Design study to develop screen savers aimed at improving hand hygiene behavior.

Background: Displaying screen savers with gain-framed messages are effective to improve hand hygiene, but the design of screen savers has not been studied yet.

Methods: Based on the literature, scientific propositions were developed for the design of screen savers, exploring 2 strategies to subconsciously influence hand hygiene behavior; the first was to gain attention, and the second was to exert peer pressure. The designed screen savers were tested for attention with an eye-tracking study (N = 27) and for the influence of peer pressure with a questionnaire (N = 25).