Abstract
The main objective of this article is to propose a theoretical model for uncovering users’ socio-cultural contexts for user engagement designs, as well as to present a set of consolidating concepts to guide future research in mobile health (mHealth) designs to strengthen the theoretical framing of user engagement designs. First, we present a brief discussion of the importance of employing appropriate theoretical frameworks that promote user engagement. Second, we discuss different theoretical perspectives on user engagement. Two theoretical frameworks, activity theory and the communicative ecological framework, are used to frame an understanding of users’ socio-cultural contexts and inform the design of a framework called Design Process Engagement Enhancement System (DECENT) to support designers in mHealth engagement designs. This paper addressed the research question of how to uncover the socio-cultural contexts of a user group to inform the design of engaging digital artifacts (tools) by augmenting two phases of user-centered methodology with users’ socio-cultural filtration and socio-cultural checklists for user engagement designs. The DECENT framework is an adapted user-centered design framework that uses activity theory and the communicative ecological framework as theoretical framework for understanding the socio-cultural complexity of users in the context of mHealth. The findings of the paper suggest that to fully explain and design for user engagement in mHealth, an integrated approach incorporating a variety of technological and socio-cultural factors should be required.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Doherty, K., Doherty, G.: Engagement in HCI: conception, theory, and measurement. ACM Comput. Surv. (CSUR) 51(5), 1–39 (2018)
Hingle, M., Patrick, H.: There are thousands of apps for that: navigating mobile technology for nutrition education and behavior. J. Nutr. Educ. Behav. 48(3), 213–218 (2016)
Tang, J., Abraham, C., Stamp, E., Greaves, C.: How can weight-loss app designers best engage and support users? A qualitative investigation. Br. J. Health. Psychol. 20(1), 151–171 (2015)
Ikwunne, T., Hederman, L., Wall, P.J.: Design processes for user engagement with mobile health: a systematic review. Int. J. Adv. Comput. Sci. Appl. 13(2), 291–303 (2022)
Ikwunne, T., Hederman, L., Wall, P.J.: Understanding user engagement in information and communications technology for development: an exploratory study. In: Stephanidis, C., Marcus, A., Rosenzweig, E., Rau, PL.P., Moallem, A., Rauterberg, M. (eds.) HCII 2020. LNCS, vol. 12423, pp. 710–721. Springer, Cham (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60114-0_46
Ono, M.M.: Emergent strategies for designing new products facing cultural diversity, within the globalisation context. In: 2nd Conference on Innovative Research in Management, Stockholm (2002)
Shen, S.T., Woolley, M., Prior, S.: Towards culture-centered design. Interact. Comput. 18(4), 820–852 (2006)
Hofstede, G.: Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. McGraw-Hill, New York (1991)
De Angeli, A., Kyriakoullis, L.: Globalisation vs. localisation in e-commerce: cultural-aware interaction design. In: Proceedings of the Working Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces, pp. 250–253 (2006)
Honold, P.: Learning how to use a cellular phone: comparison between German and Chinese users. Tech. Commun. 46(2), 196–205 (1999)
Sonderegger, A., Sauer, J.: The influence of socio-cultural background and product value in usability testing. Appl. Ergon. 44(3), 341–349 (2013)
Frambach, J.M., Driessen, E.W., van der Vleuten, C.P.M.: Using activity theory to study cultural complexity in medical education. Perspect. Med. Educ. 3(3), 190–203 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-014-0114-3
Foth, M., Hearn, G.: Networked individualism of urban residents: discovering the communicative ecology in inner-city apartment buildings. Inf. Commun. Soc. 10(5), 749–772 (2007)
Brodie, R.J., Hollebeek, L.D., Jurić, B., Ilić, A.: Customer engagement: conceptual domain, fundamental propositions, and implications for research. J. Serv. Res. 14(3), 252–271 (2011)
Brodie, R.J., Ilic, A., Juric, B., Hollebeek, L.: Consumer engagement in a virtual brand community: an exploratory analysis. J. Bus. Res. 66(1), 105–114 (2013)
Hollebeek, L.: Exploring customer brand engagement: definition and themes. J. Strateg. Mark. 19(7), 555–573 (2011)
Cowley, B., Charles, D., Black, M., Hickey, R.: Toward an understanding of flow in video games. Comput. Entertain. (CIE) 6(2), 1–27 (2008)
Webster, J., Ahuja, J.S.: Enhancing the design of web navigation systems: the influence of user disorientation on engagement and performance. MIS Q., 661–678 (2006)
Seddon, K., Skinner, N.C., Postlethwaite, K.C.: Creating a model to examine the motivation for sustained engagement in online communities. Educ. Inf. Technol. 13(1), 17–34 (2008)
O’Brien, H.L., Toms, E.G.: What is user engagement? A conceptual framework for defining user engagement with technology. J. Am. Soc. Inform. Sci. Technol. 59(6), 938–955 (2008)
Sidner, C.L., Lee, C., Kidd, C.D., Lesh, N., Rich, C.: Explorations in engagement for humans and robots. Artif. Intell. 166(1–2), 140–164 (2005)
Short, C., Rebar, A., Plotnikoff, R., Vandelanotte, C.: Designing engaging online behaviour change interventions: a proposed model of user engagement (2015)
Petty, R.E., Cacioppo, J.T.: The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. In: Petty, R.E., Cacioppo, J.T (eds.) Communication and Persuasion. SSSP, pp. 1–24. Springer, New York (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4964-1_1
Oinas-Kukkonen, H., Harjumaa, M.: Persuasive systems design: key issues, process model, and system features. Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst. 24(1), 28 (2009)
Ritterband, L.M., Thorndike, F.P., Cox, D.J., Kovatchev, B.P., Gonder-Frederick, L.A.: A behavior change model for internet interventions. Ann. Behav. Med. 38(1), 18–27 (2009)
Venkatesh, V., Morris, M.G., Davis, G.B., Davis, F.D.: User acceptance of information technology: toward a unified view. MIS Q., 425–478 (2003)
Davis, F.D.: A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems: theory and results, Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1985)
Ludden, G.D., Van Rompay, T.J., Kelders, S.M., van Gemert-Pijnen, J.E.: How to increase reach and adherence of web-based interventions: a design research viewpoint. J. Med. Internet Res. 17(7), e4201 (2015)
Engeström, Y., Miettinen, R., Punamäki, R. (eds.) Perspectives on Activity Theory. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1999)
Altheide, D.L.: An ecology of communication: toward a mapping of the effective environment. Sociol. Q. 35(4), 665–683 (1994)
van Oers, B.: Educational forms of initiation in mathematical culture. In: Kieran, C., Forman, E., Sfard, A. (eds.) Learning Discourse, pp. 59–85. Springer, Dordrecht (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48085-9_2
Good, A., Omisade, O.: Linking activity theory with user centred design: a human computer interaction framework for the design and evaluation of. Appl. Interdiscip. Theory Health Inform. Knowl. Base Practitioners 263, 49 (2019)
Kang, S.: Designing for design activity. In: Undisciplined! Design Research Society Conference 2008, pp. 16–19. Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK (2009)
O’Leary, D.: An activity theory framework for DSS for extreme events: with a hurricane example. In: Pre-ICIS SIG DSS Workshop (2007)
Dourish, P.: What we talk about when we talk about context. Pers. Ubiquit. Comput. 8(1), 19–30 (2004)
Tacchi, J.A.: Studying communicative ecologies: an ethnographic approach to information and communication technologies (ICTs). In: 56th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (2006)
McCurdie, T., Taneva, S., Casselman, M., Yeung, M., McDaniel, C., Ho, W., et al.: mHealth consumer apps: the case for user-centered design. Biomed. Instrum. Technol. 46(s2), 49–56 (2012). https://doi.org/10.2345/0899-8205-46.s2.49. PubMed, CrossRef, Google Scholar
Marzano, S.: New Values for the Millennium: Philips Corporate Design. V+ K Publishing, Eindhoven (2000)
Lee, D.Y.: Interaction of cultures through design’ cross-cultural design (CCD) learning model: the development and implementation of CCD design education in South Korean higher education, Doctoral dissertation, Goldsmiths, University of London (2016)
Roussou, M., Katifori, A., Pujol, L., Vayanou, M., Rennick-Egglestone, S.J.: A life of their own: museum visitor personas penetrating the design lifecycle of a mobile experience. In: CHI 2013 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems pp. 547–552 (2013)
Cooper, A., Reimann, R.M.: About Face 2.0. Indianapolis. Wiley, Hoboken (2002)
Grudin, J., Pruitt, J.: Personas, participatory design and product development: an infrastructure for engagement. In: Proceedings of the Participatory Design Conference, pp. 144–161. ACM Press (2002)
Ma, J., LeRouge, C.: Introducing user profiles and personas into information systems development. In: Proceedings of the Americas Conference on Information Systems. AIS (2007)
Chapman, C.N., Milham, R.P.: The persona’s new clothes: methodological and practical arguments against a popular method. In: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, pp. 634–636. HFES (2006)
Miaskiewicz, T., Kozar, K.A.: Personas and user-centered design: how can personas benefit product design processes? Des. Stud. 32(5), 417–430 (2011)
Acknowledgments
This research was conducted with the financial support of Science Foundation Ireland under Grant Agreement No. Grant 18/CRT/6222 at the ADAPT SFI Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin. The ADAPT SFI Centre for Digital Content Technology is funded by Science Foundation Ireland through the SFI Research Centres Programme and is co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through Grant #13/RC/2106_P2.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Ikwunne, T., Hederman, L., Wall, P.J. (2023). Theoretical Perspectives Towards Culture-Centered User Engagement Design for Mobile Health in the Global South. In: Arai, K. (eds) Proceedings of the Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2022, Volume 3. FTC 2022 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 561. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18344-7_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18344-7_20
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-18343-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-18344-7
eBook Packages: Intelligent Technologies and RoboticsIntelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0)