Carson’s Research Plan

I look at this post as a jumping off point for my research where I am now starting to organize my thoughts and specifically breaking down the research into multiple areas I deem necessary. With that being said, I am thinking I will divide up my research into five sections.

This will include:

• evaluating the relationship between mental health and phone app usage
• exploration of preexisting wellness apps

•  why apps are so addictive in the first place

•  mental health research itself

• the methods of user research that I might utilize to gather information.

This is going to end up being a lot of research, but I feel like it is necessary in order for me to build this project well. 

Apps and mental health:

Part of my research will revolve around the ties between mental health and phone usage. By just scratching the surface, there is some controversy if there is even real evidence that shows phone usage being an issue. This is reflected in a brief NPR article down below with discussions by professionals and is something I want to research in depth about because it will allow me to figure out how my app will be constructed and the limits of it’s design. 

The Social Dilemma –

• https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/the-dilemma/#resources 
• Randima Fernando: from the 1960s to today, processing power has gone up a trillion times, nothing else we have has improved anywhere near that rate. Our human brains have not evolved at all.
• https://www.humancentereddesign.org/ 
• Study based on screen-time related to mental health of adolescents:
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6214874/ 
• https://www.npr.org/2019/08/27/754362629/the-scientific-debate-over-teens-screens-and-mental-health 
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7277080/ 
  • Talks about young adults specifically and highlights multiple areas where there may be side effects 

App Research:

Mental health and wellness apps to look into (based on popularity and class recommendations)

• Habitica 
  • Building good habits through game-like interface
• Headspace
  • Meditation, sleep, playlists
• Daylio Journal
  • Life tracker/journal
• Moodpath 
  • Self-management for anxiety/depression. Personalized recommendations in the form of videos/podcasts

I am picking apps that provide different functions and look into what works well, what doesn’t, how the apps keep users engaged, the addictiveness, etc.

Methods:

I aim to conduct both short interviews and surveys to gain an understanding of how people feel about the problems outlined and how aware they are of their technology usage. I want to collect both qualitative and quantitative data that can hopefully steer me in the right direction for creating the app itself and what things I should avoid.