Design Guidelines for Online Health Forums: User-Centered Design Approach.

BACKGROUND: Online health forums are used widely, yet evidence of their effectiveness is inconsistent. Evidence-based forum design guidance grounded in theory and lived experience could improve the efficacy and outcomes of these forums for the many people using them worldwide. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to draw on the experience of online forum users and staff, and insights from existing research on technology design and self-determination theory, to generate a set of theoretically grounded guidelines for safe and well-being-supportive online forums. METHODS: We conducted 54 semistructured interviews (36 forum users and 18 forum staff) and 4 design workshops with forum staff, combined with input from a multidisciplinary research team. Principles of qualitative framework analysis were used to adapt a preexisting framework for well-being-supportive technology to the context of online health forums. RESULTS: The resulting design guidelines are framed around 4 overarching principles relating to the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness as defined by self-determination theory, and the additional need for safety in online forums. Each principle is presented alongside pragmatic design heuristics and specific implementation strategies. CONCLUSIONS: User experiences of online health forums are mixed. We have drawn on self-determination theory to propose evidence-informed guidelines for service development and refinement, adaptable to specific user groups across diverse settings.