MyReDiary: Exploring the design for supporting adherence to physical rehabilitation

Previous work has indicated how the three concepts, collaborative articulation, self-monitoring and social scaffolding, can guide the design of digital technology for supporting adherence to physical rehabilitation. In this paper we further explore the possibilities through building an interactive sketch of MyReDiary and employing it to collaboratively explore how the design features informed by the three concepts can support the rehabilitees to adhere to the prescribed therapy. We present our findings in the form of three assertive statements: Annotating the self-monitored data enhances collaborative articulation; Rating and retrieving self-perceived pain levels throughout the therapy enhances self-monitoring; and Supporting the synergy between social interaction and physical exercising enhances social scaffolding. While the first statement confirms the design rationale of prior work, the latter findings point to new directions for future research exploring the design for physical rehabilitation.