A “No-Code” App Design Platform for Mobile Health Research: Development and Usability Study

Abstract

Background A challenge facing researchers conducting mobile health (mHealth) research is the amount of resources required to develop mobile apps. This can be a barrier to generating relevant knowledge in a timely manner. The recent rise of “no-code” software development platforms may overcome this challenge and enable researchers to decrease the cost and time required to develop mHealth research apps. Objective We aimed to describe the development process and the lessons learned to build Pathverse, a no-code mHealth app design platform. Methods The study took place between November 2019 and December 2021. We used a participatory research framework to develop the mHealth app design platform. In phase 1, we worked with researchers to gather key platform feature requirements and conducted an exploratory literature search to determine needs related to this platform. In phase 2, we used an agile software framework (Scrum) to develop the platform. Each development sprint cycle was 4 weeks in length. We created a minimum viable product at the end of 7 sprint cycles. In phase 3, we used a convenience sample of adults (n=5) to gather user feedback through usability and acceptability testing. In phase 4, we further developed the platform based on user feedback, following the V-model software development process. Results Our team consulted end users (ie, researchers) and utilized behavior change technique taxonomy and behavior change models (ie, the multi-process action control framework) to guide the development of features. The first version of the Pathverse platform included features that allowed researchers to (1) design customized multimedia app content (eg, interactive lessons), (2) set content delivery logic (eg, only show new lessons when completing the previous lesson), (3) implement customized participant surveys, (4) provide self-monitoring tools, (5) set personalized goals, and (6) customize app notifications. Usability and acceptability testing revealed that researchers found the platform easy to navigate and that the features were intuitive to use. Potential improvements include the ability to deliver adaptive interventions and add features such as community group chat. Conclusions To our knowledge, Pathverse is the first no-code mHealth app design platform for developing mHealth interventions for behavior. We successfully used behavior change models and the behavior change technique taxonomy to inform the feature requirements of Pathverse. Overall, the use of a participatory framework, combined with the agile and hybrid-agile software development process, enabled our team to successfully develop the Pathverse platform.

Development and usability testing of a technology-based intervention for promoting physical activity among post-treatment cancer survivors (WExercise) using the multi-process action control framework

“…The app was developed based on the content approved by the expert panel using the Pathverse, a no-code app builder for research ( Liu et al, 2022b ). Each weekly lesson contains a combination of text, educational videos, infographics, and interactive activities.…”

The Development of a Hypertension Prevention and Financial-Incentive mHealth Program Using a “No-Code” Mobile App Builder: Development and Usability Study

“…To do so, the research team used the Pathverse program. This program enabled the research team to create an 8-week program that consisted of a combination of cards in lessons, which contained educational material, surveys, and quizzes [ 28 ]. Furthermore, the Pathverse program had self-monitoring tools, and goal-setting features were used.…”

“…Our team used Pathverse (Pathverse Inc) for this study. Pathverse is a no-code app builder platform that supports mHealth research [ 27 , 28 ]. The Pathverse platform consists of a web portal for researchers to create engaging mobile app interventions with “drag and drop” features instead of coding.…”

The Role of Mobile Health Technology on Perioperative Spinal Care: A Systematic Scoping Review and Narrative Synthesis

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