Assessment of Mobile Health Program for HIV Prevention in Diverse Ethnic Young Men
In a recent study, MyPEEPS Mobile, a mobile health (mHealth) app, demonstrated its potential to deliver HIV prevention information to young men aged 13-24, who account for 21% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States. The app was found to be largely user-friendly and effective in engaging this demographic, according to usability assessments involving both experts and end users.
The study aimed to assess the usability of MyPEEPS Mobile from both expert and end user perspectives. A heuristic evaluation by five informatics experts identified some usability issues, but these were generally rated with low severity scores, indicating that the app mostly adheres to usability principles. The mean scores of heuristic violations identified by experts ranged from 0.4 to 2.6.
End user testing of MyPEEPS Mobile was conducted with 20 young men aged 15 to 18 years in New York, NY, Birmingham, AL, and Chicago, IL. The participants were able to complete tasks associated with use case scenarios in the app and provided constructive feedback to improve usability. The refinement of MyPEEPS Mobile is based on the feedback provided by both experts and end users.
The testing locations for the end user testing were New York, NY, Birmingham, AL, and Chicago, IL. The end user usability testing was conducted to identify potential obstacles to the use of the MyPEEPS Mobile app. End users provided comments and recommendations for improving the usability of MyPEEPS Mobile.
The mean of the overall Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire scores rated by end users was 1.63 (SD 0.65), indicating strong user acceptance of the app. The study's results suggest a strong user acceptance of MyPEEPS Mobile, which could potentially deliver HIV prevention information to young men.
The findings from the usability studies will be used to refine MyPEEPS Mobile before a pilot study. The pilot study aims to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of MyPEEPS Mobile in real-world settings. Additionally, the pilot study will assess the acceptability of MyPEEPS Mobile across diverse sexual minority young men in their everyday lives.
MyPEEPS Mobile is a mobile Web app that was developed from an existing evidence-based, face-to-face HIV prevention curriculum. The app has been found to be effective in delivering HIV prevention information to young men aged 13-24 years, based on usability assessments involving both experts and end users. The combination of expert review and user testing suggests that the app’s design facilitates effective delivery and understanding of HIV prevention content among its target demographic.
In summary, usability studies demonstrate that MyPEEPS Mobile is largely user-friendly and effective in engaging young sexual minority men with HIV prevention information, though some minor improvements were recommended to optimize user experience. This aligns with broader evidence supporting the acceptability and viability of technology-mediated HIV prevention interventions for young populations.
The usability studies on MyPEEPS Mobile, a mobile health app, also incorporated facial coding analysis to understand the emotional responses of young men during interaction with the app's content, demonstrating its potential to offer insights into mental-health aspects.
To further optimize the app's user experience, MyPEEPS Mobile will integrate media analytics, helping to measure the effectiveness of the delivered HIV prevention content and tailoring it to the preferences of this demographic.
Moreover, there is a growing interest in health-and-wellness and mental-health applications in technology, and MyPEEPS Mobile, with its innovative approach and strong user acceptance, could contribute significant advances in the science of technology-led health interventions.
