Participant Satisfaction With the BUILD Mobile Application

This exploratory randomized, double-blind, controlled trial explores user satisfaction with the BUILD mobile application. The BUILD app uses a relational agent (Woebot) to engage users in therapeutic conversations. Eligible participants will be randomized to one of two treatment conditions: (1) an experimental condition in which Woebot uses large language models to understand user sentiment, and based on this understanding of natural language generate responses through a controlled process or (2) a digital control condition in which Woebot selects from a list of responses based on natural language processing. Participants will receive instructions on downloading and using the BUILD app in order to access the intervention to which they were assigned. Participants will use the app as instructed and will complete assessments for the primary endpoint at Week 2 (EOT) with additional measures being collected at Baseline, Day 3, and Week 2. Results from this study will provide preliminary data on user satisfaction and feasibility and inform product development iteration for inclusion in a statistically powered clinical randomized controlled trial.

Inclusion criteria

• Must be 18+ years of age and older
• Must own or have regular access to a smartphone with a recent operating system installed (Android: OS 8.0 or higher, Apple: iOS 13.0 or higher) with reliable Wi-Fi access or sufficient data plan to engage with assigned treatment condition for the duration of the study
• Must be available and committed to engage with the program and complete assessments for a 2-week duration
• Must be able to read and write in English
• Must have primary residence in the United States

Exclusion criteria

• Current suicidal ideation with a plan and/or intent or a suicide attempt within the past 12 months
• Previous Woebot use