Designing Emotion-Integrated Visualizations for Kidney Function Self-Management: User-Centered Design Study With Youth Transplant Recipients and Caregivers.

backgroundUnderstanding complex health information, such as kidney function values (eg, creatinine), is important for youth kidney transplant recipients and caregivers to effectively engage and participate in their care. Information visualizations, such as visual analogies, highlight the similarities between 2 different ideas through visual means and can support understanding of abstract data to facilitate self-management. The study was motivated by the persistent challenge that youth and caregivers face in interpreting complex clinical data, which often remains unactionable and disconnected from their practical information needs.

objectiveThis study aims to design and evaluate a novel visualization to support the information needs of youth kidney transplant recipients and caregivers, with the goal of increasing actionable and accessible knowledge for self-management.

methodsWe conducted 2 studies with youth kidney transplant recipients and their caregivers: study 1 identifies visualization elements that support patient and caregiver kidney function information needs, and study 2 evaluates a novel patient-facing kidney function visualization informed by results from study 1. In study 1, participants drew representations of their kidney function over time. These findings led to the development of the novel kidney bean visual. In study 2, participants interacted with the personalized (incorporating electronic health record data) kidney bean visual component for 1 week, then completed a feedback session exploring how the novel visual facilitated retrospective reflection of their health status and the specific behaviors influencing their renal function. We conducted qualitative content analysis on all interviews. All sessions and interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis (study 1), thematic analysis, and affinity diagramming (study 2).

resultsIn study 1 (n=30), youth and caregivers consistently described the difficulty of understanding their creatinine results and related medical terminology, with the majority using emotions to represent their kidney function. Therefore, our kidney bean visual, a visual analogy, incorporated emotions and colors correlating with their creatinine levels and overall kidney function. In study 2 (n=23), we found that for many participants, the kidney bean visual (1) mirrored and validated their emotions, prompting reflections on their kidney function contextualized by their lived experiences; (2) served as a progress check; and (3) acted as a motivator for healthy kidney care habits.

conclusionsKidney function laboratory values, although seemingly straightforward in their intended purpose and use, are more complex from the patient and family perspective, as they also closely align with youth kidney transplant recipients' and their families' emotions. This study demonstrates the value of designing visualizations that capture these complexities, which can create opportunities for increased understanding of health information and self-reflection to support self-management.