Procedure: Placebo design and selection
Clinical trials use pills without active ingredients. For ethical reasons I have chosen not to use real pills or medication, so instead a placebo will be utilised for each experiment.
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Procedure: measuring the outcome
For this study I am particularly interested in measuring;
Quantitative
- the frequency of adherence/non-adherence
Qualitative
- patterns in non-adherence
- causes for non-adherence
- barriers to adherence
Direct observation would be the most precise way of measuring medication adherence. However, this method would not be feasible for this study. Direct observation would also likely influence the participant’s behaviour. Weighing up the cost/benefits, it has been decided to look at other ways of measuring the outcome.
Designing an MVP experiment for Behaviour change interventions
I wanted to answer the following questions so that I could design my experiment to be as realistic as possible:
- What is the most common form of temporary medication?
- What is the typical (or an example) length of time someone might be asked to take temporary medication for?
- What is a typical administration recommendation for how the temporary medication should be taken? e.g. twice per day with food, after food, before food, on an empty stomach?
Continue reading “Designing an MVP experiment for Behaviour change interventions”
CREATE action funnel – 5 preconditions for action
Making sure the 5 preconditions for behaviour are in place. Source – (c) uxmag.com Cue Detect a cue. Cue the user to think about taking the action. Be notified that should take medicine About to eat (if should be taken with food) Arrive somewhere (e.g. take it when you get home) Do something (e.g. prepare breakfast … Continue reading CREATE action funnel – 5 preconditions for action
Motivation required for changing behaviour
For many, taking temporary medication is prompted mainly by symptoms of illness. Identifying obstacles to behaviour change using the CREATE model Condition Current Status if participant were ill Obstacle (Y or N) Possible Improvements Cue to think about taking action About to eat (if should be taken with food) Arrive somewhere (e.g. take it when … Continue reading Motivation required for changing behaviour
Interview findings
Interviewing people who had taken temporary medication in the past taught me that many potential users found it difficult to remember to take their medication if they didn’t follow a strict routine in their home lives; such as eating at set times, being in their home at the same time every day.
Procedure: initial exploration
Survey
A survey was used to find potential participants for interviewing and further experiments. The survey aimed to collect a list of participants who had in the last 0-2 years been prescribed and had taken short-term medication.
The 0-2 year qualification period was chosen because the experience would be relatively recent to them. If I were to reduce the amount of time since the last prescription, it would severely reduce my accessible pool of potential participants.
Procedure: data gathering methods
When and how
| Anticipated UX – before usage | Momentary UX – during usage | Episodic UX – after usage | Cumulative UX – over time |
| Interviews | Interviews | ||
| Surveys | Surveys | ||
| Pill count |
Self-reporting
Interviews
Interviews give me the opportunity to gather deeper more detailed responses as well as question and encourage reflection on participants comments. Interviews also have the advantage of allowing me to pursue new, ad-hoc lines of enquiry to increase understanding.
Interviews are more time consuming than surveys, however for this study, the intention is to go deep and narrow in order to gain valuable insights and get a true understanding of user needs, practices, concerns, preferences, attitudes and goals.
Post study interviews are useful for capturing details of intentional vs. unintentional non-adherence. Participants will be asked to report the number of days, or occasions they missed their medication. Although not always assured of validity this information can be combined with automatic measuring (through counting the number of pills remaining) to understand the context of their adherence or non-adherence to the medication.
Experiment participant profile
Participation criteria
- People who have taken temporary medication in the past 5 years
- People who are compliant with the idea of taking temporary medication such as antibiotics
- People that own and use a mobile phone/carry one with them daily
- People who are over the age of 18
- People who are not on other long-term medication
- People who would not be classed as vulnerable
Influencing behaviour change – behaviour models
Foggs Behaviour Model – BlueSpan behaviour
BlueSpan behaviour is one that attempts to do a familiar behaviour for a period of time. This behaviour model is appropriate for my research as most participants will have taken temporary medication in the past, so will be familiar with it, and will only need to do it for the course of their ‘prescription’.
Continue reading “Influencing behaviour change – behaviour models”