Curating an HIV mHealth App for People Living with HIV in Washington, DC Through Think-Aloud Usability Testing and Beta Testing

Authors

Sylvia Caldwell, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, The University of Virginia School of Medicine, 560 Ray C. Hunt Drive, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA.
Olivia Kirby, Department of Epidemiology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 950 New Hampshire Ave NW, 5th floor, Washington, 20052, DC, USA.
Tabor Flickinger, Department of Medicine, Division of General, Geriatric, Palliative, and Hospital Medicine, The University of Virginia School of Medicine, PO Box 800901, Charlottesville, VA, 22908-0901, USA.
Gustavo Frietas, Department of Epidemiology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 950 New Hampshire Ave NW, 5th floor, Washington, 20052, DC, USA.
Karen Ingersoll, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, The University of Virginia School of Medicine, 560 Ray C. Hunt Drive, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA.
Amanda D. Castel, Department of Epidemiology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 950 New Hampshire Ave NW, 5th floor, Washington, 20052, DC, USA. acastel@gwu.edu.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

4-5-2025

Journal

AIDS and behavior

DOI

10.1007/s10461-025-04649-3

Keywords

Beta testing; Formative research; HIV; Think-aloud user-testing; mHealth

Abstract

This study evaluated the usability of a mobile health application for persons with HIV (PWH) in the District of Columbia (DC) area in preparation for a pragmatic cluster randomized efficacy trial of the PositiveLinks (PL) app. Fourteen participants from the DC Cohort, a multi-site longitudinal prospective HIV cohort study, participated in Think-aloud usability testing. Participants viewed a demonstration version of the PL app and narrated their thoughts, impressions, navigation, and comments as they moved through the app functions. A second set of fourteen DC Cohort participants used the PL app for a one-month period of Beta testing to identify any bugs or glitches, then completed an in-depth interview and System Usability Survey (SUS). A majority of participants identified as male and non-Hispanic Black. Qualitative data from the Think-alouds and Beta testing interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed in Dedoose using an iterative approach. Think-aloud and Beta testing showed that users viewed the app positively and considered it to be user- friendly. Participants particularly liked the daily reminders and ability to communicate with peers with HIV and their HIV care team. Although most participants reported no dislikes, they requested more customization and more resources. The app achieved a high mean SUS score of 76 and high response rates for app features. No bugs or glitches were identified. The version of PL to be used by participants in the DC Cohort was well liked and highly usable, and participant input informed optimization of the app prior to launching the efficacy trial.

APA Citation

Caldwell, Sylvia; Kirby, Olivia; Flickinger, Tabor; Frietas, Gustavo; Ingersoll, Karen; and Castel, Amanda D., "Curating an HIV mHealth App for People Living with HIV in Washington, DC Through Think-Aloud Usability Testing and Beta Testing" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 7093.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/7093

Department

Epidemiology