Engaging Teens with Asthma in Designing a Patient-Centered Mobile App to Aid Disease Self-Management

Despite the growing market of e-health disease self-management tools, few studies have reported the presence of teen patients in all phases of product design. While rates of American teens using mobile Internet grow, an opportunity to deliver disease self-management targeted for teen patients exists. Building on findings from previous investigations with teens with asthma, we explored teens' insights on the development of a patient-centered asthma management application (app).

Two existing asthma apps were used by 16 teen asthmatics for 7-10 days. At the end of the trial period, in-depth interviews were conducted with each participant to gather insights about the user experience.

Participants requested more asthma-related content that educates them about their condition. Suggested improvements to currently available apps included a longer list of selectable symptoms to track, medication tracking, and more compelling interface features.

Participants showed interest in using apps for managing their asthma, yet recommended improvements on current design. Whereas national figures point to a more ubiquitous mobile device environment, implementation efforts must respond to participants' recommendations while minding lingering digital divides. Currently available apps lack appealing components that teens seek or desire. Subsequent development should include teens' participation in component design insights.