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

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.