An analysis of gamification elements in mHealth applications
Resumo
In recent years, there has been an increase in the adoption of smartphones, by health professionals and the general public, for issues related to well-being and physical and mental health. This is related to electronic health and involves the use of mobile health (mHealth), which are health practices that use mobile devices. To increase usage and keep the user engaged in these practices, gamification started to be used by mHealth researchers and developers. Given this scenario, the main goal of this work is to analyze which gamification elements have been commonly applied to promote health and well-being in mHealth applications. For this, an analysis of mHealth applications present in the Google Play Store was carried out. With the analysis performed, 70 mHealth gamified applications were found. As a result, we identified which areas mHealth is typically found in and which gamification elements are most commonly found in them. It is expected that the results of this work will help mHealth researchers to understand the use of gamification elements better.
Palavras-chave:
mHealth, gamification, wellbeing
Referências
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Fernando RH Andrade, Riichiro Mizoguchi, and Seiji Isotani. 2016. The bright and dark sides of gamification. In International conference on intelligent tutoring systems. Springer, 176–186.
Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng, Tracey Davenport, Daniel Johnson, Kellie Vella, and Ian B Hickie. 2019. Gamification in apps and technologies for improving mental health and well-being: systematic review. JMIR mental health 6, 6, e13717.
Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng, Tracey A Davenport, Daniel Johnson, Kellie Vella, Jo Mitchell, and Ian B Hickie. 2018. An app that incorporates gamification, mini-games, and social connection to improve men’s mental health and well-being (MindMax): participatory design process. JMIR mental health 5, 4, e11068.
Arlene E Chung, Ashley C Griffin, Dasha Selezneva, and David Gotz. 2018. Health and fitness apps for hands-free voice-activated assistants: content analysis. JMIR mHealth and uHealth 6, 9, e9705.
Sebastian Deterding, Dan Dixon, Rilla Khaled, and Lennart Nacke. 2011. From game design elements to gamefulness: defining “gamification”. In International academic MindTrek conference: Envisioning future media environments. 9–15.
Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek, 2004. MDA: A formal approach to game design and game research. In AAAI Workshop on Challenges in Game AI, Vol. 4. San Jose, CA, 1722.
Kai Huotari and Juho Hamari. 2012. Defining gamification: a service marketing perspective. In 16th international academic MindTrek conference. 17–22.
Sami Hyrynsalmi, Jouni Smed, and Kai Kimppa. 2017. The Dark Side of Gamification: How We Should Stop Worrying and Study also the Negative Impacts of Bringing Game Design Elements to Everywhere.. In 1st International GamiFIN Conference. 96–104.
Iqbal. 2022. App Download and Usage Statistics 2022. Disponível em: [link], Acesso: 2022-05-23.
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Daniel Johnson, Sebastian Deterding, Kerri-Ann Kuhn, Aleksandra Staneva, Stoyan Stoyanov, and Leanne Hides. 2016. Gamification for health and wellbeing: A systematic review of the literature. Internet interventions 6, 89–106.
Karl M Kapp. 2012. The gamification of learning and instruction: game-based methods and strategies for training and education. John Wiley & Sons.
Ana Carolina Tomé Klock, Isabela Gasparini, and Marcelo Soares Pimenta. 2016. 5W2H Framework: a guide to design, develop and evaluate the user-centered gamification. In 15th Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 1–10.
Ana Carolina Tomé Klock, Isabela Gasparini, Marcelo Soares Pimenta, and Juho Hamari. 2020. Tailored gamification: A review of literature. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 144, 102495.
World Health Organization. 2011. New Horizons for Health Throught Mobile Technologies.Disponível em: [link], Acesso: 2022-05-23.
Dorian Peters, Rafael A Calvo, and Richard M Ryan. 2018. Designing for motivation, engagement and wellbeing in digital experience. Frontiers in psychology 9, 797.
Amon Rapp, Frank Hopfgartner, Juho Hamari, Conor Linehan, and Federica Cena. 2019. Strengthening gamification studies: Current trends and future opportunities of gamification research. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 127 (2019), 1–6.
Manuel Schmidt-Kraepelin, Scott Thiebes, Stefan Stepanovic, Tobias Mettler, and Ali Sunyaev. 2019. Gamification in health behavior change support systems-A synthesis of unintended side effects. In 14th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik. 1032–1046.
Manuel Schmidt-Kraepelin, Scott Thiebes, and Ali Sunyaev. 2019. Investigating the relationship between user ratings and gamification–a review of mHealth apps in the apple app store and google play store. In 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. 1496–1505.
Manuel Schmidt-Kraepelin, Philipp A Toussaint, Scott Thiebes, Juho Hamari, Ali Sunyaev, 2020. Archetypes of gamification: analysis of mHealth apps. JMIR mHealth and uHealth 8, 10, 19280.
Katie Seaborn and Deborah I Fels. 2015. Gamification in theory and action: A survey. International Journal of human-computer studies 74, 14–31.
Waleed M Sweileh, Samah W Al-Jabi, Adham S AbuTaha, Sa’ed H Zyoud, Fathi Anayah, and Ansam F Sawalha. 2017. Bibliometric analysis of worldwide scientific literature in mobile-health: 2006–2016. BMC medical informatics and decision making 17, 1, 1–12.
Gustavo F Tondello, Alberto Mora, and Lennart E Nacke. 2017. Elements of gameful design emerging from user preferences. In Annual symposium on computer-human interaction in play. 129–142.
Joshua H West, P Cougar Hall, Carl L Hanson, Michael D Barnes, Christophe Giraud-Carrier, and James Barrett. 2012. There’s an app for that: content analysis of paid health and fitness apps. Journal of medical Internet research 14, 3, e1977.
Gabe Zichermann and Christopher Cunningham. 2011. Gamification by design: Implementing game mechanics in web and mobile apps. O’Reilly Media, Inc.
Fernando RH Andrade, Riichiro Mizoguchi, and Seiji Isotani. 2016. The bright and dark sides of gamification. In International conference on intelligent tutoring systems. Springer, 176–186.
Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng, Tracey Davenport, Daniel Johnson, Kellie Vella, and Ian B Hickie. 2019. Gamification in apps and technologies for improving mental health and well-being: systematic review. JMIR mental health 6, 6, e13717.
Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng, Tracey A Davenport, Daniel Johnson, Kellie Vella, Jo Mitchell, and Ian B Hickie. 2018. An app that incorporates gamification, mini-games, and social connection to improve men’s mental health and well-being (MindMax): participatory design process. JMIR mental health 5, 4, e11068.
Arlene E Chung, Ashley C Griffin, Dasha Selezneva, and David Gotz. 2018. Health and fitness apps for hands-free voice-activated assistants: content analysis. JMIR mHealth and uHealth 6, 9, e9705.
Sebastian Deterding, Dan Dixon, Rilla Khaled, and Lennart Nacke. 2011. From game design elements to gamefulness: defining “gamification”. In International academic MindTrek conference: Envisioning future media environments. 9–15.
Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek, 2004. MDA: A formal approach to game design and game research. In AAAI Workshop on Challenges in Game AI, Vol. 4. San Jose, CA, 1722.
Kai Huotari and Juho Hamari. 2012. Defining gamification: a service marketing perspective. In 16th international academic MindTrek conference. 17–22.
Sami Hyrynsalmi, Jouni Smed, and Kai Kimppa. 2017. The Dark Side of Gamification: How We Should Stop Worrying and Study also the Negative Impacts of Bringing Game Design Elements to Everywhere.. In 1st International GamiFIN Conference. 96–104.
Iqbal. 2022. App Download and Usage Statistics 2022. Disponível em: [link], Acesso: 2022-05-23.
Iqbal. 2022. App Revenue Statistics 2022. Disponível em: [link], Acesso: 2022-05-23.
Daniel Johnson, Sebastian Deterding, Kerri-Ann Kuhn, Aleksandra Staneva, Stoyan Stoyanov, and Leanne Hides. 2016. Gamification for health and wellbeing: A systematic review of the literature. Internet interventions 6, 89–106.
Karl M Kapp. 2012. The gamification of learning and instruction: game-based methods and strategies for training and education. John Wiley & Sons.
Ana Carolina Tomé Klock, Isabela Gasparini, and Marcelo Soares Pimenta. 2016. 5W2H Framework: a guide to design, develop and evaluate the user-centered gamification. In 15th Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 1–10.
Ana Carolina Tomé Klock, Isabela Gasparini, Marcelo Soares Pimenta, and Juho Hamari. 2020. Tailored gamification: A review of literature. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 144, 102495.
World Health Organization. 2011. New Horizons for Health Throught Mobile Technologies.Disponível em: [link], Acesso: 2022-05-23.
Dorian Peters, Rafael A Calvo, and Richard M Ryan. 2018. Designing for motivation, engagement and wellbeing in digital experience. Frontiers in psychology 9, 797.
Amon Rapp, Frank Hopfgartner, Juho Hamari, Conor Linehan, and Federica Cena. 2019. Strengthening gamification studies: Current trends and future opportunities of gamification research. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 127 (2019), 1–6.
Manuel Schmidt-Kraepelin, Scott Thiebes, Stefan Stepanovic, Tobias Mettler, and Ali Sunyaev. 2019. Gamification in health behavior change support systems-A synthesis of unintended side effects. In 14th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik. 1032–1046.
Manuel Schmidt-Kraepelin, Scott Thiebes, and Ali Sunyaev. 2019. Investigating the relationship between user ratings and gamification–a review of mHealth apps in the apple app store and google play store. In 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. 1496–1505.
Manuel Schmidt-Kraepelin, Philipp A Toussaint, Scott Thiebes, Juho Hamari, Ali Sunyaev, 2020. Archetypes of gamification: analysis of mHealth apps. JMIR mHealth and uHealth 8, 10, 19280.
Katie Seaborn and Deborah I Fels. 2015. Gamification in theory and action: A survey. International Journal of human-computer studies 74, 14–31.
Waleed M Sweileh, Samah W Al-Jabi, Adham S AbuTaha, Sa’ed H Zyoud, Fathi Anayah, and Ansam F Sawalha. 2017. Bibliometric analysis of worldwide scientific literature in mobile-health: 2006–2016. BMC medical informatics and decision making 17, 1, 1–12.
Gustavo F Tondello, Alberto Mora, and Lennart E Nacke. 2017. Elements of gameful design emerging from user preferences. In Annual symposium on computer-human interaction in play. 129–142.
Joshua H West, P Cougar Hall, Carl L Hanson, Michael D Barnes, Christophe Giraud-Carrier, and James Barrett. 2012. There’s an app for that: content analysis of paid health and fitness apps. Journal of medical Internet research 14, 3, e1977.
Gabe Zichermann and Christopher Cunningham. 2011. Gamification by design: Implementing game mechanics in web and mobile apps. O’Reilly Media, Inc.
Publicado
16/10/2023
Como Citar
ROCHA, Ivan; SILVEIRA, Milene Selbach.
An analysis of gamification elements in mHealth applications. In: SIMPÓSIO BRASILEIRO SOBRE FATORES HUMANOS EM SISTEMAS COMPUTACIONAIS (IHC), 22. , 2023, Maceió/AL.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2023
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