JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mental health digital applications (apps) hold promise to provide scalable solutions to individual self-care, education, and illness prevention. However, a problem with these apps is that they lack engaging user interfaces and experiences, potentially resulting in high attrition. While guidelines for new digital interventions in adults have begun to examine engagement, there is a paucity of evidence on how to best address digital interventions in adolescents. As adolescence is a period of transition during which the onset of many potentially life-long mental health conditions frequently occurs, understanding how best to engage this population is crucial.

Objective:

Our goal was to detect potential barriers to engagement and also to gather feedback on the current elements of app design regarding user experience and the user interface (UX/UI), and content.

Methods:

The study employs a qualitative design. A sample of 13 adolescents were asked to use the app for a week and were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Interviews were transcribed and then analysed using thematic analysis.

Results:

Authors developed six main themes and twenty sub-themes from the data that influenced engagement with and the perceived usefulness of the app. Our main themes were: ’Timing’, ‘Stigma’, ‘Perception’, ‘Congruity’, ‘Usefulness’ and ‘User Experience (UX)’ .

Conclusions:

In convergence with previous research, we suggest how these aspects of app development should be considered in future apps aimed at preventing and managing mental health conditions.