What are some topics for a final year dissertation relating to UX and technology

Explanation: Research on mental health apps (for anxiety, depression, sleep, CBT, etc.) examines three tightly linked dimensions: - UX effectiveness: How design choices (information architecture, interaction patterns, personalization, onboarding, microcopy, accessibility) support users’ ability to find, understand, and use therapeutic features. Study methods include usability testing, task success metrics, cognitive walkthroughs, and qualitative interviews to identify friction points that reduce therapeutic benefit. See Norman, Don. The Design of Everyday Things (2013). - Engagement: How users’ attention and sustained use are influenced by motivational design (gamification, reminders, social features), habit formation, and emotional resonance. Engagement should be measured both quantitatively (retention curves, session length, DAU/MAU) and qualitatively (reasons for continued or dropped use). Distinguish healthy engagement from addictive or superficial interaction. See Eyal, Nir. Hooked (2014). - Clinical reliability: Whether app content and interventions are evidence-based, safe, and effective compared with clinical standards. This involves assessing therapeutic fidelity (are interventions aligned with established therapies like CBT?), outcome measures (symptom reduction in controlled studies), data privacy/security, and potential harms. Interdisciplinary methods include RCTs, pilot studies, expert review, and regulatory assessment. See Torous, John et al., “Smartphone apps for mental health” (NPJ Digital Medicine, 2020). Why this is a good dissertation topic: - Real-world impact: Combines technology, design, and clinical outcomes with potential to improve care. - Interdisciplinary methods: Allows mixed-methods research (UX studies + clinical evaluation + analytics). - Timely and policy-relevant: Growth in app usage raises urgent questions about efficacy, safety, and equitable access. - Feasible scope: You can focus on a particular disorder, demographic, or app category to keep the project manageable. Possible research questions: - How do specific UX patterns affect adherence to CBT-based apps? - Does personalized onboarding improve clinical outcomes for anxiety apps? - How reliably do top-rated mental health apps implement evidence-based interventions? References: - Norman, D. A. The Design of Everyday Things. Basic Books, 2013. - Eyal, N. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. Portfolio, 2014. - Torous, J., et al. “Smartphone apps for mental health — A review of current evidence.” NPJ Digital Medicine, 2020.