Perski, O;
Blandford, A;
Ubhi, H;
West, R;
Michie, S;
(2017)
Smokers’ and drinkers’ choice of smartphone applications and expectations of engagement: a think aloud and interview study.
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
, 17
(25)
10.1186/s12911-017-0422-8.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Public health organisations such as the National Health Service in the United Kingdom and the National Institutes of Health in the United States provide access to online libraries of publicly endorsed smartphone applications (apps); however, there is little evidence that users rely on this guidance. Rather, one of the most common methods of finding new apps is to search an online store. As hundreds of smoking cessation and alcohol-related apps are currently available on the market, smokers and drinkers must actively choose which app to download prior to engaging with it. The influences on this choice are yet to be identified. This study aimed to investigate 1) design features that shape users’ choice of smoking cessation or alcohol reduction apps, and 2) design features judged to be important for engagement. METHODS: Adult smokers (n = 10) and drinkers (n = 10) interested in using an app to quit/cut down were asked to search an online store to identify and explore a smoking cessation or alcohol reduction app of their choice whilst thinking aloud. Semi-structured interview techniques were used to allow participants to elaborate on their statements. An interpretivist theoretical framework informed the analysis. Verbal reports were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants chose apps based on their immediate look and feel, quality as judged by others’ ratings and brand recognition (‘social proof’), and titles judged to be realistic and relevant. Monitoring and feedback, goal setting, rewards and prompts were identified as important for engagement, fostering motivation and autonomy. Tailoring of content, a non-judgmental communication style, privacy and accuracy were viewed as important for engagement, fostering a sense of personal relevance and trust. Sharing progress on social media and the use of craving management techniques in social settings were judged not to be engaging because of concerns about others’ negative reactions. CONCLUSIONS: Choice of a smoking cessation or alcohol reduction app may be influenced by its immediate look and feel, ‘social proof’ and titles that appear realistic. Design features that enhance motivation, autonomy, personal relevance and credibility may be important for engagement.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Smokers’ and drinkers’ choice of smartphone applications and expectations of engagement: a think aloud and interview study |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12911-017-0422-8 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12911-017-0422-8 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © The Author(s). 2017 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. |
| Keywords: | Alcohol reduction, Behaviour change, Engagement, Excessive alcohol consumption, mHealth, Smartphone apps, Smoking cessation, Think aloud |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Behavioural Science and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Computer Science |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1543072 |
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