How Persuasive is a Virtual Coach in Terms of Promoting Web-based Intervention User Engagement?: Exploring a Potential Match between User Support Needs and a Virtual Coach’s Motivational Capabilities

Mark Scholten; Saskia Kelders; Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen

How Persuasive is a Virtual Coach in Terms of Promoting Web-based Intervention User Engagement? Exploring a Potential Match between User Support Needs and a Virtual Coach’s Motivational Capabilities

Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

A selection of web-based eHealth interventions have evolved from innovative prototypes to evidence-based and clinically applied solutions for mental diseases such as depression and anxiety. Open-access, self-guided types of those solutions hold the promise of reaching and treating a large population against reasonable costs.
However, a considerable factor that currently hinders the effectiveness of these self-guided web-based interventions is the high level of attrition. The absence of a human caregiver apparently has a negative effect on user adherence. Although clear evidence on the rationale for non-adherence is currently missing, recent studies indicate that user support could an important causal factor. In this paper we describe the protocol of an exploratory user study which aims to identify the persuasive features of virtual coaches in terms of user support. Virtual coaches are anthropomorphized instances of software, designed to engage and motivate users.
We will measure user experience, engagement, motivation and perceived persuasiveness during usage of the ‘Living to the Full’ intervention. We will compare a condition with and without empathic virtual coach condition to explore its supportive capabilities.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems
Subtitle of host publication	co-located with the 11th International Conference on Persuasive Technology (PERSUASIVE 2016)
Editors	Olga Kulyk, Liseth Siemons, Harri Oinas-Kukkonen, Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen
Publisher	CEUR
Pages	66-73
Publication status	Published - 2016
Event	Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems, BCSS 2016: Epic for Change, the Pillars for Persuasive Technology for Smart Societies - Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria Duration: 5 Apr 2016 → 7 Apr 2016 Conference number: 4

Publication series

Name	CEUR Workshop Proceedings
Publisher	CEUR.org
Volume	1573
ISSN (Print)	1613-0073

Conference

Conference	Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems, BCSS 2016
Abbreviated title	BCSS
Country/Territory	Austria
City	Salzburg
Period	5/04/16 → 7/04/16

Keywords

METIS-319744
IR-102651
eHealth
Web-based interventions
Embodied conversational agents
Virtual coaches
Virtual Humans
Affective computing
Behavior change support systems
BCSS
Intelligent Tutoring Systems
ITS

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Scholten, M., Kelders, S., & van Gemert-Pijnen, L. (2016). How Persuasive is a Virtual Coach in Terms of Promoting Web-based Intervention User Engagement? Exploring a Potential Match between User Support Needs and a Virtual Coach’s Motivational Capabilities. In O. Kulyk, L. Siemons, H. Oinas-Kukkonen, & L. van Gemert-Pijnen (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems: co-located with the 11th International Conference on Persuasive Technology (PERSUASIVE 2016) (pp. 66-73). (CEUR Workshop Proceedings; Vol. 1573). CEUR.

Scholten, Mark ; Kelders, Saskia ; van Gemert-Pijnen, Lisette. / How Persuasive is a Virtual Coach in Terms of Promoting Web-based Intervention User Engagement? Exploring a Potential Match between User Support Needs and a Virtual Coach’s Motivational Capabilities. Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems: co-located with the 11th International Conference on Persuasive Technology (PERSUASIVE 2016). editor / Olga Kulyk ; Liseth Siemons ; Harri Oinas-Kukkonen ; Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen. CEUR, 2016. pp. 66-73 (CEUR Workshop Proceedings).

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title = "How Persuasive is a Virtual Coach in Terms of Promoting Web-based Intervention User Engagement?: Exploring a Potential Match between User Support Needs and a Virtual Coach{\textquoteright}s Motivational Capabilities",

abstract = "A selection of web-based eHealth interventions have evolved from innovative prototypes to evidence-based and clinically applied solutions for mental diseases such as depression and anxiety. Open-access, self-guided types of those solutions hold the promise of reaching and treating a large population against reasonable costs. However, a considerable factor that currently hinders the effectiveness of these self-guided web-based interventions is the high level of attrition. The absence of a human caregiver apparently has a negative effect on user adherence. Although clear evidence on the rationale for non-adherence is currently missing, recent studies indicate that user support could an important causal factor. In this paper we describe the protocol of an exploratory user study which aims to identify the persuasive features of virtual coaches in terms of user support. Virtual coaches are anthropomorphized instances of software, designed to engage and motivate users. We will measure user experience, engagement, motivation and perceived persuasiveness during usage of the {\textquoteleft}Living to the Full{\textquoteright} intervention. We will compare a condition with and without empathic virtual coach condition to explore its supportive capabilities.",

keywords = "METIS-319744, IR-102651, eHealth, Web-based interventions, Embodied conversational agents, Virtual coaches, Virtual Humans, Affective computing, Behavior change support systems, BCSS, Intelligent Tutoring Systems, ITS",

author = "Mark Scholten and Saskia Kelders and \{van Gemert-Pijnen\}, Lisette",

year = "2016",

language = "English",

series = "CEUR Workshop Proceedings",

publisher = "CEUR",

pages = "66--73",

editor = "Olga Kulyk and Liseth Siemons and Harri Oinas-Kukkonen and \{van Gemert-Pijnen\}, Lisette",

booktitle = "Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems",

address = "Germany",

note = "Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems, BCSS 2016 : Epic for Change, the Pillars for Persuasive Technology for Smart Societies, BCSS ; Conference date: 05-04-2016 Through 07-04-2016",

}

Scholten, M, Kelders, S & van Gemert-Pijnen, L 2016, How Persuasive is a Virtual Coach in Terms of Promoting Web-based Intervention User Engagement? Exploring a Potential Match between User Support Needs and a Virtual Coach’s Motivational Capabilities. in O Kulyk, L Siemons, H Oinas-Kukkonen & L van Gemert-Pijnen (eds), Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems: co-located with the 11th International Conference on Persuasive Technology (PERSUASIVE 2016). CEUR Workshop Proceedings, vol. 1573, CEUR, pp. 66-73, Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems, BCSS 2016, Salzburg, Austria, 5/04/16.

How Persuasive is a Virtual Coach in Terms of Promoting Web-based Intervention User Engagement? Exploring a Potential Match between User Support Needs and a Virtual Coach’s Motivational Capabilities. / Scholten, Mark; Kelders, Saskia ; van Gemert-Pijnen, Lisette.
Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems: co-located with the 11th International Conference on Persuasive Technology (PERSUASIVE 2016). ed. / Olga Kulyk; Liseth Siemons; Harri Oinas-Kukkonen; Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen. CEUR, 2016. p. 66-73 (CEUR Workshop Proceedings; Vol. 1573).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

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AB - A selection of web-based eHealth interventions have evolved from innovative prototypes to evidence-based and clinically applied solutions for mental diseases such as depression and anxiety. Open-access, self-guided types of those solutions hold the promise of reaching and treating a large population against reasonable costs. However, a considerable factor that currently hinders the effectiveness of these self-guided web-based interventions is the high level of attrition. The absence of a human caregiver apparently has a negative effect on user adherence. Although clear evidence on the rationale for non-adherence is currently missing, recent studies indicate that user support could an important causal factor. In this paper we describe the protocol of an exploratory user study which aims to identify the persuasive features of virtual coaches in terms of user support. Virtual coaches are anthropomorphized instances of software, designed to engage and motivate users. We will measure user experience, engagement, motivation and perceived persuasiveness during usage of the ‘Living to the Full’ intervention. We will compare a condition with and without empathic virtual coach condition to explore its supportive capabilities.

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KW - Web-based interventions

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KW - Behavior change support systems

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KW - Intelligent Tutoring Systems

KW - ITS

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Scholten M, Kelders S , van Gemert-Pijnen L. How Persuasive is a Virtual Coach in Terms of Promoting Web-based Intervention User Engagement? Exploring a Potential Match between User Support Needs and a Virtual Coach’s Motivational Capabilities. In Kulyk O, Siemons L, Oinas-Kukkonen H, van Gemert-Pijnen L, editors, Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems: co-located with the 11th International Conference on Persuasive Technology (PERSUASIVE 2016). CEUR. 2016. p. 66-73. (CEUR Workshop Proceedings).