Jan Mathis Elling, Hein de Vries

Influence of Animation- Versus Text-Based Delivery of a Web-Based Computer-Tailored Smoking Cessation Intervention on User Perceptions

Introduction

Influence of animation- versus text-based delivery of a web-based computer-tailored smoking cessation intervention on user perceptions. Discover how animation-based delivery in a web-based smoking cessation intervention improves user perceptions like effectiveness, trust, and engagement compared to text.

Abstract

Computer-tailored (CT) digital health interventions have shown to be effective in obtaining behaviour change. Yet, user perceptions of these interventions are often unsatisfactory. Traditional CT interventions rely mostly on text-based feedback messages. A way of presenting feedback messages in a more engaging manner may be the use of narrated animations instead of text. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of manipulating the mode of delivery (animation vs. text) in a smoking cessation intervention on user perceptions among smokers and non-smokers. Smokers and non-smokers (N = 181) were randomized into either the animation or text condition. Participants in the animation condition assessed the intervention as more effective (ηp2 = .035), more trustworthy (ηp2 = .048), more enjoyable (ηp2 = .022), more aesthetic (ηp2 = .233), and more engaging (ηp2 = .043) compared to participants in the text condition. Participants that received animations compared to text messages also reported to actively trust the intervention more (ηp2 = .039) and graded the intervention better (ηp2 = .056). These findings suggest that animation-based interventions are superior to text-based interventions with respect to user perceptions.

Review

This study addresses a critical challenge in digital health interventions: bridging the gap between proven effectiveness and often-unsatisfactory user perceptions. Computer-tailored (CT) interventions, while powerful tools for behavior change, traditionally rely on text-based feedback which can hinder engagement. The authors propose and investigate narrated animations as a potentially more engaging alternative to deliver feedback messages, specifically within a smoking cessation context. The clear objective was to systematically evaluate the impact of this mode of delivery (animation vs. text) on user perceptions among both smokers and non-smokers. Employing a robust randomized controlled design, 181 participants (comprising both smokers and non-smokers) were allocated to either an animation or a text-based intervention condition. The research meticulously assessed various dimensions of user perception. The findings consistently demonstrated a significant advantage for the animation condition across all measured metrics. Participants exposed to animation-based feedback perceived the intervention as more effective, more trustworthy, more enjoyable, more aesthetic, and more engaging. Furthermore, active trust in the intervention and the overall graded assessment were also significantly higher in the animation group, with modest to substantial effect sizes reported across these perception variables. These compelling results strongly suggest that incorporating narrated animations profoundly enhances user perceptions of digital health interventions compared to traditional text-based approaches. The marked improvements in perceived effectiveness, trustworthiness, engagement, and aesthetics observed in the animation group indicate a significant opportunity for improving user experience and potentially adherence in CT interventions. This study provides valuable empirical evidence for designers and developers of digital health tools, advocating for a strategic shift towards richer, animation-driven content delivery to foster greater acceptance and impact of behavior change programs, particularly in areas such as smoking cessation.

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