JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The proliferation of mobile devices has enabled new ways of delivering health services through mobile health systems. Researchers and practitioners have emphasized that the design of such systems is a complex endeavor with various pitfalls, including limited stakeholder involvement in design processes and integration into existing system landscapes. Co-design is an approach to address these pitfalls. Despite a rich body of literature on co-design methodologies, limited research exists to guide the co-design of mHealth systems.

Objective:

The objectives of our study was to (1) contextualize an existing co-design framework to mHealth applications and (2) derive guidelines to address common challenges of co-designing mHealth systems.

Methods:

We conducted an exploratory qualitative study consisting of 16 semi-structured interviews with co-design method experts (8) and mHealth system developers (8). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results:

The contextualized framework captures important considerations of the mHealth context, including dedicated prototyping and implementation phases. Additionally, seven guidelines were developed: (1) specificity of targeted mHealth context, (2) immersion in mHealth context, (3) health behavior change, (4) co-design facilitators, (5) post-design advocates, (6) health-specific evaluation criteria, and (7) usage data and contextual research to understand impact.

Conclusions:

System designers encounter unique challenges when engaging in mHealth development. We hope that the contextualized framework and guidelines will serve as a shared frame of reference to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration at the nexus of information technology and health research.