A Mobile App (Joint Effort) to Support Cannabis Use Self-Management and Reinforce the Use of Protective Behavioral Strategies: Development Process and #usability Testing
Background: Canada’s legalization of recreational cannabis use (CU) has further highlighted the need for innovative interventions that promote lower-risk CU. Young adults aged 18-25 years represent the age group with the highest prevalence of CU. Protective behavioral strategies (PBSs) have been shown to help manage CU and reduce its negative consequences. To date, only a few interventions have focused on PBSs. To address this gap, a mobile app prototype using PBSs to influence CU was developed with and for young adults. Objective: This study aims to describe the development process and #usability testing of Joint Effort, a CU self-management mobile app prototype centered on promoting the use of PBSs among young adults with any past 30-day CU. Methods: Intervention mapping (IM) and a co-design approach were used. Six steps were followed: (1) focus groups were conducted to identify needs and preferences regarding CU interventions; (2) a matrix of change objectives was used to select target behaviors and determinants; (3) theory-based intervention methods and practical applications were selected; (4) focus groups were held to validate the intervention structure and examples of tailored messages; (5) preliminary intervention content was created; and (6) the intervention content was transposed into a mobile app prototype. #usability was assessed through qualitative semistructured interviews and the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS), completed by a sample of 20 university students with a mean age of 21.8 (median 22) years, 14 (70%) of whom were women and 15 (75%) were undergraduates. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were identified from the interviews: Joint Effort was visually pleasing and easy to use; the content was well-adapted to the target audience and nonjudgmental; customization functions were appreciated; and the app was perceived as helpful and relevant for initiating behavior change. The prototype received a mean quality score of 4.43/5.0 (SD 0.53) per item on the uMARS. The mean scores on the 5 subscales were as follows: engagement (4.14, SD 0.53), functionality (4.60, SD 0.47), aesthetics (4.53, SD 0.52), information quality (4.44, SD 0.61), and subjective quality (3.36, SD 0.53). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the added value of IM and a co-design approach, underscoring the importance of incorporating user feedback in the development of mobile apps. Building on the strong #usability results, the Joint Effort prototype has since been developed into an iOS mobile app, and larger-scale evaluations are currently underway to assess its acceptability, #feasibility, and efficacy.
