scholarly journals GAMIFICATION AND NUDGING TECHNIQUES FOR IMPROVING USER ENGAGEMENT IN MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING APPS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1647-1656
Author(s):  
Hassan Auf ◽  
Jessica Dagman ◽  
Sara Renström ◽  
John Chaplin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Interaction Techniques ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Google Play ◽  
Health And Well Being

AbstractIn the last decades, mental health disorders have been a growing source of the global burden of disease. Thousands of mental health apps are available nowadays addressing this problem, but studies show that the effectiveness of these apps is jeopardized by the low user engagement.This study investigates the most potentially effective gamification and nudging techniques in design for improving engagement in mental health apps for young people, by carrying out app-reviews for top installed mental health apps on Google play store and connecting it with engagement data, in addition to conducting expert-interviews with professionals from gamification and design background.From the findings, techniques that participated in improving retention rates included using app character for creating app narrative and user interaction, in addition to adopting a non-forcible language. While to improve app daily duration of use, simplification nudge, and stating the recommended minutes of use found to be useful. Personalization and social interaction techniques were potentially effective for improving the frequency of app daily use. For the young age group, using juicy feedback and high-quality gamification were recommended

scholarly journals Objective User Engagement With Mental Health Apps: Systematic Search and Panel-Based Usage Analysis (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Baumel ◽  
Frederick Muench ◽  
Stav Edan ◽  
John M Kane
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Real World ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Breathing Exercise ◽  
Android Apps ◽  
Health Apps

BACKGROUND Understanding patterns of real-world usage of mental health apps is key to maximizing their potential to increase public self-management of care. Although developer-led studies have published results on the use of mental health apps in real-world settings, no study yet has systematically examined usage patterns of a large sample of mental health apps relying on independently collected data. OBJECTIVE Our aim is to present real-world objective data on user engagement with popular mental health apps. METHODS A systematic engine search was conducted using Google Play to identify Android apps with 10,000 installs or more targeting anxiety, depression, or emotional well-being. Coding of apps included primary incorporated techniques and mental health focus. Behavioral data on real-world usage were obtained from a panel that provides aggregated nonpersonal information on user engagement with mobile apps. RESULTS In total, 93 apps met the inclusion criteria (installs: median 100,000, IQR 90,000). The median percentage of daily active users (open rate) was 4.0% (IQR 4.7%) with a difference between trackers (median 6.3%, IQR 10.2%) and peer-support apps (median 17.0%) versus breathing exercise apps (median 1.6%, IQR 1.6%; all <italic>z</italic>≥3.42, all <italic>P</italic>&lt;.001). Among active users, daily minutes of use were significantly higher for mindfulness/meditation (median 21.47, IQR 15.00) and peer support (median 35.08, n=2) apps than for apps incorporating other techniques (tracker, breathing exercise, psychoeducation: medians range 3.53-8.32; all <italic>z</italic>≥2.11, all <italic>P</italic>&lt;.05). The medians of app 15-day and 30-day retention rates were 3.9% (IQR 10.3%) and 3.3% (IQR 6.2%), respectively. On day 30, peer support (median 8.9%, n=2), mindfulness/meditation (median 4.7%, IQR 6.2%), and tracker apps (median 6.1%, IQR 20.4%) had significantly higher retention rates than breathing exercise apps (median 0.0%, IQR 0.0%; all <italic>z</italic>≥2.18, all <italic>P</italic>≤.04). The pattern of daily use presented a descriptive peak toward the evening for apps incorporating most techniques (tracker, psychoeducation, and peer support) except mindfulness/meditation, which exhibited two peaks (morning and night). CONCLUSIONS Although the number of app installs and daily active minutes of use may seem high, only a small portion of users actually used the apps for a long period of time. More studies using different datasets are needed to understand this phenomenon and the ways in which users self-manage their condition in real-world settings.

scholarly journals Objective User Engagement With Mental Health Apps: Systematic Search and Panel-Based Usage Analysis

10.2196/14567 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. e14567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Baumel ◽  
Frederick Muench ◽  
Stav Edan ◽  
John M Kane
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Real World ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Breathing Exercise ◽  
Android Apps ◽  
Health Apps

Background Understanding patterns of real-world usage of mental health apps is key to maximizing their potential to increase public self-management of care. Although developer-led studies have published results on the use of mental health apps in real-world settings, no study yet has systematically examined usage patterns of a large sample of mental health apps relying on independently collected data. Objective Our aim is to present real-world objective data on user engagement with popular mental health apps. Methods A systematic engine search was conducted using Google Play to identify Android apps with 10,000 installs or more targeting anxiety, depression, or emotional well-being. Coding of apps included primary incorporated techniques and mental health focus. Behavioral data on real-world usage were obtained from a panel that provides aggregated nonpersonal information on user engagement with mobile apps. Results In total, 93 apps met the inclusion criteria (installs: median 100,000, IQR 90,000). The median percentage of daily active users (open rate) was 4.0% (IQR 4.7%) with a difference between trackers (median 6.3%, IQR 10.2%) and peer-support apps (median 17.0%) versus breathing exercise apps (median 1.6%, IQR 1.6%; all z≥3.42, all P<.001). Among active users, daily minutes of use were significantly higher for mindfulness/meditation (median 21.47, IQR 15.00) and peer support (median 35.08, n=2) apps than for apps incorporating other techniques (tracker, breathing exercise, psychoeducation: medians range 3.53-8.32; all z≥2.11, all P<.05). The medians of app 15-day and 30-day retention rates were 3.9% (IQR 10.3%) and 3.3% (IQR 6.2%), respectively. On day 30, peer support (median 8.9%, n=2), mindfulness/meditation (median 4.7%, IQR 6.2%), and tracker apps (median 6.1%, IQR 20.4%) had significantly higher retention rates than breathing exercise apps (median 0.0%, IQR 0.0%; all z≥2.18, all P≤.04). The pattern of daily use presented a descriptive peak toward the evening for apps incorporating most techniques (tracker, psychoeducation, and peer support) except mindfulness/meditation, which exhibited two peaks (morning and night). Conclusions Although the number of app installs and daily active minutes of use may seem high, only a small portion of users actually used the apps for a long period of time. More studies using different datasets are needed to understand this phenomenon and the ways in which users self-manage their condition in real-world settings.

scholarly journals Development of a Mobile Phone App to Support Self-Monitoring of Emotional Well-Being: A Mental Health Digital Innovation

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. e49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikki Rickard ◽  
Hussain-Abdulah Arjmand ◽  
David Bakker ◽  
Elizabeth Seabrook
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Primary Component ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mobile Phone Technology ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health And Well Being

BackgroundEmotional well-being is a primary component of mental health and well-being. Monitoring changes in emotional state daily over extended periods is, however, difficult using traditional methodologies. Providing mental health support is also challenging when approximately only 1 in 2 people with mental health issues seek professional help. Mobile phone technology offers a sustainable means of enhancing self-management of emotional well-being.ObjectiveThis paper aims to describe the development of a mobile phone tool designed to monitor emotional changes in a natural everyday context and in real time.MethodsThis evidence-informed mobile phone app monitors emotional mental health and well-being, and it provides links to mental health organization websites and resources. The app obtains data via self-report psychological questionnaires, experience sampling methodology (ESM), and automated behavioral data collection.ResultsFeedback from 11 individuals (age range 16-52 years; 4 males, 7 females), who tested the app over 30 days, confirmed via survey and focus group methods that the app was functional and usable.ConclusionsRecommendations for future researchers and developers of mental health apps to be used for research are also presented. The methodology described in this paper offers a powerful tool for a range of potential mental health research studies and provides a valuable standard against which development of future mental health apps should be considered.

scholarly journals Co-Designing a Mobile Application to Improve Mental Health and Well-being: Focus Group Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felwah Alqahtani ◽  
Andrea Winn ◽  
Rita Orji
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
End Users ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Relaxation Exercises ◽  
Health And Well Being

BACKGROUND Recent advances in mobile technology have created opportunities to develop mobile applications (apps) to aid and assist people in achieving various health and wellness goals. Mental health apps hold significant potential to assist people suffering from various mental health issues at any time they may need it, considering the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones. However, there is a need for research exploring and understanding end-users’ perceptions, needs, and concerns with respect to such technologies. OBJECTIVE The goal of this paper is to explore the opinions, perceptions, preferences, and experiences of people who have experienced some forms of mental health issues based on self-diagnosis to inform the design of a next-generation mental health app that would be significantly more engaging and effective than currently available apps at improving mental health and well-being. METHODS We conducted six focus-group sessions with people who have experienced mental health issues based on self-diagnosis (Average age= 26.7, N = 32, 50% male, 50% female). We asked participants about their experiences with mental health issues and their viewpoints regarding two existing mental health apps (Happify app and the Self-Help Anxiety Management app). Finally, participants engaged in a design session where they each sketched a design for their ideal mental health and well-being mobile app. RESULTS Our findings revealed that participants used some strategies to deal with their mental health issues: 1) doing something to distract themselves from their current negative mood, 2) using relaxation exercises and methods to relieve symptoms, 3) interacting with others to share their issues, 4) looking for an external source to solve their problem, and 5) motivating themselves by repeating motivational sentences to support themselves or by following inspirational people. Moreover, regarding the design of mental health apps, participants identified that 1) general design characteristics, 2) personalization of the app, including 3) tracking and feedback, 4) live support, and 5) social community, and providing 6) motivational content and 7) relaxation exercises are the most important features users want in a mental health app. In contrast, including 8) games, 9) relaxation audio, 10) the Google map function, 11) personal assistance to provide suggestions, 12) goal setting, and 13) privacy preserving were surprisingly the least requested features. CONCLUSIONS Understanding end-users’ needs and concerns about mental health apps will inform the future design of mental health apps that are useful and used by many people. CLINICALTRIAL

scholarly journals Do apps have anything to offer mental health?

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 359-360
Author(s):  
Richard K. Morriss
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Enhance Patient Care ◽  
Health And Well Being

SummaryMany people with mental health problems spend a large proportion of their life online and an increasing number of apps address mental health and well-being. This article offers reasons why psychiatrists should learn how to use mental health apps to enhance patient care and gives some caveats for both professionals and patients regarding their use.

A positive psychology study and intervention on the well-being of French PhD students in biology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Marais ◽  
Rebecca Shankland ◽  
Pascale Haag ◽  
Robin Fiault ◽  
Bridget Juniper
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Reference Sample ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Human Costs ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
Health And Well Being

In France, little data are available on mental health and well-being in academia, and nothing has been published about PhD students. From studies abroad, we know that doing a PhD is a difficult experience resulting in high attrition rates with significant financial and human costs. Here we focused on PhD students in biology at university Lyon 1. A first study aimed at measuring the mental health and well-being of PhD students using several generalist and PhD-specific tools. Our results on 136 participants showed that a large fraction of the PhD students experience abnormal levels of stress, depression and anxiety, and their mean well-being score is significantly lower than that of a British reference sample. French PhD student well-being is specifically affected by career uncertainty, perceived lack of progress in the PhD and perceived lack of competence, which points towards possible cultural differences of experiencing a PhD in France and the UK. In a second study, we carried out a positive psychology intervention. Comparing the scores of the test and control groups showed a clear effect of the intervention on reducing anxiety. We discuss our results and the possible future steps to improve French PhD students’ well-being.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document