A Holistic Framework for Designing Mental Health Technology

Abstract

The global burden of mental disorders accounts for an estimated 32.4% of years of healthy life lost due to disability. By 2030, mental disorders are forecast to become the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Mental health technologies (MHT) based on the internet, mobile apps, wearable sensors and artificial intelligence have great potential to expand the capacity of mental health resources, improve treatment efficacies and even revolutionize mental health care. However, the real-world adoption and engagement of MHT have been underwhelming.

In order to create MHT that can meet real patient needs, keep users engaged in the long run, while meeting the requirements of external stakeholders such as regulatory bodies, clinical systems and healthcare payers, I propose a holistic framework for designing MHT that integrates patient-centered design and technology life cycle design.

This thesis also uses designing for depression patients in China as a case study to illustrate, on a high level, how the framework can be used to guide the design process in a specific real-world setting.