Designing an Effective and Usable Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) App
Loading...
Links to Files
Permanent Link
Collections
Author/Creator
Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2022-05
Department
University of Baltimore. Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences
Program
University of Baltimore. Master of Science in Interaction Design and Information Architecture
Citation of Original Publication
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States
This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by the University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.
This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by the University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.
Abstract
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) mobile apps have risen in popularity; however, most are either hard-to-use or not clinically valid. To address this issue, researchers have published CBT app reviews, case studies, and guidelines to inform the development of an effective and usable CBT app. In this paper, I review CBT app literature and use the literature, along with mobile design best practices and interaction design principles, as the basis for an effective and usable CBT app design. To verify the design’s usability, I conducted usability tests with a prototype of the app. Based on the results of the usability tests, I can conclude that my CBT app design is more usable than the average user interface. Additionally, study participants found the app’s CBT exercise valuable, and completing the exercise was associated with an improvement in mood. However, common pain points experienced by participants during the usability tests warrant design changes, and as app development continues, I will continue to collaborate with clinicians, test with end-users, and iterate on the app’s design. Overall, the positive results of this study are exciting because of the potential benefits that an effective and usable CBT app could bring to people’s lives.