JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mental health (MH) difficulties are increasing among Canadian postsecondary students, and many face barriers to accessing MH care. Mobile health smartphone applications for MH (MH apps) reduce common barriers to care and improve student MH outcomes. However, students’ engagement and use of MH apps is low. Evaluating the usability and quality of MH apps is essential not only for user engagement, but also for safety and overall utility. Few MH apps have undergone usability and quality evaluations, especially with measures explicitly designed for these apps. The JoyPopTM app is a resilience-building MH app with evidence supporting its effectiveness for student MH. It has yet to be evaluated using standardized measures of MH app usability and quality, and the influence of usability and quality on use is unknown.

Objective:

We evaluated the usability and quality of the JoyPopTM app and the predictive importance of usability and quality, compared to other characteristics known to affect use, in predicting app usage.

Methods:

Participants (N=183) completed pre-app measures assessing demographics and personality traits, then used the app for one week, and then completed post-app measures assessing the usability, quality, and use of the JoyPopTM app. Usability (overall; and subscales: ease of use, interface and satisfaction, and usefulness) and quality (objective; subjective; perceived impact) was assessed with descriptive statistics. Multiple regression analyses tested the predictive importance of usability and quality on use after controlling for other user characteristics.

Results:

Participants rated the JoyPopTM app’s overall usability as “very good” (M = 5.63 [SD = 0.85]). Participants rated the JoyPopTM app’s overall objective quality as “excellent” (M = 4.06 [SD = 0.54]). Subjective quality ratings were good, with many participants (78.7%) indicating they would recommend the app to others. Participants rated the app as having a moderate and helpful impact on their MH and coping skills (M = 3.48 [SD = 0.88]). In each regression model, usability (beta = .56 p < .001) and quality (beta = .52, p < .001) predicted JoyPopTM app use over and above other user characteristics and were the strongest predictors of use.

Conclusions:

Results align with prior research evaluating the JoyPopTM app and maintain that it is an engaging and high-quality MH app that can support students. Findings provide important insight into the optimal design of MH apps for students and inform adaptations to future iterations of the JoyPopTM app.