Purpose and motivation: Research has repeatedly shown that physical activity contributes to physical and mental wellbeing. Nevertheless, the gap between intentions and behavior results in sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy habits, and lower wellbeing persists. This Transformative Service Research (TSR) project focuses on creating novel services that enhance the wellbeing of individuals, regardless of resources.

Myriad digital services have been designed to support behavioral changes with the goal of stimulating health, such as starting to exercise, losing weight, or sleeping better. These technological innovations help users integrate resources and manage their value-creation process toward health.

One important strategy for supporting behavior change is to provide feedback that helps users regulate their own behavior. Behavior change requires that digital solutions be designed for motivation and not just loaded with technical features. However, few digital solutions are equipped with functions, such as coaching, that can be adapted to fit the individuals’ value-creation process towards a better health and wellbeing. Therefore, the aims of this study were to explore whether an individually tailored digital service solution could support individual behavior changes, and to examine how the coaches experienced their situation. 

Methodology: We tested how people in need of behavior changes experienced individually tailored digital support. This was done by implementing a protocol for motivational communication via short text messaging (SMS). The participants in this study were clients and wellness consultants at a non-profit organization that helps individuals who need lifestyle changes regarding, for example, unhealthy dietary habits or sedentary lifestyles. The majority of the clients have been prescribed physical activity by a physician. Data consisted of both interviews with the wellness consultants and the clients, and their SMS conversations. The interviews and SMS conversations were analyzed with the aim of identifying themes in the data. The study was approved by an ethical advisor at Karlstad University.

Findings: The preliminary results show that both the wellness consultants and the clients found that the digital solution supported the clients’ motivation for behavior change, and hence goal achievements. The results further indicate that the SMS coaching enhanced the clients’ motivation and maintained an easy rapport between the face-to-face meetings. The added value provided by the SMS coaching to the existing service provision for both wellness consultant and client has led the non-profit organization to permanently offer this service to its clients.  

Originality/value: This study contributes to the growing body of TSR by showing how the application of digital solutions and service research perspectives can support individuals’ behavior change processes and wellness promotion.