title: IDEAS (Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share): A Framework and Toolkit of Strategies for the Development of More Effective Digital Interventions to Change Health Behavior.
abstract: Developing effective digital interventions to change health behavior has been a challenging goal for academics and industry players alike. Guiding intervention design using the best combination of approaches available is necessary if effective technologies are to be developed. Behavioral theory, design thinking, user-centered design, rigorous evaluation, and dissemination each have widely acknowledged merits in their application to digital health interventions. This paper introduces IDEAS, a step-by-step process for integrating these approaches to guide the development and evaluation of more effective digital interventions. IDEAS is comprised of 10 phases (empathize, specify, ground, ideate, prototype, gather, build, pilot, evaluate, and share), grouped into 4 overarching stages: Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share (IDEAS). Each of these phases is described and a summary of theory-based behavioral strategies that may inform intervention design is provided. The IDEAS framework strives to provide sufficient detail without being overly prescriptive so that it may be useful and readily applied by both investigators and industry partners in the development of their own mHealth, eHealth, and other digital health behavior change interventions.
authors.affiliation: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.|Behavioural Science Group, Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sarah Ann
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9154-4510
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mummah
authors.affiliation: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.|Stanford Solutions Science Lab, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas N
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2367-0774
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.|Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Research & Policy, Stanford, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Abby C
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7949-8811
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7596-1530
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Group, Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1610-0404
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sutton
mesh_terms: D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*
keywords: behavior change techniques; behavioral theory; design thinking; diet; digital health; digital interventions; exercise; health behavior; medication adherence; mobile phones; obesity; sleep; smoking cessation; telemedicine; user-centered design; weight loss