Designing an Online Intervention for Adults with ADHD

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) affects humans across a life span. However, the available treatment resources are quite limited for adults with ADHD. In this study, a mobile application is designed to help support interaction in-between group therapy sessions. The Companion app is designed to be a part of an intervention targeting emotional issues in adults with ADHD, based on principles from Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). The methodology applied in this thesis is Research through Design (RtD), and participatory design methods were applied in the design and research process. Hence, this research included participation from clinical experts, adults with ADHD, and UX/HCI experts ensuring that researchers from relevant fields and potential users were involved in the design of the intervention. Previous research finds that users' participation in the design process is important to ensure valuable products. In the context of mental health applications, the involvement of users with lived experience can contribute to a better understanding of user needs and limit the risk of low usability. Furthermore, several features were found to be useful in supporting interaction in-between group therapy sessions. By implementing peer support, homework, journals, and other resources, principles from DBT can be transferred into a digital format. This research resulted in a prototype of the Companion app, including several features based on data from previous research and the design process. The results indicate that ADHD users are positive to the use of online interfaces in the context of therapy. Nevertheless, the Companion app should be tested in the context of a therapy intervention to ensure effectiveness.