Co-Design of a Mobile Health App for Heart Failure: Perspectives from the Team

Abstract

Using a Design Thinking and co-design methodology, hospital staff and consumers developed a novel mobile health app for heart failure self-management. Various stakeholders engaged in three development stages: interviews, design workshops and prototype iterations. Eleven of 18 co-design team members reflected on the co-design process and design outcomes. A total of 144 data points were collected: 96 about the co-design process and 48 about the design outcomes. Successes and failures reflect the strengths and weaknesses of operationalising co- design in practice. Overall, participants were surprised the design outcomes were achieved. The app was considered a supportive tool for meaningful self-monitoring and patients believed the app would be applicable to their situations. Our findings suggest that local co-design can be achieved through meaningful partnerships, and managing stakeholders was key to the projectâĂŹs success.

Keywords: Co-design; digital health; evaluation; heart failure; mobile app; participatory design; patient engagement.