Exploring Users' Experiences with a Quick-response Chatbot Within a Popular Smoking Cessation Smartp
Friday, July 15, 2022
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
Alphonse
A, Stewart K, Brown J, Perski O.
Exploring Users'
Experiences with a Quick-response Chatbot Within a Popular Smoking Cessation
Smartphone App: Semistructured Interview Study.
JMIR Form Res. 2022;6(7):e36869. Published 2022 Jul 7. doi:10.2196/36869
Background. Engagement
with smartphone apps for smoking cessation tends to be low. Chatbots (ie,
software that enables conversations with users) offer a promising means of
increasing engagement.
Objective. We
aimed to explore smokers' experiences with a quick-response chatbot (Quit
Coach) implemented within a popular smoking cessation app and identify factors
that influence users' engagement with Quit Coach.
Methods. In-depth,
one-to-one, semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with adult,
past-year smokers who had voluntarily used Quit Coach in a recent smoking
cessation attempt (5/14, 36%) and current smokers who agreed to download and
use Quit Coach for a minimum of 2 weeks to support a new cessation attempt
(9/14, 64%). Verbal reports were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and
analyzed within a constructivist theoretical framework using inductive thematic
analysis.
Results. A
total of 3 high-order themes were generated to capture users' experiences and
engagement with Quit Coach: anthropomorphism of and accountability to Quit
Coach (ie, users ascribing human-like characteristics and thoughts to the
chatbot, which helped foster a sense of accountability to it), Quit Coach's
interaction style and format (eg, positive and motivational tone of voice and
quick and easy-to-complete check-ins), and users' perceived need for support
(ie, chatbot engagement was motivated by seeking distraction from cravings or
support to maintain motivation to stay quit).
Conclusions. Anthropomorphism
of a quick-response chatbot implemented within a popular smoking cessation app
appeared to be enabled by its interaction style and format and users' perceived
need for support, which may have given rise to feelings of accountability and
increased engagement.
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