tell learn from traditionally untold stories.