Researchers at Ball State University invite you to participate in a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funded project to develop an animated pet Avatar that serves as a virtual companion. Your participation in research will aid in customizing the Avatar and a chatbot called “Fara” that works on mobile phones. “Fara” encourages users to engage in healthy habits and activities that make them feel good and stay healthy and well.
Your participation in the study is expected to take approximately six hours.
We will conduct a phone/virtual screening to determine if you meet the eligibility criteria. If you are eligible, we will invite you to participate in three additional sessions.
Session 1
Using questionnaires, we will gather information about your overall health and wellbeing, living environment, sources of information and support, and your technology experience and comfort level.
Session 2
You will complete another questionnaire to collect information about your personal goals, strengths, and challenges as well as the strengths and challenges in your environment.
Session 3
You will interact with both technology products. After engaging with the avatars, you will be interviewed about your experiences, and asked to rate the conversations, as well as provide your opinion and suggestions on its design.
If interested please click the link to complete a short survey, https://iu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9z7gDANDq9KXCom
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Evette Simmons Reed at easimmonsree@bsu.edu.
Participation in this research is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time. You must understand and sign a consent form to participate.