Features and Functions of Mobile Health Insurance Apps: User Requirements and Their Influence on User Satisfaction – An Application of the Kano Model

For health insurance customers, mobile apps play a key role in the digitalization of the healthcare system. Health insurance companies are a central actor and important point of contact for policyholders. However, it is still largely unknown what requirements insured people as users have for mobile apps from health insurance companies. The aim of this paper is therefore to identify app functionalities based on existing literature and the apps offered by German health insurance companies and to investigate the influence of these functionalities on user satisfaction using the Kano model. A total of 21 features were identified. Must-have features include a bonus program, offline functionality, protected personal access and multi-platform compatibility. Only the live chat is identified as a performance / one-dimensional feature. Gamification approaches and a community are indifferent features. The attractive features include pedometers, appointment booking, health record, emergency access and exchange with medical specialists. The results serve health insurance companies and other service providers in the healthcare sector by providing concrete insights for the user-oriented development of mobile apps and digital services in the healthcare sector.