"It felt more real": Investigating the User Experience of the MiWaves Personalizing JITAI Pilot Study

TL;DR

This study explores the user experience of the MiWaves digital intervention aimed at reducing cannabis use among emerging adults, highlighting the potential of self-monitoring tools and message design in promoting behavioral change.

Contribution

It provides novel insights into user perceptions and engagement with a personalized JITAI for cannabis reduction, informing future intervention improvements.

Findings

Self-monitoring check-ins promote self-awareness.

Message timing and frequency are well-received.

Tasks requiring more effort are perceived as more demanding.

Abstract

Cannabis use among emerging adults is increasing globally, posing significant health risks and creating a need for effective interventions. We present an exploratory analysis of the MiWaves pilot study, a digital intervention aimed at supporting cannabis use reduction among emerging adults (ages 18-25). Our findings indicate the potential of self-monitoring check-ins and trend visualizations in fostering self-awareness and promoting behavioral reflection in participants. MiWaves intervention message timing and frequency were also generally well-received by the participants. The participants' perception of effort were queried on intervention messages with different tasks, and our findings suggest that messages with tasks like exploring links and typing in responses are perceived as requiring more effort as compared to messages with tasks involving reading and acknowledging. Finally, we discuss the findings and limitations from this study and analysis, and their impact on informing future iterations on MiWaves.