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Nod Review

Nod Screenshots
Credibility

Credibility

4.00 / 5.00

Overall Score: 12/15

Consumer Ratings: 1/2
Clarity of Purpose: 2/2
Mechanism of Action: 1/1
Software Updates: 2/2
Clinical Input in Development: 1/1
Research on Development Process: 1/1
Efficacy of Other Products: 0/1
Research Independence and Review: 2/2
Research Base: 2/3

Rating Date: May 2023

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User Experince

User Experience

4.29 / 5.00

Engagement: 4.55 Functionality: 3.75 Aesthetics: 4.58 Information: 4.29 Subjective quality score: 4.38 Perceived impact score: 4.58 Rating date: June 2021 Rated by: Queensland University

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Transparency

Transparency

Not Yet Available
Professional Reviews

Professional Review

Not Yet Available

Nod is an app geared towards helping college students stay socially connected. There are five options users choose to indicate their desired level of social connection: “Keeping in touch from afar”, “Taking on goals together”, “Connecting through kindness”, “Staying tapped into my college”, and “Deepening connections”. Based on these rankings users are given personalized activities they can perform to support their choices. Users also have the ability to change up their preferences and explore all the activities. Some examples of activities include: “Contact someone you have not heard from in a while”, and “Read books to children online”. Another feature is the Reflect section of the app. This section aims to bring more self awareness through interactive illustrations and guided meditation.

 

* While Nod is free to download, it is only available at institutions of higher education who partner with Nod to deliver it to their students. Visit www.heynod.com for more information.

Technical Details

Available for iPhone Requires iOS 10.0 or later.
Developer: Grit Digital Health LLC
Type of Treatment: Cognitive Behavioral Principles, Gratitude, Mindfulness
Targeted Conditions: Mood Disorders, Stress and Anxiety
Target Audience: Adolescents, College Students
Designed to be used in conjunction with a professional? No
Languages Available: English
Cost: Free
Get it on: Apple App Store

Research on this App

In a study published in 2020, 221 (mean age 18.7 years, 59% female) first-year college students were randomized to receive either immediate access to Nod (n=100) or access after 4 weeks. (n=121). Participant were assessed for their levels of loneliness (using the UCLA-8 scale), and depression and anxiety (using PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales). Levels of social anxiety, sleep quality, perceived social support, campus belonging, social adjustment to college, intention to return (to college), and user experience in the app were also measured. There were no significant condition differences in loneliness at week 4. However, there was a significant condition-by-baseline depression interaction to predict week-4 loneliness. Simple slope analyses indicated that baseline depression positively predicted week-4 loneliness among control participants, but not among experimental participants, suggesting that Nod buffered participants with high baseline depression scores from experiencing heightened midquarter loneliness. (Bruehlman-Senecal et al., 2020)

How we evaluate

We review apps against rating criteria developed by experts in the field. Some of those criteria are:

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Credibility

We look at the research supporting the technology and the credibility of the development process.

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Transparency

We review privacy policies to see if key pieces of information about what happens with entered data are addressed.

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User Experience

We explore how fun, functional, easy-to-use, engaging, and interesting the technology is.

ProfessionalReviews

Professional Reviews

A professional in a relevant field downloads and uses the technology and writes a narrative review, highlighting pros & cons and some recommendations for use.

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