The New Smart-Meds: Redesign of a Gamified App to Improve Medication Adherence Using a Mixed Methods Design

SMART-MEDS is a gamification-based mobile application to improve medication adherence. In its first version, it relied on storytelling to bolster user engagement. The feedback collected from users after one month testing revealed that although they appreciated the proposed story, they did not find it compelling enough. On the positive side they really appreciated to learn about their medications and disease through a dedicated quiz. In this paper, we present a new version of the app redesigned based on the collected feedback. We have based ourselves on the theories of gamification and self-efficiency to propose new mechanics such as mini-games, and interactive dialogues with a chatbot. Everything is wrapped up inside a new story that takes us on a journey through Switzerland. We also tried to reinforce the app educational aspects by integrating documentation directly inside the new mechanics. This new app seems to address all the issues raised during the first user tests, and will be tested in the near future.