Refining the content and design of an alcohol reduction app, Drink Less, to improve its usability and effectiveness: a mixed methods approach

Background: Digital interventions have the potential to reduce alcohol consumption, although evidence on effectiveness of apps is lacking. Drink Less a popular, evidence-informed app with good usability, putting it in strong position be improved upon prior conducting confirmatory evaluation. This paper describes process refining improve its usability and likely effectiveness. Methods: The refinement consisted three phases involved qualitative quantitative (mixed) methods: i) identifying changes content, based findings from an initial evaluation Less, updated review digital content analysis user feedback; ii) designing new modules public input consultation developers researchers; iii) improving app’s through testing. Results: As result feedback Phase 1, modules: ‘Behaviour Substitution’, ‘Information about Antecedents’ ‘Insights’, were added app. One existing module – ‘Identity Change’ was removed Less. Phases 2 3 resulted features, such as navigational structure onboarding process, clarifying how edit drinks goals. Conclusions: A mixed methods approach used refine design providing insights into effectiveness. now ready for evaluation.