Aged 18-29 years old and use an Android phone? Help researchers explore how technology may help people form lasting connections.

The mHealth research group from Northeastern University (Boston, MA) is running a research study to support the development of new mobile phone apps intended to help people create and maintain connections with peers rapidly. 

We are currently looking for volunteers aged 18-29 years old who are enrolled in a university/college and use an Android phone, who are interested in participating the study.

The study will take place remotely and will take about eight weeks. If you decide to take part in this study, we will ask you to install an Android application we have developed onto your personal smartphone, use the application to communicate with your assigned buddy (another person in the study) for the duration of the study, and answer surveys about your experiences while using the application. We may reassign your buddy during the study if needed. You might receive message suggestions from an AI system periodically to keep the conversation going, and it is possible that some messages you receive from your buddy would be composed using the AI system’s assistance. You may be invited to participate in an interview session with a researcher at the end of the study to gather feedback on the entire experience.  

This study has been reviewed and approved by the Northeastern University Institutional Review Board (# ).

If you are interested in participating and supporting our research, please download the app here from the Google Play Store to learn more and get started.