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Investigating Website Usability: Enhancing Engagement of Amphetamine Users in Online Treatment

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Abstract

Online interventions may offer a means of overcoming barriers experienced in face-to-face treatment for amphetamine use. Usability testing allows a website’s capacity to engage the targeted population to be optimised. This study evaluated the usability of an amphetamine treatment website (www.beatingtherush.com.au) and explored health professionals’ and amphetamine users’ Internet access and use. Eleven health professionals and 10 amphetamine users viewed the website and provided quantitative and qualitative feedback. All health professionals and 90% of amphetamine users had Internet access. All health professionals and 80% of amphetamine users felt comfortable and confident using the Internet. However, 40% of amphetamine users reported not using the Internet to obtain information about alcohol and drugs. Participants provided positive feedback regarding usability of the website, as well as areas for improvement. This study addressed usability issues prior to evaluating the effectiveness of the website, enabling modification of design features to enhance the user experience of the website.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Psychology, Mount Gravatt Campus, Griffith University, 176 Messines Ridge Road, Mount Gravatt, 4122, Queensland, Australia

    Eliana Hirakis & Leanne M. Casey

  2. Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Southport, 4222, Queensland, Australia

    Eliana Hirakis, Leanne M. Casey & Bonnie A. Clough

  3. School of Applied Psychology, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Southport, 4222, Queensland, Australia

    Bonnie A. Clough

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  1. Eliana Hirakis
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  2. Leanne M. Casey
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  3. Bonnie A. Clough
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Correspondence to Eliana Hirakis.

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All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Hirakis, E., Casey, L.M. & Clough, B.A. Investigating Website Usability: Enhancing Engagement of Amphetamine Users in Online Treatment. Int J Ment Health Addiction 16, 420–435 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9796-1

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