Digital Health Management Needs A Makeover To Broaden Its Consumer Appeal

Tracking and managing personal health information — with technology or without — is not a mainstream consumer activity today. There are multiple reasons for this: Consumers lack self-awareness of their own unhealthy habits; what's more, they don't want to focus on health — they see this as their doctor's responsibility. Consumers who do care about their health feel frustrated by a lack of time and resources to take better care of themselves. Mainstream consumers are skeptical of health-tracking technologies, which they perceive are for people with chronic diseases or obsessive personalities. Overcoming consumer skepticism requires a different approach than we've seen so far. Solutions must offer benefits beyond "health" because mainstream consumers don't think health is their personal responsibility. Products and services must tap into consumers' deep desires — to become something consumers actually want, rather than something they're told they need. Consumers cling to unhealthy habits because they want to indulge themselves; winning products and services will unwind this conundrum by making the experience something that feels supportive rather than disciplined.