Affective Design for Improved Health Outcomes for Rheumatology Patients using Digital Health Technology

This project explores how Affective Interaction Design can contribute to improving Daman's Rheumabuddy App through the development of a new digital concept that enables patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) to improve their coping strategies and quality of life. The concept facilitates novel affective interactions for patient motivation and empowerment through the continuous production of affective data which is both relevant for the patient’s self-management, the healthcare system and Daman’s data-driven commercialization model towards the pharmaceutical industry. The specific research objectives are to: (1) sketch out an affect-driven framework for designing digital healthcare technologies for RA patients (key innovation); and (2) explore case-driven research methods and metrics for assessing the longitudinal impact of affective interactions using mobile apps and self-tracking for patient empowerment