The Heart Companion: DESIGNING AN EMPOWERING APPLICATION FOR HEART FAILURE PATIENTS

Healthcare practices are changing as focus shifts from treating acute illnesses to chronic diseases. The responsibility of managing the treatment has shifted from healthcare providers to the individual in a higher degree. To achieve good treatment the patients need to be empowered so that they understand their condition and can make informed choices throughout their self-care. A research through design approach was used to investigate how to design a personalized empowering application for heart failure patients. Aside from information relating to the condition, the themes of physical activity, dieting and social connectedness were identified as central to address for the empowerment of this group. Patients, partners and healthcare providers contributed with different perspectives throughout the design process. As a result five personas, representing potential users, were developed. Based on the personas and knowledge of the domain, user scenarios in currentand preferred state were constructed in order to guide the design of the empowering application called ‘The Heart Companion’. It is a tablet application catering to the different needs of the personas that also addresses the three themes relevant for empowerment. The purpose of the application is to facilitate better understanding, a feeling of safety and a more active empowered life for the patient. The application enables personalization of the content by providing bookmarking and addresses empowerment of physical activity by enabling various guided exercise sessions, personalized feedback, the possibility of reflection and construction of personalized exercise sessions. Author