DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND ACCEPTANCE EVALUATION OF A MOBILE APPLICATION FOR STRENGTHENING PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS USING THE UTAUT2 MODEL

Abstract

This research addresses the lack of mobile applications specifically designed to promote meaningful communication between parents and their children. While technology continues to advance, existing parenting apps often focus solely on monitoring rather than enabling two-way interaction, and many suffer from poor usability and low engagement. This study presents the design, development, and user acceptance evaluation of Closer, a mobile application developed using Flutter and Node.js, aimed at strengthening parent-child relationships through features such as Daily Tasks, Emotion Tracking, and Mail System. The application was built using Agile methodology and went through functional, compatibility, and expert validation testing to ensure alignment with positive parenting values. To evaluate acceptance, a structured questionnaire based on the UTAUT2 model, including constructs such as Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, and Hedonic Motivation was distributed to 35 participants. Regression analysis revealed that Performance Expectancy was the only significant predictor of Behavioural Intention to use the app (β = 0.4819, p < 0.05). Qualitative feedback shows Daily Task and Emotion Tracker feature are appreciated. These results indicate that perceived usefulness is the primary driver of user acceptance, while ease of use and enjoyment, although valued, play secondary roles. This study contributes to the field of mobile application design and user behaviour, particularly in the context of mHealth, emotion tracking, and parent-child communication tools.