Regular practice of gratitude has the potential to enhance psychological wellbeing and foster stronger social connections among young adults. However, there is a lack of research investigating user needs and expectations regarding gratitude-promoting applications. To address this gap, we employed a user-centered design approach to develop a mobile application that facilitates gratitude practice. Our formative study involved 20 participants who utilized an existing application, providing insights into their preferences for organizing expressions of gratitude and the significance of prompts for reflection and mood labeling after working hours. Building on these findings, we conducted a deployment study with 26 participants using our custom-designed application, which confirmed the positive impact of structured options to guide gratitude practice and highlighted the advantages of passive engagement with the application during busy periods. Our study contributes to the field by identifying key design considerations for promoting gratitude among young adults.

翻译：定期践行感恩有助于提升青年群体的心理健康水平，并增强其社会联结。然而，目前尚缺乏针对感恩促进应用的用户需求与期待的系统研究。为填补这一空白，我们采用以用户为中心的设计方法，开发了一款辅助感恩实践的移动应用。形成性研究阶段共招募20名参与者使用现有应用，结果显示用户偏好以结构化方式组织感恩表达，且在工作时段后设置反思提示与情绪标注功能具有显著意义。基于该发现，我们开展部署研究，让26名参与者使用自主设计应用，验证了结构化选项对引导感恩实践的积极作用，同时揭示了用户繁忙时期被动式参与应用的优势。本研究通过提炼促进青年感恩行为的关键设计要素，为相关领域作出贡献。