Designing Voice Interfaces to Support Mindfulness-Based Pain Management

Trained mindfulness facilitators supported the use of a voice interface to help people with chronic pain practice Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at home, especially those with limited motor function. Facilitators noted that voice interfaces offer unique benefits, such as a sense of social presence, which may encourage continued engagement. The study identifies design recommendations for technologies that aim to provide long-term support for mindfulness-based interventions, highlighting the potential of voice technology as a non-addictive pain management tool.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Objective: Chronic pain is a critical public health issue affecting approximately 20% of the adult population in the United States. Given the opioid crisis, there has been an urgent focus on non-addictive pain management methods including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Prior work has successfully used MBSR for pain management. However, ensuring longitudinal engagement to MBSR practices remains a serious challenge. In this work, we explore the utility of a voice interface to support MBSR home practice. Methods: We interviewed ten mindfulness program facilitators to understand how such a technology might fit in the context of the MBSR class and identify potential usability issues with our prototype. We then used directed content analysis to identify key themes and sub-themes within the interview data. Results: Our findings show that facilitators supported the use of the voice interface for MBSR, particularly for individuals with limited motor function. Facilitators also highlighted unique affordances of voice interfaces, including perceived social presence, to support sustained engagement. Conclusion: We demonstrate the acceptability of a voice interface to support home practice for MBSR participants among trained mindfulness facilitators. Based on our findings, we outline design recommendations for technologies aiming to provide longitudinal support for mindfulness-based interventions. Future work should further these efforts towards making non-addictive pain management interventions accessible and efficacious for a wide audience of users.