Harnessing technology for good: promoting positive online behaviours

The digital health industry has boomed, with £1.2 billion invested in 2021.

The pandemic has certainly played a role in this growth, but it's also due to a shift in societal behaviour that favours preventative health measures. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the potential risks associated with technology, such as impaired cognitive function, sleep problems, burnout and reduced physical activity. As a result, consumers are actively seeking ways to protect their mental health leading to an increased demand for tools and services that help users monitor and manage their digital well-being. 

At Rawnet, we've partnered with Beauhurst to delve deeper into the industry and uncover the most innovative companies that are successfully tackling wellness challenges in various settings, from the workplace to home. We believe that by learning from these companies, we can help improve digital products, employee strategies, and marketing approaches. By taking a more human-centric and holistic approach to health, we can break down stigmas and empower individuals to take control of their digital consumption. So, let's explore the exciting world of digital health and well-being and discover how it's revolutionising the way we live and work.

Promoting Digital Wellbeing: Marketing Analysis

We spend more time online than ever before, from social media platforms to streaming services, our devices are filled with apps that can easily consume our time and attention. While the internet has brought about many positive changes, it has also led to a culture of distraction and information overload, which can harm our productivity and overall well-being. Many companies such as Android, Google and YouTube have already pushed features which promote digital well-being, helping users to create a positive online experience that promotes productivity and reduces distractions. Furthermore, in a world where digital distractions are abundant, companies that focus on creating seamless customer experiences and promoting digital well-being are more likely to succeed in the long run.

Features

• One such feature is the screen time dashboard, with this users can learn about the time spent on apps, see their daily screen usage, how often they unlock their phone, and how many notifications they receive. This allows individuals to get a complete picture of how they use their phone and make changes accordingly.
• Similarly, the YouTube app offers an analytics feature that shows a user's watch time over the past day or week, allowing them to become more mindful of their consumption habits.
• For those who find it difficult to limit their app usage, setting app time limits can be a game-changer. By setting daily timers, the app will pause for the rest of the day once the timer has run out, reducing the temptation to re-engage, this can be especially helpful for apps that are known to be time-consuming, such as social media platforms.

Businesses

In addition to these major tech companies bringing our supporting features, there are many new businesses that are solely focused on providing products and services that support users wellbeing.

• Unmind is a mental health and well-being platform supporting over 2.5 million users in the workplace. Unmind partners with companies such as Gymshark, Uber, and Sainsbury’s to create psychologically safe, engaged and supported digital environments for their employees. To date, it has raised a mighty £47m in equity fundraising to support its ambition of creating a universal approach to wellbeing.
• Kidslox is a parental control app, protecting children online- parents remotely control child’s access, block harmful content.The Westminster-based startup has secured £239k in fundraising over its last three rounds. Kidslox allows parents to see routes taken by the child’s device in the last 24 hours, raises notifications whenever they leave or arrive at a new region, and has a location history that lasts a week.
• Logically is a software that scans articles & social media to identify & help tackle misinformation and disinformation online. Its clients include public sector organisations and large private companies such as Facebook and Tik Tok. In March this year 2022, they raised an £18.3m equity finance round to support growth in its core markets of the US, UK, and India.

The increasing focus on mental health and wellbeing in the technology industry is a positive trend that highlights the importance of taking care of ourselves in the digital age. The significant financial investments made in these companies further demonstrate the growing interest in this area. By adopting strategies such as, setting app time limits, and controlling what we access online, we can create a more mindful and productive online experience. Ultimately, prioritising wellbeing can have significant benefits for individuals, organisations, and society as a whole.

💡 Rawnet Insight

Why push features like ‘Digital Wellbeing’ when the majority of revenue depends on the time users spend online?

Simply encouraging users to adopt a healthy relationship with their devices will not negatively impact revenue. By prioritising the user's intent and improving the user experience (UX) users will build trust and respect for the businesses that are the best in this space. A bi-product of having a more customer-centric UX is a more pragmatic and personalised user journey which best supports the user and has a positive impact on their interaction with the online world.

While companies previously pursued endless scrolling, the "digital detox" movement is gaining momentum, and therefore, the objective has shifted. By demonstrating a better understanding of users, particularly in the early stages of brand recognition, companies can establish a stronger bond with their customers. The aim is to strike a proper balance. Introducing strong customer journeys enables the rebranding of technology as a beneficial and healthy force, rather than an addictive one. Brands must prioritise their users' welfare if they intend to secure customer loyalty.

A New World of Marketing

The growing importance of digital well-being has led to a shift in marketing towards respecting consumer boundaries and creating seamless experiences. As a result, companies are adopting a less corporate approach to marketing and focusing more on building long-term relationships with their customers. Scarcity tactics, once commonly used to create urgency, are now being used less frequently, as companies strive to provide genuine value and make a positive impact on their customers’ lives. This new world of marketing is centred on putting the customer first and is beneficial for both businesses and customers alike.

Respecting The Consumer Boundaries

For businesses looking to up their game online and continue to build awareness, a digital detox era could be a cause of concern. With a general rise of awareness around mental health and well-being, brands and marketers may need to find ways to respect their consumers' boundaries and understand that being online and constantly targeted is extremely tiring. A more conscious way of marketing could be on the horizon, allowing businesses to continue connecting with their customers and creating seamless yet non-intrusive experiences. 

Ads have become increasingly invasive, appearing on websites, apps and even emails, meaning consumers are no longer able to enjoy their online experience without being bombarded by adverts. It is, therefore, unsurprising that 11% of global internet users have employed ad-blocking software, to enjoy an ad-free online experience. 

With this in mind, it is essential that companies focus on creating non-intrusive adverts which respect the customer's privacy and allow them to make decisions about their purchases without feeling pressured or overwhelmed. Companies should prioritise creating adverts which provide real value and create a more positive experience online for their customers.

Scarcity Techniques Are More Harmful Than Good

Marketers have used “before it’s gone” techniques and scarcity as a tool to drive conversions for years. However, these marketing techniques can create a negative emotional response from consumers. Consumers may feel they need to have a constant connection with their devices to ensure they don’t miss out on any deals and avoid anticipated regret, leading to unhealthy relationships with technology, and negative attitudes towards shopping.

Marketing techniques can positively impact the relationship a consumer has with a brand. However, it's important to be mindful of how certain tactics, such as taglines like "selling fast" or visual countdowns, can create a sense of urgency that may pressure customers into making a hasty decision. By considering the overall customer experience, brands can ensure that customers have a positive and enjoyable purchasing journey that leaves them feeling satisfied and eager to return. By focusing on building authentic connections with their customers, brands can establish long-lasting relationships that promote loyalty and repeat business.

On the other hand, businesses which prioritise positive online experiences by focusing on providing customers with the best possible value or offering discounts for a long period of time, allowing customers to make informed decisions without feeling rushed or pressured, will build trust and loyalty with customers leading to repeat purchases.

Create A Seamless Experience

The first impression of a brand is now formed online, and therefore, it is vital for marketers to consider the daily experience, social presence and online reputation of the brand. A seamless online experience not only provides a positive impression but also reflects the brand’s values and personality. 

With the evolution of technology, consumers no longer expect digital obstacles and demands are focused on a ‘quick and easy’ approach. This means that every touchpoint between the customer and the business needs to be simple and effective. Marketers need to understand the importance of quicker transitions, such as easy navigation, quick loading time and minimal clicks. A delay in any of these touchpoints can lead to customer dissatisfaction and can negatively impact the brand’s reputation. 

This is where Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) comes in handy, by analysing user behaviour on your website or app, CRO can identify the pain points and barriers that prevent users from completing a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. Through A/B testing, heat maps and other analytical tools, CRO can help identify the elements which are hindering the user journey, such as confusing navigation, slow loading times or ineffective call-to-actions. With this information, businesses can make data-driven changes that improve the user experience, helping businesses create a positive reputation and establish customer loyalty, resulting in increased revenue and growth opportunities.

💡 Rawnet Insight

As any interaction with technology can significantly impact an individual’s well-being, UX designers must consider building in a user-friendly way that promotes digital well-being.

What UX principles can designers use to promote healthier user behaviour?

Avoid Poor Usability - As previously mentioned, by ensuring users have a seamless experience by making sure buttons are easy to select, the navigation is clear, and text is readable etc., against its background, you can create a user-friendly website, helping prevent friction in the user journey and in turn positively impacting overall wellbeing.  

Minimising Cognitive Load - Similar to computers, the human brain has a limited capacity for processing information, which makes it essential to reduce the cognitive load required to navigate your website. Here are three key strategies for minimising the cognitive load on your site:

• Utilise Existing Mental Models - Since users will already have prior experience with other websites, they will have pre-existing mental models of how websites work. Therefore, it's best to build on these designs to make it easy for customers to navigate your site.
• Avoid Visual Clutter - Unnecessary images, redundant links, and irrelevant text can overwhelm users and slow down their ability to use your website. To maximise usability, focus on including only content that adds value to the page.
• Offload Tasks - By reducing the number of tasks users need to complete, such as simplifying text or re-displaying information so they don't have to remember it, you can minimise the mental resources needed to take action on your site.

Optimising your website to minimise cognitive load can help ensure a smoother user experience and increase the likelihood of customer satisfaction and engagement.

Notifications Options - Providing users with the ability to edit notification settings so they only receive notifications during certain times of the day or block all notifications allow users to switch off from their phones and have focus time, essential to supporting positive relationships with the online world.

Authentic Marketing Is The Key To Building Community

There is a high demand and need for brands to take a less formal approach to their marketing. Consumers want to go online to engage with posts and feel like they are part of a conversation and more importantly a community. Therefore, in this new world of marketing, it is important for brands to stay in touch with consumers in a positive manner while also respecting boundaries, instead of constantly trying to hard sell products and services. 

Consumers no longer want heavily edited images and carefully crafted slogans, instead, they want brands to be transparent and honest in their marketing, focusing on values and stories which resonate with them. A joyful and positive engagement goes a long way in building connection, trust and rapport, reaching the hearts of customers through content and experiences. It’s important to keep in mind that consumers are staring at screens for a large percentage of their day, so having something that they can relate to and can easily interact.  

Creating community pages, similar to Hornby’s community page, where users can interact with each other, share their experiences and provide feedback, allows users to feel a sense of belonging and community. Additionally, brands can incorporate user-generated content in their marketing or web pages, allowing users to give honest reviews and feedback on their products and services, this not only increases the credibility of the brand but also fosters a sense of community and connection among users. 

By being transparent and honest in their marketing, creating community pages and incorporating user-generated content, brands can create an authentic connection with their users.

Actions You Should Take Off The Back Of This Report:

• Audit your user journeys and friction points
• Look at implementing CRO testing
• Check your marketing and digital strategy for scarcity and intrusive techniques
• Understand your brand voice and how you are building community
• Look into how are you supporting your users intent