Persuasive features in online health coaching: A case study of coaching provider Lifted

Sammanfattning: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research typically studies behavior change by measuring behavior outcomes, but this is not always feasible nor the only way to study persuasive technologies. Understanding how users interact with and integrate persuasive systems into their daily lives can also guide the evaluation of such systems. Often times, theories about behavior change in persuasive systems lack contextual specificity, which is why this study explores the online courses of Lifted to understand behavior change within the context of online health coaching. Four coaches and eight users were interviewed about their interactions and perceptions of Lifted’s online health coaching platform to help understand which features of the course platform support user retention. Key features identified as persuasive were those that supported personalization, sense of community or users’ commitment to the course. In the future the identified themes and features can tentatively guide the development and design of online health coaching platforms.