Development of the Motivation and Skills Support (MASS) social goal attainment smartphone app for (and with) people with schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder (SZ) often struggle with social impairment, including small social networks and loneliness. Limitations in social skills and reduced social motivation—effort to engage in social connection—are key contributors to social impairment. While evidence-based approaches to improving social outcomes are available, including social skills training and cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis, ongoing access to these interventions is often limited. Mobile technologies, including smartphone applications (apps), may address some of this need. In this paper, we describe the development of a smartphone app designed to address social skill and motivation deficits in SZ: the Motivation and Skills Support (MASS) app. We discuss the incorporation of stakeholder input into intervention design as well as results from usability pilot testing of the app in a sample of people with SZ. Finally, we describe next steps in the development and testing process of the MASS app.