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r g u a b l y, d i g i t a l h e a l t h i s a n e s s e n t i a l component of high-quality care delivery in chronic diseases such as melanoma. Indeed, the transformative digital advancement in healthcare unlocked a more effective and collaborative approach to health, enabling enhanced experiences of care for patients. Nevertheless, to enhance the impact of health services and effectively implement digital solutions for end-users, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the consumer needs and individual user characteristics. In other words, employing a user-centred approach to design new products and services will enhance iterative adoption and growth of digital health. A systematic review by Rollin, Ridout & Campbell (2018) provided a documented basis for how melanoma survivors use technology to manage their illness. The findings suggested that tailored digital health can promote high-quality care.
However, of utmost importance, it highlighted extensive research gaps found from prior data captured and analysed in this field of research, which primarily focused on product functionalities and outputs, rather than on user experience and outcomes. Many of the studies reviewed demonstrated digital health opportunities by highlighting its overall benefits - being cost-effective, time-effective or convenient - instead of focusing on the users’ actual needs and demands. In fact, none of the studies considered individual characteristics and needs when assessing survivors’ experience of digital interventions to manage their health. To provide users with the best solutions, it is essential to collect person-specific information to create actionable insights and understand the social, cultural and environmental drivers of digital health adoptions. To achieve this, researchers must look at not only practical needs related to existing management plans and associated comorbidity, but also individual sociodemographics, psychological needs, IT capabilities, and current perceptions and use of technology. In a recent study (Rollin, 2021), we adopted a userexperience research approach to develop a digital health framework that can benefit both melanoma survivors and clinicians. During the design process, the study surveyed patients to identify gaps in the current model of care and identified digital tools that are likely to respond to their preferences and needs. Results indicated that melanoma survivors are willing to integrate technology into their medical routine if it makes their life better and easier. However, attitudes toward digital health varied by technology/system. These differences between users’ preferences for certain technologies were explained by their differing 60 INSPIRE 021 | 2021
individual needs (e.g., their communication preferences, informational needs, social or psychological needs, or practical needs and wants). In summary, to achieve the greatest impact, it is essential to keep the consumer in focus when researching, designing and implementing digital health solutions. However, establishing a user-centric model is not without its challenges. The rapid pace of technological change generates difficulties in measuring the benefits of digital health in mid- to long-term adoption. Indeed, the misalignment between the cadence of traditional research and fast-paced innovations gives rise to the digital health paradox of “no evidence, no implementation—no implementation, no evidence” (Guo