What Does It Take to Design for Health Behavior Change?

This is a must read for anyone designing or managing digital health apps and devices attempting health behavior change. Amy Bucher, PhD, gives us a comprehensive view of not only the theory behind her approach to behavior change but also practical aspects of design and implementation.

Based on Self Determination Theory, the author bases the book on core tenets: people are different, context matters and things change. The book begins with the importance of measurement - how it is essential to know how you measure behavior change before you start with the design. Then it goes on to discuss making meaningful choices, making decisions easier and ability blockers. It also covers the importance of connecting with others and interaction with technology including the aspect of trust. If you lose trust from your users, it is hard to recover.

Beyond the topics covered, the author has a welcoming and sometime humorous approach to a complex subject. She also gives multiple examples along the way with screen shots from successful and unsuccessful apps. A great feature of each chapter is a postscript for each topic written by experts in behavior change (including several from the Society of Behavioral Medicine) and design.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone working in consumer-facing digital health. Check it out here: Engaged - Designing for Behavior Change. Also, see my interview blog post with Amy. There is also a blog post resource associated with the book. There is an image repository from the book as well.