UQAM and Université de Montréal recruit participants for pilot study of a mental‑health conversational agent
UQAM and Université de Montréal invite francophone adults (18+) living in Quebec to test a mental‑health conversational agent in a pilot study. Participants try the tool for one to two weeks via web, then complete a 20–30 minute survey. Goals: feasibility, acceptability and user satisfaction. Partly SSHRC‑funded; partner AQPS.
The study is led by Stéphane Vial (École de design, UQAM) in collaboration with psychiatrist Alexandre Hudon (Université de Montréal). Participation involves web access to the conversational agent, one‑time or repeated use over one to two weeks, then an online questionnaire (20–30 minutes); joining an optional virtual focus group is possible. Researchers will evaluate feasibility, acceptability, user trust and intention to reuse the tool in a non‑therapeutic context. The project is partly funded by SSHRC and conducted with the Association québécoise pour la prévention du suicide (AQPS). The developer company Mentallys is identified as the tool’s creator.