While we’re progressing on our optimization of the Thought Spot app, Genevieve Ferguson has compiled some of our initial research into a poster for the 2016 Medical Psychiatry Alliance conference held recently.
Here she gives us a look into the findings.
Who are you and what is your position at CAMH?
My name is Genevieve Ferguson and I am a research coordinator with the Office of Education.What project are you currently involved with?
I am currently working on the Thought Spot project. Thought Spot is an all-in-one online and mobile resource where transition-aged youth can geo-locate mental health and wellness services and supports. Thought Spot makes access to information easy and interactive by encouraging students to share knowledge about services, discover wellness options in their area and support networks.
What is the goal of this project?
I recently attended the Medical Psychiatry Alliance (MPA) Annual Conference where I presented the preliminary results from our summer engagement activities with students.
Throughout the summer, we engaged with 59 transition-aged youth to obtain student feedback regarding four aspects of the app:
1. the app’s usability
2. its potential value in a post-secondary setting
3. effective recruitment strategies for the evaluation
4. approaches to including health information in the app.
We identified four opportunities for improvement:
1. to create a hook—valuable and relevant interactions right from the start
2. to provide more social interaction within the users own trusted community
3. to design more responsive discovery, search and navigation functions
4. to obtain better data and finesse organization.
We are using the student feedback collected through the summer to direct our re-design of Thought Spot and to inform the various components of the randomized controlled trial that will begin in January 2018.
Who is this project geared toward?
This project is directed at transition-aged youth. Our team is interested in providing transition-aged youth with a tool to facilitate effective help seeking behaviours within a college and/or university environment.
Where can someone get more information about your project?
You can visit mythoughtspot.ca for more information on the current digital platform. You can also contact us at [email protected] for more information.
Follow Thought Spot on social media: Look for @mythoughtspot on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Watch for the Thought Spot relaunch mid-2018!