SIS Seminar Series Pedro Rossel

Software applications for improving the health and wellbeing of people

This talk consists of two parts. In the first part, I will present InMyDay, a digital diary specifically designed and implemented for older users. The goal of this diary was twofold: first, we research whether older users are able to record their daily activities and reflect on their emotions using a digital diary. Then, using the results of this first phase, we implemented three input styles for the second version of the digital diary: voice, stylus, and keyboard. Overall, 23 older users participated in evaluations aimed at improving the design of the diary and understanding their input style preferences. We found that the older adults in our study used the diary to reflect on their emotions, registering positive as well as negative emotions. We also found that providing a variety of input styles helped the participants to select the option most suited to their particular needs and preferences.

In the second part, I will present Evitapp, a mobile persuasive application designed to promote physical activity and smoking cessation. The application does not use additional tracking devices, relying instead on phone sensors to track physical activity, and on users to log their behavior. Nineteen adults tested the application over 10 days. Participants found the application easy to use and used it approximately once per day. Even though habits did not change significantly over the course of the experiment, those who used the smoking cessation application reported a decrease in consumption.