A User-Centric Exploration of a Digital Health Experience

This paper explores digital health experience through focus on the experiences of diabetics who utilize digital health technology in their daily diabetes management. Theoretically, the paper draws from research on digital experience and from theoretical discussions concerned with digital health. Empirically, it analyzes three multimodal datasets using reflective thematic analysis. Three interlinked themes – always on, co-creation through interaction, and it makes things so much easier – are revealed. These themes reveal the key characteristics of users’ digital health experiences and highlight how users shape their experiences in their daily lives. The study contributes theoretically to digital experience literature within which user-centric, longitudinal studies are scarce. Practically, it demonstrates to health professionals and developers how digital health technology becomes integrated into their users’ lives.