Top 10 Features of Digital Health and Wellness Platforms

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Digital health and wellness platforms are transforming how companies support their employees – but not all platforms are created equal. So, what, exactly, is digital health and wellness? And how can you tell if a platform has the right features to truly improve employee wellbeing – and your bottom line?

At WellSteps, we’ve spent years analyzing digital health and wellness platforms – tracking outcomes, studying engagement patterns, and evaluating features – to design evidence-based wellness solutions that:

Improve employee health across all six pillars of wellness
Reduce healthcare costs
Boost morale and productivity
Increase retention and engagement
Foster a strong culture of wellbeing

Here’s what we’ve learned about digital health and wellness – and the top features to look for in a platform that truly delivers.

What is Digital Health and Wellness?
What Are Digital Health and Wellness Platforms?
Top 10 Features of Digital Health and Wellness Tools

What is Digital Health and Wellness?

Digital health and wellness can be defined as using technology to support wellbeing. It’s not to be confused with “digital wellness,” which is having a healthy relationship with technology.

For example, digital wellness might involve reducing screen time, while digital health and wellness – in this context – involves using fitness trackers, virtual content, and apps to improve wellbeing.

Digital health and wellness platforms can drive impressive outcomes. For example:

Researchers found that people who wear fitness trackers walk 40 more minutes per day, on average (The Lancet)
One study revealed that diabetes patients who used a wellness app exercised more, ate healthier, and slept longer – leading to short-term health improvements such as lower blood glucose and long-term benefits such as fewer hospital visits and lower medical costs (Cornell University)
4 out 5 people who use digital programs say they benefit their mental health (McKinsey Health Institute)

It’s important to understand that these outcomes aren’t accidental; they’re the result of careful design and ongoing support. That’s why it’s critical to choose an effective and proven digital health and wellness solution for your employees.

What Are Digital Health and Wellness Platforms?

A digital health and wellness platform is a web- or app-based system that delivers content, tracks behavior, encourages engagement, and provides actionable data for employees and program administrators.

Core functions include:

Health education
Activity tracking
Social engagement
Personalization
Data/reporting for HR/admins

The best corporate wellness platforms also feature an exceptional user experience – both for employees and administrators.

Top 10 Features of Digital Health and Wellness Tools

Look for a digital health and wellness platform that has the following features.

1. Excellent Syncing and Cross-Platform Access

The best employee wellness platforms are fully functional across desktop and mobile devices. They offer a mobile-first, full-service app experience. In other words, the mobile version can do everything the desktop version can do. Some even include push notifications and offline access.

Modern corporate wellness apps also provide instant data syncing for steps, heart rate, sleep, and other metrics, and they integrate with popular wearable devices such as Apple Watch, Fitbit, and Samsung Watch.

Social engagement is fundamental to a successful wellness program, and the best digital health and wellness platforms feature engaging social elements such as user groups, photo sharing, comments, and team challenges. Social features like these help build a community, add accountability, and make wellness fun.

3. Gamification

Gamifying wellness increases participation rates and promotes better outcomes through friendly competition and supportive camaraderie. Look for a digital health and wellness solution with points, badges, leaderboards, streaks, rewards, and similar features that keep users motivated while lending a sense of accomplishment for completing wellness initiatives.

4. Personalized and AI-Powered Recommendations

Personalization is crucial for wellness programs that drive meaningful results. The best digital health and wellness platforms offer tailored journeys and recommendations that not only support individual needs but also align with company-wide goals.

For example, personal health assessment data can be combined with employee preferences to customize programming based on each person’s current health status and goals. As employees move through the program, AI can provide real-time recommendations based on progress and engagement.

5. Holistic Progress Tracking

Unlike most wearables, leading digital health and wellness platforms don’t simply track physical activity; they focus on holistic progress tracking across all six pillars of wellness: physical, mental, social, financial, occupational, and nutritional. These solutions seek to help the whole person, not just one facet of their lives.

6. On-Demand Content

Many wellness programs rely on scheduled programming, but on-demand content is just as important. Giving employees convenient access to fitness videos, yoga sessions, guided meditations, webinars, and recipes vastly increases the likelihood these resources will be used and lead to meaningful wellness outcomes.

7. Incentives and Rewards Tracking/Management

Rewards and incentives are powerful motivators for employee participation, and many corporate wellness software comes with built-in tools to track and manage them. These features make it easy for employees to monitor their progress and for administrators to distribute rewards.

Some platforms also have social features that recognize employees for achieving individual milestones – and peer recognition is another strong motivator that fosters success.

8. Customization

Choose a digital wellness platform that you can customize with your own programming and content, which allows you to put your own spin on wellness initiatives. Some employee wellness software also offers custom dashboard branding, helping employees connect their wellness journeys with your company.

9. Real-Time Reporting

Real-time reporting provides personal insights for users and helps program administrators monitor program effectiveness. The best platforms make it easy to export participation rates, ROI, and other metrics into easy-to-understand visual reports to share with stakeholders.

10. Privacy

Modern employee wellness apps must have data privacy baked-in, and this is non-negotiable. Choose a secure, HIPAA-compliant solution that anonymizes data and restricts user access.

The best digital health and wellness solution isn’t just a list of features, but a suite of tools employees will truly embrace and benefit from. Choose a platform that has the features you need to drive better wellness outcomes for your employees and your company.

WellSteps: A Proven Wellness Platform with Unmatched Support
At WellSteps, we don’t just check all the above boxes – we go beyond. Each client is paired with a dedicated WellSteps Guide who plans, builds, implements, and manages their program, taking the heavy lifting off your team. Schedule a demo today to learn more.