Designing a Holistic Behavior Change Support System for Healthy Aging

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the development of a behavior change support system to improve health. The system is designed for people in the age range of 50–65 with an interdisciplinary approach. The basic structure of the presented system consists of two main modules: a monitoring module to collect and analyze data and an intervention module to support behavior changes. Based on the results of a requirements analysis and findings gathered from a conducted literature review and own analyses, the behavior change system addresses the following lifestyle areas: physical activity, nutrition, mental fitness, sleep, and nature contact. We outline how the concept is developed with regards to the results of the requirements analysis and psychological foundations to explain and predict motivation and behavior change processes. We describe how single system components match phases of behavior change models and how they were implemented into an Android application. Finally, we present the results of usability studies where the comprehensibility of the concept and application was tested together with the usability of navigation structure and design. The results show that the target group is able to understand the concept and can navigate through the system easily.