Digital Nudges: A Reflection of Challenges and Improvements Inspired by the Gloria Adherence Subproject

Abstract

Rapid technological development allows for ever new opportunities to nudge individuals’ behavior and knowledge digitally. The Gloria Adherence Subproject by Hartman et al. (2022) implements such a digital nudge via a mobile device aiming at medication adherence. Besides methodological and practical shortcomings outlined by the authors themselves, the used adherence nudge might have had conceptual weaknesses. In the present article, I reflect on three prominent challenges of digital nudges in general and an emerging redemption of the nudging-concept in the form of so-called boosts. Both reflections inform the evaluation of the outcomes of the Gloria Adherence Subproject and suggest specific actions for optimization for future project retrials or conceptual replications by other scientists.