Co-design in mHealth Systems Development: Insights From a Systematic Literature Review

Authors

Tyler J. Noorbergen, The University of NewcastleFollow
Marc T.P. Adam, The University of Newcastle, AustraliaFollow
Mark Roxburgh, The University of NewcastleFollow
Timm Teubner, TU BerlinFollow

Abstract

Mobile health (mHealth) systems hold great potential for supporting users in self-managing disease and engaging in a healthier life. However, given the mobile context and the multiple factors that affect a person’s health, designing mHealth systems involves much complexity and a range of pitfalls. To overcome these pitfalls, scholars have called on system designers to employ a co-design approach; that is, to involve stakeholders in all phases of the design process. However, the literature on how, when, and why designers use co-design in mHealth remains scant. To address this gap, we systematically reviewed 61 studies that co-designed mHealth systems. Our results show that co-designing mHealth systems constitutes a fragmented and rapidly evolving research field with only limited overlaps and a strong focus on the early design phases (i.e., pre-design, generative). Thereby, the co-designed artifacts cover various application contexts in disease management (e.g., heart disease, diabetes) and health promotion (e.g., physical activity, nutrition) and a diverse group of involved users, healthcare professionals, and system designers. Finally, guided by Sanders and Stappers’ (2014) co-design framework, we provide a concise overview of the most widely used methods in the different co-design phases.

DOI

10.17705/1thci.00147

Recommended Citation

Noorbergen, T. J., Adam, M. T., Roxburgh, M., & Teubner, T. (2021). Co-design in mHealth Systems Development: Insights From a Systematic Literature Review. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 13(2), 175-205. https://doi.org/10.17705/1thci.00147
DOI: 10.17705/1thci.00147