Abstract
Background Health care services are increasingly being digitized, but extant literature shows
that digital technologies and applications are often developed without careful consideration
of user needs. Research is needed to identify and investigate best-in-class methods
to support user-centered design of mHealth applications.
Objectives The article investigates how the Kano model can be adapted and used for the purpose
of eliciting child patients' information needs during the design phase of mHealth
application development. The aim is to demonstrate its applicability for collecting
and analyzing patient-centered data that are key to designing technology-supported
solutions for health management.
Methods The article is based on a mixed-methods case study, which includes interviews with
21 patients aged 6 to 18. Structured interviews are analyzed based on prescriptions
of the Kano model. Semi-structured interviews about child patients' information needs
are analyzed thematically.
Results The results demonstrate several improvements to the Kano model that take into account
the difficulties of effectively communicating with child patients. The combination
of two types of interviews offers unique insights into the what, how, and why of patients' needs. Adaptation of the Kano model, simplification of response options,
and participation of child patients' parents in interviews facilitate data collection.
Conclusion The article shows how the Kano model can be adapted to provide an effective means
of eliciting child patients' needs. Adapting the model by combining structured and
semi-structured interviews makes it a powerful tool in designing mHealth applications.
Keywords
mHealth applications - information needs - the Kano model - user-centered design
