MoodMover: Development and usability testing of an mHealth physical activity intervention for depression

Background Physical activity (PA) is recognized as a modifiable lifestyle factor for managing depression. An application(app)-based intervention to promote PA among individuals with depression may be a viable alternative or adjunct to conventional treatments offering increased accessibility.Objective This paper describes the early stages of the development process of MoodMover, a 9-week app-based intervention designed to promote PA for people with depression, including its usability testing.Methods Development of MoodMover followed the initial stages of the Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share (IDEAS) framework. The development process included (1) identifying intervention needs and planning; (2) intervention development; and (3) usability testing and refinement. Usability testing employed a mixed-methods formative approach via virtual semi-structured interviews involving goal-oriented tasks and administration of the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ).Results Drawing on formative research, a multidisciplinary research team developed the intervention, guided by the Multi-Process Action Control framework. Nine participants engaged in the usability testing with the MoodMover prototypes receiving an average MAUQ score of 5.79 (SD = 1.04), indicating good to high usability. Necessary modifications were made based on end-users' feedback.Conclusions The development of MoodMover, the first theoretically informed app-based PA intervention for individuals with depression, may provide another treatment option, which has wide reach. The comprehensive usability testing indicated interest in the app and strong perceptions of usability enabling a user-centered approach to refine the app to better align with end-users' preferences and needs. Testing the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the refined MoodMover is now recommended.