Bridging the Theory-to-Design Gap in Digital Wellness: A Design Science Approach to Motivational and Compassionate System Design

Digital wellness applications hold promise for lifestyle medicine, yet sustained engagement remains challenging because motivational and compassionate design principles are rarely operationalised as system mechanisms. This theory-to-design gap represents the core problem addressed in this study. Adopting Design Science Research Methodology, we develop MiCARE, a progressive web application supporting nutrition and physical activity engagement among young adults in preventive wellness contexts. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory and the CARE framework, we derive three design requirements, autonomy-supportive personalisation, competence-oriented coaching and feedback, and empathic interaction support and instantiate them as operational features. MiCARE was iteratively co-designed with young adults and clinicians. A formative usability evaluation (n=8) demonstrates strong usability (SUS=82.5), high task completion (97.5%), and high perceived empathy (92.5/100), providing preliminary evidence of the enactment of the design mechanisms. The study contributes a transparent DR–DP–DF translation approach and an empirically informed prototype demonstrating initial feasibility within a preventive, non-clinical wellness context.