Pretesting Game-Inspired Infographics for an Online Health Behavior Assessment Tool

• In Event: Gaming & Computer Tailored Interventions for Health

Abstract

Online health behavior assessments must deliver feedback on individual behavior in a way that is both understandable and engaging. We sought to determine whether infographics inspired by game design would contribute to these goals. Between-subjects experiments compared game-inspired infographics (progress bar and scorecard) to more traditional formats (vertical bar and text-only) in terms of information processing and engagement outcomes. Participants (N = 1162) were randomly assigned to an experiment in one of six modules (behaviors related to tobacco use, alcohol use, vegetable consumption, fruit consumption, physical activity, and weight). A game-inspired format performed better than or as well as the traditional format on all outcomes. The progress bar was the most successful game-inspired design. The findings support the use of game-inspired infographics in assessment feedback to better support comprehension and engagement, which may lead to greater behavior change.

Authors

• Maria Leonora (Nori) G. Comello, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Xiaokun Qian, U of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Allison Deal, U of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Kurt Ribisl, U of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Laura Linnan, U of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Deborah F. Tate, U of North Carolina - Chapel Hill