Towards A Framework for Mobile Behavior Change Research

Behavior change is one of the most important problems faced by people and researchers today. Behavioral researchers have begun adopting smartphones as data-collection tools in psychological and behavioral science because these devices can study people in their everyday life, objectively measure behavior (using mobile sensing), and implement interventions. From a literature review of recent research on mobile behavior change, we identify three design components: mobile sensing, user contexts, and digital nudges. Informed by these components, we designed three example mobile research applications and propose a solution-focused, conceptual framework for deploying behavior change studies using mobile phones. We discuss future directions for research in psychological and behavioral science as these fields embrace mobile technology.