Diabeasy
Diabeasy iPhone App
S-Check app for iPhone and Android
The Stimulant Check-in Clinic (S-Check) at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney provides free medical check-ups and the chance to speak with a counsellor about stimulant use. The clinic meets people where they’re at – whether they want to learn about stimulants, talk about their concerns, get a check-up or work towards changes they want to see.
S-Check created an app to help people track and understand their use of methamphetamine (meth), and access trustworthy resources and services. Grounded in research and clinical practice, S-Check App was initially trialled through a pilot study with people who use meth. The pilot was delivered by the Stimulant Treatment Program at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED), UNSW Sydney and the University of Newcastle and funded by NSW Health.
The trial showed that the intervention group using the app sought professional help at almost double the rate of the control group. Further, increased app engagement was linked to a higher likelihood of seeking help and a decrease in meth use.
Following the trial, we worked with the S-Check team and their stakeholders to incorporate participant feedback and learnings into the design and build of a new version of the app.
“At NCCRED, we’re really happy that we partnered with Wave to develop the S-Check App, a mobile app designed to help people who use methamphetamine understand and track their use. Our team had had some challenging experiences with past tech delivery partners, so we were a bit nervous about how this project was going to go, but Guy and the team from Wave have been excellent to work with.
Through the pitch and procurement process they helped us to scope out what functionality and architecture we actually needed, and they were able to translate technical concepts into plain language really well. The quality and pace of the UX design work was great. In addition, they helped us to implement both a tricky logic system and a complex evaluation framework within the app, with an impressive attention to detail. We ended up with a polished and functional product that we could be proud of.”
– Seb Baird, Digital Product Manager, NCCRED
S-Check App helps people to track and understand their meth use and monitor impacts on their health and wellbeing. The app also shares trustworthy resources and connects people with support for issues they’re experiencing. Building on this foundation, the pilot study revealed that the next app version would need to deliver a more engaging and intuitive experience.
We minimised information on each interface and asked individuals to complete just one small and easy step at a time. This created a more engaging and intuitive experience than long and overwhelming Q&As. We also updated the app with contemporary design patterns. This helps individuals to easily access targeted information at the right time and emergency support where required.
Content hosting
In the app, people can complete questionnaires on different domains of health that may be affected by meth use. Based on their answers, app users can then receive targeted, trustworthy resources and services for specific issues. For some questionnaires, app users can download a pre-populated GP letter, if their score indicates a particular concern.
There are self-assessments covering:
- Meth use
- Physical health
- Psychological health
- Social wellbeing
- Sexual health
Each self-assessment contains a number of questionnaires from validated measures and the S-Check model of care.
We developed a framework for processing a spreadsheet that contained a high volume of assessment questions.
Built on Contentful, the framework:
- meets current assessment and content needs
- is flexible so that the team can make changes without technical support.
Through the framework, the user is led to targeted content and recommendations based on their needs.
API and reporting backend
The S-Check App is being evaluated as part of a research project, so app users have to sign up as participants for the research. Eligible participants can download the app via their iOS and Android app stores. The app captures some demographic data and information about how participants use the app, but does not capture any identifiable data.
Our development team created the underlying technology infrastructure for a mobile or web application that handles user information in a privacy-focused way. This infrastructure was used for the S-Check App.
When users interact with the app, their personal data is stored on a secure server, but the system is designed so that this information cannot be traced back to identify specific individuals. This anonymous storage approach means that while the app can still function properly, user privacy is protected because their identity remains unknown to administrators.
The backend technology also includes a custom reporting interface designed for administrators. This admin console allows authorised personnel to view summaries and statistics about how the app is being used, but only in aggregate form. This helps S-Check understand usage patterns while maintaining data anonymity.
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