Designing Mobile Health Applications to Support Walking for Older Adults

Physical activity is extremely important at an older age and has major benefits. There is a range of applications that help maintain physical activity. However, their adoption among older adults is still limited. The purpose of the study is to explore the key aspects of the design of mobile applicat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-02, Vol.20 (4), p.3611
Main Authors: Felberbaum, Yasmin, Lanir, Joel, Weiss, Patrice L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age
Aged
Applications programs
Cardiovascular disease
Chronic illnesses
Design
Exercise
Humans
Memory
Mobile Applications
Motivation
Older people
Physical activity
Physical fitness
Quality of life
Scientific visualization
Self image
Smartwatches
Social networks
Technology
Technology adoption
Telemedicine
Walking
Wearable computers
Wireless telephone software
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Summary:Physical activity is extremely important at an older age and has major benefits. There is a range of applications that help maintain physical activity. However, their adoption among older adults is still limited. The purpose of the study is to explore the key aspects of the design of mobile applications that support walking for older adults. We conducted a field study with older adults, aged 69-79 years, using a technology probe (a mobile application developed as an early prototype) with the purpose of eliciting requirements for mobile health applications. We interviewed the participants during and after the study period, asking them about their motivation for walking, usage of the application, and overall preferences when using such technologies. The findings suggest that mobile applications that support walking should address a range of walking variables, support a long-term learning process, and enable the user to take control and responsibility for the walk. In addition, we provide design guidelines concerning the motivation for walking and the data visualization that would make technology adoption easier. The findings from this study can be used to inform the design of more usable products for older users.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20043611