Supporting habit formation for long-term weight loss maintenance with a Virtual Coach - A Research Model

Maintaining weight loss is challenging for patients who suffer from obesity as behavior changes need to be kept long-term. Prior research has shown that introducing habitual behavior (i.e., habits) can lead to automaticity in performing a specific behavior so that it becomes second nature. This research-and-progress paper develops a research model to investigate the efficacy of virtual coaches to guide patients in forming habits. In particular, we investigate how virtual coaches can help patients form an implementation intention for a particular habit and positively reinforce this implementation intention using reminders, praise, and self-monitoring. Implications of this work are described for related diseases and long-term evaluations of virtual coaches

USING SECONDARY NOTATION TO IMPROVE THE COGNITIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF BPMN-MODELS

Almost every implementation of a modeling grammar uses secondary notation to further specify a modeling grammar. Yet, secondary notation is usually applied in an unsystematic way, might contradict what is specified in primary notation and implements research results that should rather be implemented in primary notation. With this work we aim at showing how secondary notation can be used to implement recent research results that are not yet available in primary notation without contracting what is already specified in primary notation. We demonstrate a systematic update of recent research of extended Perceptual Discriminability for BPMN secondary notation and that way, show how research results can quickly be made available for practice without contradicting primary notation. We choose Perceptual Discriminability as it can be used to focus the model user’s attention on the most important constructs and can that way, improve model comprehension. For an update of BPMN secondary notation we first specify free BPMN variables and further show how these variables can be used to focus the model user’s attention on those constructs that most foster comprehension

Using Secondary Notation to Influence the Model User's Attention

Recently cognitive principles have been discussed for Conceptual Modeling with the aim to increase domain understanding, model comprehension and modeling efficiency. In particular, the principle of Perceptual Discriminability, which discusses the visual differences of modeling constructs, reveals potential for model comprehension if human attention is influenced in a way that important modeling constructs are more easily detected, and can hence faster be processed. Yet, so far no conditions how the human gaze can be influenced have been defined and evaluated for Conceptual Modeling. This dissertation extends Perceptual Discriminability for conditions to attract human attention for those constructs that are important for model comprehension. Furthermore, these conditions are applied to constructs of two different modeling grammars in general as well as to elements of the process flow of Business Process Models. To evaluate the results a laboratory experiment of extended Perceptual Discriminability is described in which significant differences have been identified for process flow comprehension. For the demonstration of the potential of extended Perceptual Discriminability BPMN secondary notation is improved by emphasizing those constructs that are most important for model comprehension. Therefore, those constructs that are important for model comprehension have been identified within a content analysis and have been worked on according to the conditions of extended Perceptual Discriminability for those visual variables that are free for an application in secondary notation.:Preface ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv Table of Figures v List of Tables vi List of Abbreviations vii Part 1 - Summary Paper 1 1. Motivation 2 2. Research design 7 2.1 Research objectives 7 2.2 Scope 9 2.3 Research method 11 3. Structure of the dissertation 13 4. Contribution to theory and practice 17 5. Future Research Ideas 19 Part 2 - Publications 20 Publication 1 21 Publication 2 22 Publication 3 23 Publication 4 24 Publication 5 25 Publication 6 26 Literature 27 Part 3 - Appendix 3

Systemizing Colour for Conceptual Modeling

Colour is used in many conceptual models and is discussed intensively since MOODY has published his ‘Physics of Notation’. Yet, choosing the right colour for a construct is difficult but crucial. Using a colour for a certain construct which is not appropriate can lead to visual stress as well as too much or too little emphasis on that construct. The aim of this paper is to give a systematization of colour for conceptual modeling by reviewing theories of colour vision, colour harmony and visual attention. Based on this review we provide colour combinations for different conceptual modeling colour scenarios

How Novices and Experts Understand Hierarchies in Business Process Modeling

Conceptual models are essential for successful IT implementation, as they concisely represent the system\u27s component structures, behavior, and relationships. However, for conceptual models to fully realize their potential, they must be understood. To this end, hierarchy has been employed in business process modeling to enhance understanding of complex models. Prior research has proposed a two-component framework to explain the effects of hierarchy on understanding. Drawing on empirical data, this work extends this framework by investigating the influence of expertise on the understanding of hierarchical business process models. Our findings indicate that experts and novices benefit from hiding task-irrelevant information in subprocesses, with experts benefiting significantly more than novices. Additionally, experts profit more from recognizing familiar patterns in subprocesses than novices. Based on our results, we propose two principles for designing hierarchy and suggest future research avenues. Keywords: Business Process Modeling, Hierarchy, Expertise, Information Hiding

Terminology for Evolving Design Artifacts

Many design researchers evolve artifacts in succeeding projects. Yet, these researchers lack a terminology to describe how their artifacts evolve. We provide such a terminology by paralleling concepts from evolution with design artifacts using examples from conceptual modeling. We found seven concepts from evolution that we think are useful to describe evolving design artifacts. Evaluating whether these concepts have been addressed, we identified six conceptual modeling design studies, whose authors have addressed some of the concepts with their own words. Using two of these studies, we explain how terminology from evolution can be used to describe evolving design artifacts. We hope that our results are useful to be integrated in design science procedure models to help researchers increasing rigor and relevance of their research, e.g.by allowing to clarify how the artifact at hand has evolved or to describe the evolutionary distance to preceding artifacts

Meet the challenge in service identification: A ratio-based approach

Business processes in todays German universities possess high reorganization potential through Information Technology (IT). In particular service-oriented architectures (SOA) gain importance and respective development projects are started, distributed with respect to personnel, place and can comprise diverse organizations. We assume that a detailed analysis of company’s business process structure is a prerequisite to define useful services. In the SOA domain, the process landscape is most likely modelled in distributed modelling projects. This leads to variations since distributed models e. g. do not necessarly share the same level of detail. Thus, the model integration is a necessary step that has to be done before core functions can be identified within the documented processes for a planned implementation of services for a SOA. As the process models are documented electronically using a modeling tool, the process of identifying the service candidates can be supported by an automatic analysis of the process models. We introduce an approach to support the identification of services by using ratios generated out of the business process models and demonstrate its applicability within the research program

Building Habits in the Digital Age: Incorporating Psychological Needs and Knowledge from Practitioners to Inform the Design of Digital Therapeutics

Interventions for noncommunicable diseases (NCDSs) often require changing behaviors. In this regard, habitual behaviors (i.e., habits) are positively evaluated to foster behavioral changes. Forming habits is challenging but can be supported digitally until the habit is formed. This paper reviews the requirements of forming habits and uses a content analysis to investigate how these requirements are implemented in habit apps. Based on the results, design principles to digitally support habit formation are discussed for digital therapeutics. In contrast to conventional apps, digital therapeutics have a definite medical purpose and can be prescribed for the time it needs for a habit to form. The analysis results reveal that conventional apps try to bind the user and ignore the state where the habit needs to be strengthened by decreasing technology use. In this regard, digital therapeutics reveal great potential in supporting the formation of habits to prevent and treat NCDs

Navigating within the Digitalization Journey: Results and Implications of the First Maturity Assessment of German Public Health Agencies

The Covid 19 pandemic revealed the need for Public Health Agencies to mature digitally. To help those agencies with their digitalization endeavor, a public health agency maturity model (PHAMM) has been developed, evaluated, and employed by 366 institutions to determine their digital maturity and to prior-itize actions within digitalization projects. This paper discusses the digital ma-turity of German public health institutions and derives first insights into compo-nents spanning the PHAMM dimensions. Public health agencies can use these components to leverage their digital maturity in future digitalization projects. Im-plications are discussed for how digitalization projects with an enhanced impact can be defined and for future maturity modeling research

“At ‘Amen Meals’ It’s Me and God” Religion and Gender: A New Jewish Women’s Ritual

New ritual practices performed by Jewish women can serve as test cases for an examination of the phenomenon of the creation of religious rituals by women. These food-related rituals, which have been termed ‘‘amen meals’’ were developed in Israel beginning in the year 2000 and subsequently spread to Jewish women in Europe and the United States. This study employs a qualitative-ethnographic methodology grounded in participant-observation and in-depth interviews to describe these nonobligatory, extra-halakhic rituals. What makes these rituals stand out is the women’s sense that through these rituals they experience a direct con- nection to God and, thus, can change reality, i.e., bring about jobs, marriages, children, health, and salvation for friends and loved ones. The ‘‘amen’’ rituals also create an open, inclusive woman’s space imbued with strong spiritual–emotional energies that counter the women’s religious marginality. Finally, the purposes and functions of these rituals, including identity building and displays of cultural capital, are considered within a theoretical framework that views ‘‘doing gender’’ and ‘‘doing religion’’ as an integrated experience