7  Summary of Strategy to Ensure High-Quality Data

This is a summary of our strategy, across aspects of the study, to support participants in providing high-quality data (and our criterion for discontinuing participants).

7.1 Provide Clear Instructions

Providing clear and redundant instructions to participants will help them provide high-quality data and help them communicate with us in situations that might otherwise lead to passive discontinuation (e.g., they go to an inpatient treatment center).

  • Training videos. These videos will walk participants through completing tasks and utilizing the STAR app’s features, such as the discussion boards, recovery resources, and coping with cravings strategies.

  • Static guides and FAQ. We will provide topic-specific guides and an up-to-date list of answers to questions participants might have (FAQ). We will generate some of these questions before we launch the study and add questions as needed after launch.

  • Reminders. Participants will be reminded, both in the app and with phone notifications, when they should do study tasks.

  • Monthly bonus statement and summaries of study progress. After participants receive their monthly payment, we will send them a message breaking down how much they earned by study task. We can include additional information, for example, a statement that the participant is half-way through the study at the 6-month mark. We can also reinforce other messaging (e.g., if they aren’t earning full bonuses, we can link them to a guide on how to earn the full bonus). These messages will be both emailed to participants and sent to them in the STAR app. For example:

\{user_name},

You are about X% of the way through the study! During the last study month, you completed X daily updates, X daily video check-ins, and 1 monthly surveys. To earn the highest possible bonus in the next four weeks, be sure to complete six daily updates per week, and six daily video check-ins per week, and the monthly update.

We issued a $X payment to your study card on yyyy-mm-dd. Between yyyy-mm-dd and 2021-10-14 you earned $X for study visits and tasks, and $X in bonuses. Your payment also includes $50.00 to help cover the cost of service for your phone. Do you have any questions about the payment or the study? Thank you for participating! 

Take care,

-The STAR Team

 

  • Continuous task and bonus tracking in app. The top bar of the home page will provide participants feedback on their task completion for each day. When clicked, they will see a summary of their task completion for that bonus period, the amount they are projected to earn for that bonus period, and a calendar showing their task completion for the duration of the study, with completed tasks marked with stars. (Diagrams are provided below.)

  • Video calls. Staff will meet with participants to consent people and to check in after one week.

7.2 Provide Technical Resources and Support

Providing technical resources and support will help participants provide high-quality data. The goal with this strategy is to prevent problems and help participants resolve any problems that do arise (particularly technological ones).

  • Onboarding videos. As previously mentioned, participants will have access to videos that will help them to utilize the app correctly, which will prevent issues later. We will incentivize participants to watch these videos by offering a $20 payment.

  • Static guides and FAQ. As previously mentioned, we will provide guides to participants that will include some instructions for ways to resolve common issues participants might encounter.

  • Monthly summaries of study progress (along with bonus statement). As previously mentioned, we will provide participants feedback on their task completion. They will know if they are not providing complete and high-quality data.

  • Daily compliance check. To identify anyone with catastrophic technical issues, we will assess compliance after three days. We will prioritize scheduling the early check in (see below) for those who are doing worse at 3 days.

  • One-week check-in. In participants’ second week on study, study staff will have a call session to check in with participants. Part of the purpose of this meeting will be scaffolding self-regulatory strategies to encourage participants to complete their tasks, and helping participants identify and overcome any technical issues they are having. (“What is your routine for completing these tasks? Do you have a plan?”) Before each call, we will assess that participants’ compliance with study tasks. In these calls, we can also make sure that participants know about and are able to use the support videos and documentation for the app.

  • As Needed Tech Help. Participants will be able to email, DM, or call study staff who will help them resolve technical issues they are having.

  • Compliance Messages. Participants who do not meet compliance thresholds (defined below) will be contacted by study staff, who will offer support in identifying and resolving problems preventing the participant from providing data.

7.3 Connect with Participants

Having study staff connect with participants will both incentivize participants to provide high-quality data and enable participants to solicit and receive help during the study.

  • Phone calls. As previously described, research staff will call participants as needed.

  • Identified study staff. Messages from the study will come signed with staff names (first names or pseudonyms if staff prefer), and study staff will have profiles in the STAR app.

  • Continuous task and bonus tracking in app. As previously mentioned, to reinforce the effectiveness of the bonuses, participants will be able to see a summary of the tasks they completed, how much they have earned, and how to earn maximum bonuses.

7.4 Use UX to Guide and Reward Task Completion –

The app will use design elements to help guide and reward task completion.

  • Visual reminders. Each active study task will have a button on the home page. When tasks need to be done, a red dot will appear in the corner of the button on the home page. When tasks are complete, the buttons will turn grey.

  • Task tracker (see images below). As previously described, the top bar of the home page will display a task tracker that shows completed tasks per day. When clicked, it will provide more detailed summaries of completed tasks and bonuses earned.

  • Motivational messaging. Throughout communications with participants, messaging will  positively reinforce task completion. The task tracker incorporates color-coding and icons (a star). In long surveys, participants receive encouraging messaging.

7.5 Withdraw Participants Based on Poor Data Quality

Participants will be withdrawn from the study by request or if they do not provide usable data over the course of a month (either due to a known reason, like incarceration, or an unknown reason, like when a participant is simply unresponsive). Participants who are withdrawn due to incarceration or in-patient treatment can re-enroll if they still meet enrollment eligibility requirements.

NOTE. If a participant becomes incarcerated during the course of their study participation, no data will be collected during the period of their incarceration, and they will be considered withdrawn unless they contact us after their incarceration to re-establish participation.

  • Compliance Messages.Participants with low compliance will receive compliance messages and may be contacted by study staff.

  • Permanent Study Withdrawal.If one or more of the withdrawal criteria is met, participants will be withdrawn from the study with no option of re-enrolling (unless they have been incarcerated or enrolled in inpatient treatment).

7.6 Allow Participants to Delete Sensitive Data

Participants will be able to censor some of their data. This will allow them to maintain some privacy during the study.

  • Provide instructions for deleting text messages and phone records. We will not receive data for text messages or phone calls that participants delete, and CHESS will “freeze” data after 30 days, so that deletions after 30 days are not effective.

  • Skipping questions. Participants are allowed to skip up to 5 questions on the monthly survey. They can also avoid reporting information about particular contacts by request to the study staff (during the compliance contact).

  • Turning off GPS, phone/text logs, and SMS content sharing temporarily. Participants can temporarily opt out of providing these signals without being withdrawn from the study, but will forfeit their bonuses.