An Interaction Design Analysis of Mood Trackers

Abstract

Mood trackers are very prevalent nowadays; however, most of them are designed for the general public, without much concern for mental health issues or targeting people in therapy. The aim of this paper is to report an introductory analysis of what mood tracker applications in the present look like, pointing out strong points and some negative sides. Also, it aims to define what can be useful for future improvement by detecting patterns within these applications. Our research methodology comprises an analysis of a selection of applications found in the Google App Store and Apple Store, through a series of different criteria taken from the relevant literature. Our results suggest that the incorporation of guidelines, co-design methods with mental health specialists, and new interaction styles used, could potentially change the mood tracker market for the better. Further studies are necessary to demonstrate the impact of images in improving mood trackers and their use in the context of therapy.