How Many Digital Interventions Does it Take to Change a Light-Bulb?

This talk presents an argument that the most fundamental aspect of user engagement with digital interventions is product design quality and discusses why this is often missed in academic research. The talk includes a presentation of design aspects that relate to evidence based product design such as effort optimization and a digital parent training program aimed at addressing these aspects. An open-source platform that is being used to deliver such interventions will be introduced.

Further readings:

Baumel A, Muench F, Edan S, Kane JM Objective User Engagement With Mental Health Apps: Systematic Search and Panel-Based Usage Analysis. J Med Internet Res 2019;21(9):e14567. doi: 10.2196/14567

Baumel, A., Faber, K., Mathur, N., Kane, J. M., & Muench, F. (2017). Enlight: A Comprehensive Quality and Therapeutic Potential Evaluation Tool for Mobile and Web-Based eHealth Interventions. Journal of medical Internet research, 19(3). doi: 10.2196/jmir.7270

Baumel, A., & Kane, J. M. (2018). Using a novel data-set to examine predictors of real world user engagement with self-guided eHealth interventions. Journal of Medical Internet Research. doi: 10.2196/11491

Baumel, A., & Yom-Tov, E. (2018). Predicting user adherence to behavioral eHealth interventions in the real world: Examining which aspects of intervention design matter most. Translational Behavioral Medicine. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibx037

Baumel, A., Fleming, T., & Schueller, S. M. (2020). Digital Micro Interventions for Behavioral and Mental Health Gains: Core Components and Conceptualization of Digital Micro Intervention Care. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(10), e20631. doi: 10.2196/20631

Baumel, A. (2015). Online emotional support delivered by trained volunteers: users’ satisfaction and their perception of the service compared to psychotherapy. Journal of Mental Health, 24(5), 313-320. doi: 10.3109/09638237.2015.1079308

Baumel, A., Tinkelman, A., Mathur, N., & Kane, J. M. (2018). Digital peer-support platform (7Cups) as an adjunct treatment for women with postpartum depression: feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 6(2), e9482. doi: 10.2196/mhealth.9482

Baumel, A., Edan, S., & Kane, J. M. (2019). Is there a trial bias impacting user engagement with unguided e-mental health interventions? A systematic comparison of published reports and real-world usage of the same programs. Translational behavioral medicine, 9(6), 1020-1033. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibz147