Design for Engagement of Online Positive Psychology Interventions

Abstract

Online Positive Psychology Interventions (oPPIs) can provide a low-cost way to improve wellbeing in the general population. However, for these interventions to be effective, participants need to use them for a longer period of time and need to practice the content in their daily lives. This means that participants need to feel engaged with the intervention in a certain way. The first part of this chapter introduces this need for engagement with online interventions and provides insight in what engagement might actually be in this context. The next part of the chapter will focus on ways technology can be designed to positively influence engagement. This will be illustrated by means of two cases of oPPIs. Next, the chapter will discuss the way engagement might be used to personalize interventions and thereby increase the individual effectiveness. The chapter concludes with a summary of themain learning points.