Renaclic for Chronic Kidney Disease Self-Management: Formative User-Centered Co-Design Study

Abstract Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 850 million individuals worldwide and requires sustained patient education, shared decision-making, and self-management support. Digital health platforms may facilitate these needs; however, many lack comprehensive, user-centered design and fail to address practical and psychosocial patient concerns. Objective This study aimed to describe the formative co-design of Renaclic, a digital platform developed with patients and health care professionals (HCPs) to support CKD education and self-management in the French health care context. Methods A three-stage user-centered design (UCD) study was conducted between April and August 2021. Stage 1 included benchmarking of 10 French-language CKD platforms and semistructured interviews with 8 stakeholders (3 HCPs: 1 nephrologist, 1 general practitioner, 1 nurse; 5 patients: 2 novice and 3 expert users). Stage 2 consisted of two virtual co-design focus groups incorporating card-sorting and interface design activities. Stage 3 translated identified needs into structured content categories and a low-fidelity prototype. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results Benchmarking revealed fragmented educational content, limited practical guidance on home dialysis logistics, insufficient coverage of lifestyle and psychosocial concerns, and minimal interactive features. Interviews identified five main themes: need for reliable centralized information, anxiety during care transitions, demand for practical lifestyle guidance, importance of reassuring language, and value of moderated peer exchange. More than 30 thematic content items were generated and organized through card-sorting into five consolidated content categories that structured the platform’s information architecture. Co-design sessions informed mobile accessibility, simplified navigation pathways, and integration of educational, symptom-tracking, and community-oriented functionalities. Conclusions This formative study demonstrates how participatory UCD with diverse CKD stakeholders can generate a structured, context-sensitive digital platform framework. Renaclic provides a replicable model for early-stage co-design of digital health interventions in chronic disease management. Future research will evaluate usability, engagement, and implementation in real-world settings.