Why integrating psychological models into software development is critical

Interfaces between software and psychology

Cloudflight combines software development and psychological research, particularly in health prevention and education. These two areas are core aspects of our service portfolio and demonstrate the potential of the interface between technology and psychology.

 

The role of motivation

In the areas of health and education, user motivation is critical. This ranges from the decision to download a health promotion app to the long-term use of digital learning tools. Psychological research offers a wealth of motivational models and theories that can be applied in software development to address these challenges.

 

Motivational stages in psychological models

One example of such a motivational concept is phase or stage models. They divide motivation into different stages, starting with the complete lack of intention to act and ending with the long-term maintenance of an action:

 

1. Unintentional phase: In the unintentional phase, the individual has no intention of changing their health or learning behavior in the foreseeable future. This is often accompanied by a lack of awareness of the problem.
2. Intention formation phase: In the intention formation phase, there is an initial awareness of the health or learning challenge that needs to be addressed. However, concrete intentions for action are not yet present at this stage.
3. Preparation phase: In the preparation phase, initial action plans are developed to initiate the desired health or learning goal within a specified time frame. Ideally, realistic plans for implementing the action are also developed.
4. Implementation: In the implementation phase, either an entirely new behavior is initiated or a habitual, more detrimental health or learning behavior is replaced.
5. Maintenance: The maintenance phase consolidates and automates the new, desired behavior.

 

Strategic use of motivational phases

Determining a user’s current motivational phase can provide crucial information about the support needed. Depending on the phase, different strategies are required to guide the user to the next stage.

 

For example, a person in the unintentional stage needs different motivational incentives than a person in the implementation stage. Once the motivational stage has been determined, targeted strategies can be used to promote the achievement of the next higher stage. To ensure the best possible progress, different strategies are helpful in the different stages. In the unintentional and intentional stages, health or educational information should be provided to increase awareness of the problem and provide options for changing the prevailing harmful behavior.

 

In the preparation stage, specific timelines for when the target behavior should be implemented will help. In addition, any obstacles on the way to achieving the goal should be identified and coping strategies put in place. If the preparation stage has been completed, the obstacles that arise in the subsequent action stage can be overcome more easily and a relapse to a previous model stage can be avoided. In the maintenance stage, sufficient resources should be available so that minor setbacks in the execution of the target behavior can be overcome. A conscious list of previous successes in changing behavior can be helpful here.

 

Practical examples

Especially in the health and education sectors, software products such as smartphone applications are often downloaded to change behavior, but are no longer opened after a few days. Users often have an initial desire to improve their health behavior or learning efficiency, but fail after a short time due to overly ambitious goals and unrealistic action plans. This underscores the fact that intention and motivation alone do not automatically lead to successful action. However, if the user’s level of motivation is identified during the installation process of a digital health or education application, the strategies outlined above can be used to break down important health or education-related goals into easy-to-implement modules.

 

Digital products are particularly suitable for testing motivational prerequisites. Through the targeted use of questionnaires, for example in the form of a chat function, the motivational status of the user can be determined in a very short time. Based on the results, the appropriate software can then support the use of the strategy with tailored recommendations. For example, in the unintentional and intentional stages, an AI could select and present specific information, tailored to the health or education goal, in a way that helps the user develop awareness of the problem. In addition, a digital assistant could help a user in the preparation phase to create schedules by first suggesting realistic time frames for each goal project. Linking the digital product to the calendar and reminders of a smartphone, tablet or computer could then help ensure that these schedules are adhered to. Push notifications could make it easier to integrate the strategy into daily life.

 

By taking into account motivational principles, such mobile software solutions increase both the duration of use and the efficiency of the use of digital applications. This approach can also be applied to the design of other software products in various fields outside of health and education.