Designing a peer-facilitated self-management mobile application: A user-centred approach

This paper presents a user-centered approach taken for a new peer-facilitated mobile self-care application called Mobile DSMS. Mobile DSMS is a mobile application based on a framework for collaborative disease management using mobile technologies. It allows users to form virtual peer-support groups using their cell phones. The paper sets the stage by presenting the different types of peer-support available and explains how the existing remote model can be extended to include interactive features through the use of mobile technologies. A research protocol, comprising individual interviews and a focus group, was conducted using 21 users of the target group. This paper presents the user perceptions of the system's design; what worked and what did not work. It identifies some of the barriers and social implications associated with adoption of this new form of remote self-care support. It concludes by explaining how the outcomes of a forthcoming field study are expected to advance the area of CDM and HCI using mobile devices.