Design and Evaluation of iCare App – A Persuasive mHealth App to Help Working-Class Indian Women to Manage Stress and Anxiety

Abstract

Persuasive Technologies are used for improving mental health and well-being. They contribute to the communal drive toward equality by making mental health care more accessible. PTs can be delivered in the form of mobile apps. However, most existing apps focus on designing for people in developed countries. To address this gap, this thesis presents the design, development, and evaluation of iCare, a mobile health app for promoting mental health and well-being among an underserved population — working-class Indian women. We combined the power of mobile health and PTs. We used a User-Centered Design approach to ensure that the needs of our target population are included in the design of the iCare app. We divided our study into three phases, and in each phase, our target audience played an active role. This ensures that the iCare app is tailored to our target audience, truly helping them manage their stress and anxiety.