title: The person-based approach to enhancing the acceptability and feasibility of interventions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This paper provides three illustrations of how the "person-based approach" can be used to assess and enhance the acceptability and feasibility of an intervention during the early stages of development and evaluation. The person-based approach involves using mixed methods research to systematically investigate the beliefs, attitudes, needs and situation of the people who will be using the intervention. The in-depth understanding of users' perspectives derived from this research then enables intervention developers to design or modify the intervention to make it more relevant, persuasive, accessible and engaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  The first illustration describes how relevant beliefs and attitudes of people with asthma were identified from the existing qualitative and quantitative literature and then used to createguiding principlesto inform the design of a web-based intervention to improve quality of life. The second illustration describes how qualitative "think-aloud" interviews and patient and public involvement (PPI) input are used to improve the acceptability of a booklet for people with asthma. In the third illustration, iterative think-aloud methods are used to create a more accurate and accessible activity planner for people with diabetes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the first illustration of the person-based approach, we present the guiding principles we developed to summarisekey design issues/objectivesandkey intervention featuresto address them. The second illustration provides evidence from interviews that positive, non-medical messages and images were preferred in booklet materials for people with asthma. The third illustration demonstrates that people with diabetes found it difficult to complete an online activity planner accurately, resulting in incorrect personalised advice being given prior to appropriate modification of the planner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The person-based approach to intervention development can complement theory- and evidence-based development and participant input into intervention design, offering a systematic process for systematically investigating and incorporating the views of a wide range of users.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ UK.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yardley
authors.affiliation: Centre for Applications of Health Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ainsworth
authors.affiliation: Centre for Behaviour Change, Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arden-Close
authors.affiliation: Centre for Applications of Health Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK ; Primary Care and Population Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Muller
keywords: Behaviour change; Evaluation studies; Feasibility studies; Health promotion; Internet; Patient education; Person-based approach; Professional education; Qualitative research