Designing Motivational, Adaptive and Mobile Interactions for Behavior Change: Application to Low Back Pain

Jury

• Yann LAURILLAU, Maître de conférences-HdR, LIG-CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, Rapporteur & Examinateur
• Elena MUGELLINI, Professeure des Universités, Institut HumanTech, Haute école d’ingénierie et d’architecture de Fribourg, Rapporteuse et Examinatrice
• Gaëlle CALVARY, Professeure des Universités, LIG-CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, Examinatrice,
• Christophe KOLSKI, Professeur des Universités, Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, Examinateur,
• Audrey SERNA, Maîtresse de conférences, LIRIS-CNRS, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, Examinatrice.Christelle Nguyen, Professeure des Universités – Praticienne Hospitalière, INSERM UMRS-1124, Université de Paris, Hôpital Cochin-AP-HP, Invitée

Abstract

Today’s technologies are known as persuasive or motivational, referring to technologies, applications or services designed to induce changes in the attitudes and behaviors of those who use them. This is the subject of research in Human-Computer Interaction, in conjunction with theories from psychology linked, for example, to behavior change or motivation. Research on these technologies suggests that, in order to encourage long-term adherence, these “virtual coaches” need to be personalized and/or adapted according to users’ individual characteristics (stage of behavior change, motivations, preferences, barriers). For example, according to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), an individual may present different forms of motivation, more or less effective. The aim is to identify the forms of motivation present in users, in order to offer services and interactions that reinforce or develop them. The use of such systems in the healthcare field has the potential to induce and reinforce health behaviors that are sometimes difficult for caregivers to establish. Offering personalized daily care represents a considerable human and financial cost for healthcare professionals. A mobile application has the advantage of being able to cope with these constraints. The aim of this thesis is to design this computer coach with and for patients suffering from chronic low back pain, to help them manage their condition, particularly with regard to their pain and the practice of regular physical activity. The major challenges of this thesis include the selection and coordination of different existing methodologies, as well as the evaluation of the application’s quality and effectiveness. Key issues address a thorough understanding of patients in terms of psychological characteristics, the implementation of a user-centered and participatory approach to meet patients’ needs, the tailoring of the intervention to foster the behavior change process, and the evaluation of this intervention on patients’ engagement and behavior change process. The contributions are structured around three axes: (1) the proposal of a design and evaluation metamodel for adaptive digital interventions to support behavior change, (2) the identification of low back pain patient profiles based on psychological characteristics related to the behavior change process, and (3) the design of a mobile application for low back pain patients. Thus, this thesis proposes a useful approach to guide the design of adaptive human-machine interventions and interactions, based on theories in the psychology of behavior change and involving professionals and patients in the design process.