Assessing long-term user experience on a mobile health application through an in-app embedded conversation-based questionnaire

• Published in: Computers in human behavior 2020-03, Vol.104, p.106169, Article 106169
• Main Authors: Biduski, Daiana, Bellei, Ericles Andrei, Rodriguez, João Pedro Mazuco, Zaina, Luciana Aparecida Martinez, De Marchi, Ana Carolina Bertoletti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chatbot; Conversational; Health; Identification methods; Long-term assessment; m-Health; Mapping; Questionnaires; User experience; User interfaces
• ISSN: 0747-5632; 1873-7692
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2019.106169

A satisfying experience is critical for the user to feel motivated over time, especially in mobile health (m-Health) applications. Long-term user experience (UX) assesses more extended periods of use, which may reveal the possible impact of a set of experiences. In this study, using an in-app embed questionnaire available through a conversational interface, we investigated long-term UX on an m-Health application to identify how it occurs over time. The methods were developed in 4 phases, which included problem characterization, search for UX aspects, elaboration and verification of the questionnaire, test period with questionnaire applied before, during and after use, interview with users, and information mapping. For 3 months, 37 users reported their experiences with the application, describing their impressions regarding usage. Results demonstrated that the most satisfying experiences occurred mainly within the first weeks of the study and were associated with the app's features, charts and visual resources, and the practicality of treatment monitoring. For the less satisfactory experiences, the main reasons identified were technical problems on the application, and the effort and difficulty of use. All users appreciated the use of a character in the conversational interface as a gatherer of the answers to the assessment questionnaire. [Display omitted] •37 participants reported their long-term UX on a conversational interface for 3 months.•After the app use, users' feeling about their health remained similar to before use.•The most satisfactory experiences occurred mainly during the first weeks of use.•A determining aspect in UX is whether the app features meet users' health needs.•As engagement evolves over time, hedonic aspects gain more weight than pragmatic ones.