The effect of user interface on treatment engagement in a self-guided digital problem-solving intervention: A randomized controlled trial Show others and affiliations
2021 (English) In: Internet Interventions, ISSN 2214-7829, Vol. 26, article id 100448Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Sustainable development SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Abstract [en]
Background: Resources are spent worldwide on the development of digital platforms and their user interfaces (UIs) for digital mental health services (DMHS). However, studies investigating the potential benefits of different UIs for DMHS are currently lacking. To fill this knowledge gap, the aim of this study was to investigate differences in treatment engagement between two different UIs for DMHS. Methods: A total of 397 participants from the Swedish general public were randomized (1:1) to use a self-guided digital problem-solving intervention during one week, either with an optimized UI (N = 198), based on user experience (UX) design principles and with automated features, or a basic UI (N = 199), analogous with a UI used in Swedish regular health care comprising elementary UI features and less automation. Primary outcome measures were self-rated usability, on the System Usability Scale, and treatment credibility, on the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures included behavioral engagement with the intervention. Findings: There were no significant differences between the UIs in ratings of usability or treatment credibility. However, participants who used the optimized UI were significantly more engaged with the intervention as measured by usage of the intervention at least once (odds ratio 2.54, 95% CI [1.67, 3.85]), total number of generated solutions (mean difference 1.41, 95% CI [0.72, 2.11]), and mean number of generated solutions per initiated problem-solving attempt (mean difference 1.45, 95% CI [1.06, 1.85]). Other findings included participants using the optimized UI rating the intervention as easier to understand, while feeling more overwhelmed, than those using the basic UI. Interpretation: Our findings indicate that an optimized UI based on UX design principles, in comparison to a basic UI comprising elementary UI features, do not affect overall self-rated usability or treatment credibility but increases some measures of behavioral engagement with a digital intervention.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages Elsevier, 2021. Vol. 26, article id 100448
Keywords [en]
User interface, Treatment engagement, Self-guided, Digital intervention, Problem-solving, User experience
National Category
Psychology
Research subject Social Sciences, Psychology
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-108074 DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2021.100448 ISI: 000697551600011 PubMedID: 34471610 Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85113317616 Local ID: 2021 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-108074 DiVA, id: diva2:1611947
Note Correction published in: Amira Hentati, Erik Forsell, Brjánn Ljótsson, Viktor Kaldo, Nils Lindefors, Martin Kraepelien. Corrigendum to “The effect of user interface on treatment engagement in a self-guided digital problem-solving intervention: A randomized controlled trial” [Internet Interv. 26 (2021) 1-10/100448], Internet Interventions, Volume 29, 2022, 100550,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2022.100550.
2021-11-162021-11-162022-09-21 Bibliographically approved