Design guidelines for behavioral feedback visualizations to support health behavior change
type: CreativeWork
description: A variety of self-monitoring technologies (e.g., wristbands, mobile applications) enable users to monitor personal health behaviors (e.g., daily steps, medication taking) and visualize the behavioral data as feedback via interactive or ambient displays to support health behavior change. The visualization tools could promote a robust understanding and engage individuals in reflective analysis of health behaviors by providing them with visualizations about past recorded information and the context. The visualizations have the potential to help them change health behaviors by increasing self-reflection, changing attitude, enhancing motivation, boosting self-efficacy, and implementation intentions. However, to the best of my knowledge, there is no study to identify the mechanism of action of visual feedback, and no systematic and comprehensive review and analysis to integrate the literature and identify potential gaps of feedback visualizations for health behavior change. In addition, most self-monitoring technologies are designed to provide visual feedback for health behaviors, such as physical activity, for younger populations. Little attention has been paid to designing visual feedback in medication monitoring technology for older adults to support the behavior of medication taking and it is unknown how to design understandable, reflective, and actionable visual feedback for older adults for medication adherence. The primary objective of the research was to identify beneficial approaches for providing behavioral feedback visualizations to optimize comprehension and reflection of personal health data information and action on health behavior change. Specifically, the goals were to: 1) identify feedback components and visualization types of feedback visualizations for health behavior change; 2) identify potential mechanisms of action of visual feedback; 3) provide a road map for feedback visualization development and assessment for health behavior change; 4) develop an…
abstract: A variety of self-monitoring technologies (e.g., wristbands, mobile applications) enable users to monitor personal health behaviors (e.g., daily steps, medication taking) and visualize the behavioral data as feedback via interactive or ambient displays to support health behavior change. The visualization tools could promote a robust understanding and engage individuals in reflective analysis of health behaviors by providing them with visualizations about past recorded information and the context. The visualizations have the potential to help them change health behaviors by increasing self-reflection, changing attitude, enhancing motivation, boosting self-efficacy, and implementation intentions. However, to the best of my knowledge, there is no study to identify the mechanism of action of visual feedback, and no systematic and comprehensive review and analysis to integrate the literature and identify potential gaps of feedback visualizations for health behavior change. In addition, most self-monitoring technologies are designed to provide visual feedback for health behaviors, such as physical activity, for younger populations. Little attention has been paid to designing visual feedback in medication monitoring technology for older adults to support the behavior of medication taking and it is unknown how to design understandable, reflective, and actionable visual feedback for older adults for medication adherence. The primary objective of the research was to identify beneficial approaches for providing behavioral feedback visualizations to optimize comprehension and reflection of personal health data information and action on health behavior change. Specifically, the goals were to: 1) identify feedback components and visualization types of feedback visualizations for health behavior change; 2) identify potential mechanisms of action of visual feedback; 3) provide a road map for feedback visualization development and assessment for health behavior change; 4) develop an…
author: Nie, Qiong
language: en
language: eng
keywords: Visual feedback, Health behavior change, Self-monitoring technology, Personal informatics, Medication adherence
date published: 2022-08
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:55Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116080