NIDA SMART-r Study

NIDA SMART-r Study: Instructions and Study Information

Study Information FAQs

A young man looking down at his phone

1. Study Procedures

  • How do I know if I am enrolled in the study? ➤
    1. After you finish the enrollment steps in the TTRU-AWARE app, a screen will appear letting you know that the enrollment for the app is complete.
    2. You will then receive an email to complete the baseline survey.
    3. You will be considered “enrolled” once you:
      1. Download and register the TTRU-AWARE App
      2. Complete the baseline survey
  • What do I need to do for this study? ➤
    1. You will download the TTRU-AWARE app and register for the study on the app.
    2. You will need to keep the TTRU-AWARE app active on your phone during the entire study.
    3. You will complete a 20-30 minute baseline survey.
    4. You will complete a 5 minute survey each day that you are in the study.
    5. You will take a 10 minute follow-up survey every 30 days.
  • How do I get paid for the study? ➤
    1. You will receive an email from Capital Consulting Corporation with a link to an Amazon gift code. It may take up to 5 business days to receive this email. Please check your “promotions tab” if your email has such a feature, to ensure you can find the email
    2. You will be paid for the following study activities:
      1. $20 for downloading/registering the TTRU-AWARE app + completing the baseline survey.
        1. We will send this first payment to you within 5 business days of completing the survey.
    3. You will be paid weekly for the following study activities:
      1. $2 for each day you complete the daily online survey and keep the TTRU-AWARE app active on your phone (the daily online survey should take about 5 minutes to complete).
      2. $10 for completing a follow-up survey every 30-days.
        1. We will keep the 30-day follow-up survey open for 5 days.
  • How often will I get paid? ➤
    1. For Baseline and Enrollment:
      1. After completing the baseline survey and registering the TTRU-AWARE app, we will process your $20 payment right away. It may take up to 5 business days for you to receive the email with the Amazon code from Capital Consulting Corporation.
    2. For Daily and Follow-up Surveys:
      1. We will process payments weekly.
      2. We will calculate how many days during the following week that you completed a daily survey + had the app active on your phone.
      3. We cannot make any payments less than $5, so if you earned less than $5 (for example, you joined the study on a Friday), then your earnings will be added to the next payment.
      4. We will also add $10 if you have taken a 30-day follow-up survey.
  • When do I need to take surveys? ➤
    1. The survey will be open daily from 5pm-2am local time.
      1. You will receive a message to take the survey at 5pm with a link to the survey.
      2. Make sure cellular data or wifi connection is on.
      3. If you have not yet completed the survey, we will send you a reminder between 9-10pm.
      4. The survey will close at 2am and you will no longer be able to complete the survey for that day.
    2. You need to take an online survey each day to get paid and stay in the study.
  • What happens if I miss a survey? ➤
    1. You will not be paid for the survey you missed. You need to complete the survey and have the TTRU-AWARE app active on your phone everyday to receive the $2 daily payment.
    2. You will be notified that you missed the survey.
    3. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the study team: smartrstudy@nih.gov
  • I can’t find the link to the daily survey in my email inbox. What should I do? ➤
    1. The email will have the subject line “SMART-r Study Daily Survey”
    2. Some email providers filter emails into different tabs (e.g., “primary” or “promotions”). Try searching the different tabs in case the email was filtered incorrectly.
    3. You can save the email address to your address book, which may help the email come to your primary inbox.
    4. You can also search your SPAM or JUNK folders. Look for the subject line: SMART-r Study Daily Survey.
    5. If you have an email from a prior survey, you can click the link in that email. Don’t worry! It will automatically take you to today’s survey.
    6. Email us ASAP if you still can’t find the daily survey: smartrstudy@nih.gov
  • I accidentally deleted the link to the survey. What should I do? ➤
    1. You can click on the link from a previous message. It will take you to the correct survey for the day.
    2. If you don’t have any links from prior surveys, email the study team ASAP: smartrstudy@nih.gov
  • Can I disable notifications without affecting the study? ➤
    1. We don’t recommend disabling notifications because you get paid for keeping the app active on your phone and allowing the necessary permissions.
  • I received a message that my TTRU-AWARE app is not sending data. What should I do? ➤
    1. You can confirm the app’s activity by checking for a persistent notification in your status bar or by opening the app to view the live status screen. Our user guide also includes instructions on verifying the app’s background activity.
    2. Make sure your app is downloaded:
      1. Make sure you can see the AWARE app icon on the home screen or your app-drawer
      2. Go to Settings → Apps → AWARE → Make sure all permissions are enabled
      3. Go to Settings → Accessibility → AWARE → Make sure the “control” is turned on.
    3. Ensure you have connectivity:
      1. Ensure your cellular network or WiFi is connected
      2. Ensure your phone is not on Airplane Mode.
    4. Check your app is working.
      1. Open AWARE - if your app does not open or respond - please reach out to the study team ASAP.
  • What happens if I accidentally force-stop the app? ➤
    1. If the app is force-stopped, you may temporarily stop data collection. You can simply reopen the app to resume participation. If this happens frequently, please review your device’s settings or contact support.
  • Who can I contact for technical support? ➤
    1. Email us at smartrstudy@nih.gov
  • I am no longer interested in participating in the study. What should I do? ➤
    1. Reach out to the study team at smartrstudy@nih.gov if you have any questions or want to discuss your participation with us.
    2. In the TTRU-AWARE app, please select “Quit Study.”

2. TTRU-AWARE App Questions

  • I can’t see the button to Download AWARE. What should I do? ➤
    1. Usually this happens when the text on your phone is enlarged (or zoomed to more than 100%). Currently, our app does not "scroll" so if you do not see the button to download, you may need to resize the text on your phone to 100% or smaller in order to see the button.
    2. It should look something like this:
      3. AWARE Home Screen
  • What steps should I take if the app stops running? ➤
    1. If you suspect the app has stopped, try reopening it from your app drawer. Make sure that background processes haven’t been restricted by battery-saver or task-killer settings.
      1. If problems persist, restarting your device or contacting technical support is advised: smartrstudy@nih.gov
  • How can I limit the app’s data usage? ➤
    1. Our app is optimized to minimize data consumption. If you notice high data usage, using Wi-Fi instead of mobile data will help reduce consumption. In the app settings, you can often enable a data-saving mode. If you continue to experience high usage, contact our support team so we can investigate further.
    2. Our app is programmed to store data on the app and will send to us once an internet connection is established, so if data usage is a concern - make the app sync on “WiFi only.”
  • What happens if I lose network connectivity? ➤
    1. If connectivity is lost, the app is designed to store data locally and automatically sync once you’re back online. This ensures that no information is lost during temporary disconnections.
  • Is the app slowing down my phone? ➤
    1. Our app is designed to be lightweight and run in the background without impacting overall performance. If you experience slowdowns, check if other apps or system updates are affecting performance and feel free to reach out to support for further troubleshooting: smartrstudy@nih.gov
  • How will the app affect my battery life? ➤
    1. The app is engineered to run efficiently in the background, but continuous activity may slightly increase battery use. If you notice a significant drain, try closing other apps. Let us know if the issue persists: smartrstudy@nih.gov
  • Who can I contact for technical support? ➤
    1. Email us at smartrstudy@nih.gov