CDHI member Lola Jo Ackermann presented two research posters at the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2026) in Barcelona, Spain, one of the leading international conferences in the field of Human–Computer Interaction.
Both projects explore how digital technologies can support breathing-based interventions designed to improve stress regulation, mental resilience, and engagement in digital health applications.
The first poster, “Same Breath, Different Device: Comparing VR and Smartphone Biofeedback Breathing Training,” aimed to evaluate whether a VR MBBT offers advantages over smartphone MBBT in perceived (relaxation) effectiveness and intention to use, while maintaining non-inferiority in perceived breathing detection accuracy. A within-subject laboratory study with 67 participants was conducted. No evidence was found that the VR MBBT was perceived as more effective. The breathing detection algorithm, originally optimized for smartphones, was perceived as non-inferior in VR MBBT, indicating potential for cross-platform scalability. The study found no evidence that intention to use was higher for VR, suggesting that practical considerations such as accessibility and cost may outweigh technology-based preferences.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3798443
The study was conducted by Lola Jo Ackermann, Helen Galliker, Yanick X. Lukic, and Tobias Kowatsch.
The second poster, “The Impact of a Reward-and-Progression Loop on Engagement with a Mobile Breathing Training,” examines through an exploratory study whether a reward-and-progression loop (RPL), linking performance to daily-constrained collectible coins and unlockable visual features, is associated with differences in engagement in a mobile biofeedback breathing training (MBBT). Twenty participants were randomly assigned to a control or an RPL condition and used the application over 15 days. Engagement was operationalized using two metrics: the number of active days and median session duration per user. Participants in the RPL condition showed more active days than those in the control condition (median = 7 vs. 2). Session duration was comparable across conditions, though more variable in the RPL condition. These preliminary findings suggest that progression-based design elements may help support more frequent engagement, particularly during the early stages of habit formation.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3799315
The research was conducted by Lola Jo Ackermann, Sarah Wehrli, Helen Galliker, Johannes Schöning, and Tobias Kowatsch.
Together, these contributions highlight how thoughtful interaction design, accessibility considerations, and gamification mechanisms can play an important role in improving the effectiveness and long-term use of digital health interventions.
