Generation of User Requirements for a Mental Health Mobile Application from an Online Public Forum A Topic Modelling Approach

Abstract: This research paper explores the application of topic modelling algorithms to extract user requirements for a mental health-related mobile application. Specifically, the objective is to generate themes efficiently and effectively from Reddit posts related to mental health narratives, stories, calls for help, and knowledge sharing among others. Particularly, this research examines Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm to generate themes coming from the posts and validate using a thematic analysis process to check similarities in generated outputs. The output will be used to establish user requirements for a mental wellbeing app to be developed for the academic community. Hence, the significance of this research. The research findings demonstrate utilizing topic modelling has promising results and categorized thematic terms from the Reddit posts. By leveraging the extracted themes, the research team can gain valuable insights into the needs and preferences of their target audience. The results offer practical implications for the design and development of mobile apps that are guided by a user-centered design process that meets the needs and expectations of the target users. The qualitative analysis further validated the relevance of the generated themes.

Keywords: Mental Health, Topic Modelling, User Requirements Definition, Application User Requirements

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1004380

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