Does Framing a Health App as Tailored Impact Choice?

Smartphone apps offer a valuable tool for supporting health goals, including weight management. Building on Self-Determination Theory, we examined whether gender-tailored app names—with or without visual presentation—affect user preferences, willingness to pay (WTP), and perceived necessity, and whether these effects vary by gender. Two online experiments with U.S. adults seeking to lose weight tested three naming conditions: a control (“Weight Loss App”), a gender-tailored (“Weight Loss App for (Wo)Men”), and an inclusive (“Weight Loss App for Men and Women”). Study 1 included only names; Study 2 added visual stimuli depicting no person, a man, a woman, or both. Name framing had no significant effect on preference, WTP, or perceived necessity. However, women showed stronger overall preferences, and visuals significantly increased WTP. Prior experience with weight loss apps was also linked to higher WTP. These findings highlight the importance of visual content and prior experience in early user engagement.