Co-designing digital nudges to promote gender equality and social inclusion among Arab youth: a mixed-methods study

Background – Digital nudges have been widely explored in privacy, health, and sustainability domains; however, little empirical work has co-designed culturally grounded nudges that address Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), especially in Arab contexts. This gap is particularly significant given the strong influence of cultural norms and socio-economic structures in Arab societies, which shape how GESI are perceived and enacted in digital spaces. This study presents a full co-design process that integrates behavioral insights and participant-led design activities to develop a digital-nudging framework aimed at promoting GESI among Arab youth in Qatar. Methods – With ethical approval from the Hamad Bin Khalifa University Institutional Review Board (HBKU-IRB-2024-30), a sequential mixed-methods design was employed consisting of three phases: (1) protocol development and pilot testing, (2) data collection through a social-media behavior survey and co-design workshops, and (3) integrated qualitative–quantitative analysis. The Social Media Activity Questionnaire (SMAQ) was used to classify participants' passive and active social-media behaviors (n = 32), serving as a preparatory step for grouping participants and informing design activities. Qualitative data were gathered across four co-design workshops. Results – Survey findings revealed a marked imbalance between passive and active engagement, with passive behaviors (e.g., viewing stories, reading messages) dominating over active content creation. This behavioral insight informed the structuring of co-design groups and the selection of nudge targets. Across the workshops, participants collaboratively generated twelve nudge prototypes emphasizing personalization, messenger effects, and simplification. Participants consistently prioritized transparency, cultural sensitivity, and relatable messaging, highlighting the value of participatory approaches in GESI-oriented digital design. Conclusion – This study demonstrates a culturally grounded co-design process for developing digital nudges that support GESI. Using behavioral data to guide workshop preparation, the study offers a replicable, user-centered framework for designing responsible and contextually relevant digital interventions for Arab youth.