mHealth and Human-Centered Design Towards Enhanced Health, Care, and Well-being

Book excerpt: The book examines the current state of mHealth and Human-Centered Design (HCD) initiatives toward health, care, and well-being. The present surge in interest in improving people's quality of life is creating new prospects for the development of innovative design solutions aimed at enhancing living conditions. The combination of emerging user needs and opportunities provided by recent innovative mHealth technologies enables research institutions, stakeholders, and academia to design new solutions to promote well-being, health, and care, thereby improving the quality of life of people of all ages. The book analyzes and discusses the most innovative services, products, and systems in the healthcare field. This strategy is in line with the concept of ambient assisted living or enhanced living environment, which focuses on the comfort and health of specific categories of users. This book covers several topics highlighting the importance of involving end-users in the design of innovative solutions in digital health care, and design considerations of mobile healthcare applications. Furthermore, the covered topics are described in their current applications in relevant fields focusing on the design of smart solutions, such as biomonitoring systems, activity recognition tools, smart living environments, physical autonomy, and virtual assistance. This editorial project is addressed to academics, designers, engineers, and practitioners in health care who want to promote cooperation between academia, stakeholders, and research institutions.