Advantages and challenges in using mobile apps for field experiments: A systematic review and a case study

As smartphone’s computing power continues to grow and as mobile applications (apps) continue to dominate digital engagement, apps have become a new frontier for advancing field experiment methodology. Using apps may help researchers to scale up the reach, precisely control randomization and experiment materials, collect a variety of objective and self-reported data over time, and more conveniently replicate and adapt an experiment. We performed a systematic review on field experiments involving apps published between 2007 and 2017. Seven databases were scanned using a predefined search strategy. The database search retrieved 4,810 citations; 101 articles met the inclusion criteria. Our review suggests that scholars have only started to employ apps in field experiments in the last 4 years. Most studies only used apps as an experiment treatment instead of an experiment platform; therefore, researchers have yet to fully leverage the advantages. Almost all studies were from the health research domain and 77.2...