Designing an Interactive Mobile Assessment Tool to Quantify Impact of the Environment on Wellbeing

Abstract

The ubiquity of mobile sensing and smartphone capabilities offer a significant opportunity to obtain real-world sensor data and momentary mental wellbeing fused at the point of exposure. In this paper, we present the design, implementation and evaluation and user experiences of Urban Wellbeing; a cross-platform mobile application, which aids in quantifying the relationship of the environment, behaviour and mental wellbeing. Urban wellbeing integrates: (i) real-time environmental sensor data in the form of Air Quality Index, (ii) momentary mental wellbeing assessment in the form of emojis, (iii) image and the type of environment and (iv) noise levels in decibels. We report early findings from trials conducted based on the design of Urban Wellbeing to promote engagement. Our preliminary results of Urban Wellbeing, tested with both iOS and Android smartphones demonstrate that it can be effective as a personal environmental and wellbeing sensing application and engaging for users.