Design engineering for cultural fit: user-centred adaptation of a behavioural activation digital intervention for chinese employees
File(s)
Author(s)
Sun, Sijin
Type
Thesis
Abstract
The project aims to design, implement, and evaluate a culturally adapted intervention for Chinese employees, thereby providing pragmatic design principles for future culturally sensitive workplace interventions. It introduces and evaluates the feasibility of a deep cultural adaptation of a Behavioural Activation Therapy (BAT) based Australian workplace digital mental health intervention to the Chinese context.
A three-stage user-centred design process was conducted in accordance with the ADAPT framework and the Ecological Validity Model. Initially, a mixed-methods study involving 458 employees and 19 managers investigated perceptions of workplace mental health, stigma, support requirements, and feature preferences. Second, twelve participatory workshops involving 46 employees examined which behavioural activation activities were deemed motivating, feasible, and culturally suitable. This revealed differences from Western standards, including attitudes towards family obligations, relationships between supervisors and employees, and charitable behaviours. Third, two prototypes were created: one surface-tailored, based primarily on a literal translation of existing BAT activities, and another tailored to the deep level, modified to better align with Chinese cultural values and work practices.
This stakeholder-centred design research was followed by the implementation and evaluation of two culturally adapted prototypes developed through the preceding participatory process. This pilot feasibility study explored how these designs performed in practice, focusing on usability, engagement and acceptability. The study yielded valuable insights into processes such as recruitment, attrition, and user feedback, indicating that deep tailoring was more engaging for participants. However, feasibility studies are not mini-randomised controlled trials; the limited sample size and short follow-up period suggest that the quantitative results should not be construed as indicators of effectiveness. Instead, they help shape the design of future definitive trials and identify problems, such as sustaining engagement over time.
A three-stage user-centred design process was conducted in accordance with the ADAPT framework and the Ecological Validity Model. Initially, a mixed-methods study involving 458 employees and 19 managers investigated perceptions of workplace mental health, stigma, support requirements, and feature preferences. Second, twelve participatory workshops involving 46 employees examined which behavioural activation activities were deemed motivating, feasible, and culturally suitable. This revealed differences from Western standards, including attitudes towards family obligations, relationships between supervisors and employees, and charitable behaviours. Third, two prototypes were created: one surface-tailored, based primarily on a literal translation of existing BAT activities, and another tailored to the deep level, modified to better align with Chinese cultural values and work practices.
This stakeholder-centred design research was followed by the implementation and evaluation of two culturally adapted prototypes developed through the preceding participatory process. This pilot feasibility study explored how these designs performed in practice, focusing on usability, engagement and acceptability. The study yielded valuable insights into processes such as recruitment, attrition, and user feedback, indicating that deep tailoring was more engaging for participants. However, feasibility studies are not mini-randomised controlled trials; the limited sample size and short follow-up period suggest that the quantitative results should not be construed as indicators of effectiveness. Instead, they help shape the design of future definitive trials and identify problems, such as sustaining engagement over time.
Version
Open Access
Date Issued
2025-04-29
Date Awarded
2025-12-01
Copyright Statement
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-NC)
License URL
Advisor
Calvo, Rafael
Mougenot, Celine
Publisher Department
Dyson School of Design Engineering
Publisher Institution
Imperial College London
Qualification Level
Doctoral
Qualification Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)