Exploring user preferences: customisation and attitudes towards notifications in mobile health and well-being applications

In mobile technologies for health and well-being (mHealth), push notifications are a widely used tool to implement persuasive strategies. However, little research has been carried out to investigate the impact of notifications in such technologies and users' attitudes towards them. In this study, we address this gap by exploring the role of notifications and their customisation in the context of mobile applications that promote social, mental, or physical well-being. Based on observational data collected from 152 participants, we investigate users' attitudes and preferences towards notifications and explore how they differ along demographic dimensions. In addition, we then verified these results with behavioural measures and attitude ratings through a user study (N = 31), which saw participants interacting with a prototype of a mHealth application. Our findings show that customisation of notifications is a desired feature that can be used to improve the persuasive aspect of mHealth applications. Implications derived from our study can provide guidance for researchers and practitioners alike when designing app notifications to create better motivating, meaningful, and persuasive experiences.