ChroniUXMag: A Persona-Driven Framework for Inclusive mHealth Requirements Engineering

TL;DR

ChroniUXMag is a new framework that systematically captures inclusivity requirements in mHealth app design, addressing accessibility and engagement challenges for diverse users with chronic conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a persona-driven, evidence-based approach for integrating inclusivity considerations into mHealth requirements engineering, building on existing principles and involving systematic research methods.

Findings

Identified 13 inclusivity facets affecting mHealth use.

Developed personas representing diverse health and digital backgrounds.

Enabled structured evaluations revealing barriers missed by traditional methods.

Abstract

Mobile health (mHealth) applications are increasingly adopted for chronic disease management, yet they face persistent challenges related to accessibility, inclusivity, and sustained engagement. Patients' needs evolve dynamically with their health progression, adherence, and caregiver support, creating unique requirements engineering (RE) challenges that traditional approaches often overlook. This study introduces ChroniUXMag, a framework for eliciting and analysing inclusivity requirements in mHealth design. Building on InclusiveMag and GenderMag principles, the framework aims to help researchers and practitioners systematically capture and evaluate factors that influence how individuals with chronic conditions perceive, trust, and interact with mHealth systems. The framework was developed through two stages of the InclusiveMag process. In the first stage, inclusivity facets were identified through a systematic literature review, focus groups, interviews, and a large-scale survey. In the second stage, these facets were synthesised into personas representing diverse health situations, attitudes, and digital practices, and integrated into an adapted cognitive walkthrough form. Thirteen facets were identified that capture the socio-technical complexity of mHealth use, including trust, digital literacy, dependency, and cultural context. These facets support structured, persona-driven evaluations that reveal inclusivity barriers often missed by traditional usability assessments. ChroniUXMag contributes to RE by offering a reproducible, evidence-based approach for embedding inclusivity into mHealth requirements. Future work will extend the third stage Apply through practitioner-led evaluation in real-world design contexts.