SwapMyMood: User-Centered Design and Development of a Mobile App to Support Executive Function

This paper describes the research and development of the SwapMyMood smartphone application designed to support use of evidence-based executive function strategies by people with traumatic brain injury. Executive dysfunction is a common sequela of traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting in diminished cognitive-behavioral functioning. Problem-solving and emotion regulation are cognitive-behavioral functions that are often disrupted by changes in the executive control system. SwapMyMood is an electronic version of the Executive Plus/STEP program, a set of clinical techniques taught to people living with brain injury to help them 1) identify and implement solutions to problems encountered in daily life and 2) to utilize the emotion cycle to understand and regulate emotional responses to these problems. The Executive Plus/STEP program has until now relied on paper-based instruction and use. Input from target users – people with brain injury and clinical professionals who teach this program to their patients – has contributed to key refinements of features and functioning of the mobile app. Data gathered from target user participation in the user-centered design process are presented. Future directions for ongoing development of technologies to support executive function strategies are also discussed.