research-article

Mobile Sensing and Engagement Features in Arabic Mental Well-Being Apps: Systematic Search and Analysis

Authors:

Sarah Aldaweesh,

Nigel ShadboltAuthors Info & Claims

UbiComp/ISWC '23 Adjunct: Adjunct Proceedings of the 2023 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing & the 2023 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computing

Pages 626 - 631

https://doi.org/10.1145/3594739.3612875

Published: 08 October 2023 Publication History

Abstract

Various mobile apps have been released to track and promote mental health and well-being. Despite the high interest in developing these apps, they suffer from high attrition rates. These apps have limited utility if they are delivered in a manner that does not maintain individuals’ engagement. Engagement features are therefore a critical factor to consider for fostering intended benefits. While there is considerable research on analysing the engagement features of these apps available in English, our understanding of engagement features in such Arabic apps is limited. Moreover, much less is known about mobile sensing in Arabic apps. To address this gap, we systematically searched app stores, identified 110 apps available in Arabic, and analyzed their features based on existing mHealth assessment frameworks. Our analysis found that available Arabic apps poorly implemented engagement features, apart from basic features such as sharing and reminders. Surprisingly, Arabic apps missed mobile sensing capabilities and AI applications. This paper highlights the importance of employing mobile sensing and persuasive design principles in the future design of Arabic apps.

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Cited By

Alnaghaimshi NAwadalla MClark SBaumert M(2024)A systematic review of features and content quality of Arabic mental mHealth appsFrontiers in Digital Health10.3389/fdgth.2024.14722516Online publication date: 11-Dec-2024
https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2024.1472251
Aldaweesh S(2024)Understanding Challenges and Design Opportunities for Digital Mental Well-Being in Saudi ArabiaExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3638189(1-6)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3638189

Index Terms

Mobile Sensing and Engagement Features in Arabic Mental Well-Being Apps: Systematic Search and Analysis
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Empirical studies in HCI

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cover image ACM Conferences

UbiComp/ISWC '23 Adjunct: Adjunct Proceedings of the 2023 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing & the 2023 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computing

October 2023

822 pages

ISBN:9798400702006

DOI:10.1145/3594739

Editors:
Monica Tentori
(CICESE, Mexico)
,
Nadir Weibel
(UC San Diego, USA)
,
Kristof Van Laerhoven
(University of Siegen, Germany)
,
Zhongyi Zhou
(University of Tokyo, Japan)

Copyright © 2023 ACM.

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Published: 08 October 2023

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October 8 - 12, 2023

Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

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Cited By

Alnaghaimshi NAwadalla MClark SBaumert M(2024)A systematic review of features and content quality of Arabic mental mHealth appsFrontiers in Digital Health10.3389/fdgth.2024.14722516Online publication date: 11-Dec-2024
https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2024.1472251
Aldaweesh S(2024)Understanding Challenges and Design Opportunities for Digital Mental Well-Being in Saudi ArabiaExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3638189(1-6)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3638189

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