Abstract. The application of persuasive technology in web-based and mobile phone-based systems is well established, particularly in the health domain. However, a greater understanding of the effectiveness of the techniques deployed is needed to facilitate the successful transfer of research findings into practical applications. The context explored here is that of creative writing and the potential use of persuasive technology to foster and support a productive writing routine. Employing a user-centered design approach, we conducted surveys and a co-creation workshop with writers. Goal setting and regular writing, combined with self-monitoring, were key indicators of an effective writing practice. Group and mentor support were also highlighted. Based on our findings, we developed the architecture for a mobile personal writing coach. We evaluated the architecture against existing frameworks, finding good congruence. This supports our long-term goal of creating a universal framework, applicable to a wider range of behavior change interventions, domains and users. The design considerations reported in this paper go some way towards that goal.
Keywords:Behavior Change · Goal Setting · Design Thinking · User-Centered Design · Co-Design · Methodology
IntroductionThe application of persuasive technology to support positive behavior change has had significant success in the health domain with symptom trackers and management systems; in particular for physical and mental health, with specific examples for smoking cessation, weight loss and exercise [32][16]. Another arena has been reducing energy consumption [6]. These studies have resulted in a number of models for future systems to follow, whether that be from the perspective of underlying psychological theories, the use of persuasive interface design techniques [9] or architecture of functional components [23]. In parallel with this research effort, the availability of smart phones has facilitated a growth in productivity and tracking applications. These applications reflect many of the characteristics of those developed as part of research programs, although many have been developed within a commercial environment such as HealthMonth [12] and Runkeeper [29] and Lift [17].