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JMIR Human Factors
Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
Data sources: Crossref
https://doi.org/10.2196/prepri...
Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
Data sources: Crossref
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Soma Design for digital mental health and wellbeing interventions: A scoping review (Preprint)

Authors: Sachiyo Ito-Jaeger; Aysegul Humeyra Kafadar; Steve Benford; Elvira Perez Vallejos;

Soma Design for digital mental health and wellbeing interventions: A scoping review (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Digital interventions for mental health and wellbeing are increasingly moving beyond screen-based applications toward more embodied approaches, necessitating design methodologies that emphasise bodily experiences. Soma Design offers a distinctive interaction design approach that integrates bodily awareness with aesthetic appreciation, viewing the mind and body as an inseparable whole. OBJECTIVE This scoping review aims to map and analyse the emerging applications of Soma Design within digital mental health and wellbeing interventions, offering a comprehensive overview of this holistic design methodology for researchers and practitioners. METHODS This review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Studies were included if they reported on the use of Soma Design in digital mental health or wellbeing contexts. RESULTS Ten papers were eligible for inclusion. The interventions varied in their stage of development: five were conceptual design concepts created by adolescents, while five were prototypes or experiential artefacts developed by researchers. One prototype involved a “somatic connoisseur” in the design process. All interventions incorporated soma awareness exercises, with Feldenkrais lessons being the most commonly used. Toolkits, such as Soma Bits and the Menarche toolkit, supported the design of two interventions. Soma Design methods benefited both designers and users: designers used embodied practices to inform interaction design, while users reported increased bodily awareness, full-body engagement, and relaxation. CONCLUSIONS Soma Design represents a valuable approach for developing embodied, user-sensitive digital mental health and wellbeing interventions. It offers a participatory, holistic co-design methodology that can meaningfully engage diverse end-users. However, many interventions identified in this review remain in early stages of development and lack systematic evaluation. Advancing the field will require interdisciplinary collaboration among mental health professionals, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers, industry partners, and individuals with lived experience. These partnerships are essential for co-designing, testing, and implementing interventions that are both effective and scalable, ultimately extending the reach and impact of Soma design in digital mental health contexts.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
gold