Web-based stress management system goes mobile: Considerations of the design of a mobile phone app

Abstract

High levels of stress at work, great demands and lack of balance between work and family; these are examples of components in the daily lives of many people in modern society. Interventions of different kinds are needed. However, changing patterns of thinking and behaviors is not an easy task, and it demands for continuous support and learning efforts. This paper presents a web-based stress management system and the way it was transferred to a mobile phone app. The solution and considerations are presented. The design principles of the web-based system were used to examine the use of the mobile phone app. The results showed that the app to a large extent meets the design principles, and some of the principles seemed even more applicable in the mobile phone setting due to its mobility. © 2012 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.