Research Notebook Entry #006: Draft Study Protocol and App-Based Research Instrument

Research Status

Active Research Framework Under Development

Evidence Level: Concept Development / Draft Protocol

Research Question

Can an 8-week app-based research instrument help investigate whether perceived access to human capacity changes over time during stress, disconnection, anxiety, depression, or rumination?

Purpose of This Entry

This entry documents the first draft of the proposed study structure for the Accessible Human Capacity Study.

The purpose is not to announce a launched study. The purpose is to record the proposed research design before literature mapping, expert review, ethics review, or pilot testing.

At this stage, the app is conceptualized as a research instrument, not a wellness product or clinical tool.

Background

Previous entries defined the project’s early working concepts:

• Capacity Accessibility
• Human Distance
• Human Gravity
• Human Expansion
• Research Purity Law

Together, these concepts form the current foundation for a possible app-based research study.

However, the study cannot proceed to participant testing until the framework is compared against existing literature, measurement drafts are reviewed, and appropriate ethical safeguards are developed.

Proposed Study Structure

The current proposed structure is an 8-week app-based pilot study.

Participants would complete:

• baseline questionnaires
• daily brief check-ins
• weekly assessments
• end-of-study questionnaires
• optional feedback

The goal would be to explore feasibility, data quality, participant burden, and early patterns in Capacity Accessibility and Human Distance.

Proposed Participant Flow

Week 0: Baseline

Participants would complete:

• informed consent
• eligibility screening
• demographic questions
• baseline validated questionnaires
• draft Capacity Accessibility measure
• draft Human Distance measure
• app orientation

Weeks 1–8: Daily App Use

Each daily session would follow the same order:

• 1. Capacity Scan
• 2. Human Distance Scan
• 3. Gravity Scan
• 4. Expansion Practice
• 5. Micro-Action Selection
• 6. Evening Reflection

The daily session should remain brief, standardized, and low burden.

Weekly Check-In

Each week, participants would complete:

• weekly Capacity Accessibility items
• weekly Human Distance items
• selected validated measures
• one brief reflection question

Week 8: Final Assessment

Participants would repeat baseline measures and complete:

• usability feedback
• burden assessment
• optional exit reflection
• study completion confirmation

Role of the App

The app is currently proposed to serve three research functions:

1. Measurement System

Collects standardized daily and weekly responses.

2. Intervention System

Delivers brief, standardized practices intended to examine whether small actions relate to changes in perceived capacity and distance.

3. Research Operations System

Supports reminders, scheduling, consent records, completion tracking, and anonymized data export.

The app should not interpret scores as diagnoses or provide clinical guidance.

Proposed Daily Measures

The daily check-in may collect ratings related to:

• cognitive access
• emotional access
• relational access
• agency
• purpose
• creativity
• energy
• presence
• connection
• meaning
• embodiment
• perceived distance from self or life

These are draft measurement categories and are not validated instruments.

Proposed Gravity Scan

Participants may identify factors that appeared to pull them away from capacity or participation, such as:

• rumination
• poor sleep
• conflict
• loneliness
• avoidance
• stress
• overstimulation
• physical fatigue
• digital overload
• uncertainty

These categories are provisional.

Proposed Expansion Practice

Participants may receive one brief standardized practice, such as:

• grounding exercise
• values reflection
• connection action
• creativity prompt
• physical regulation prompt
• micro-agency action

Any intervention content would need expert review before participant use.

Research Purity Requirements

The study app must remain a research instrument.

It should not include:

• streaks
• badges
• points
• levels
• avatars
• decorative worlds
• therapeutic promises
• unsupported claims
• motivational pressure

Every screen must improve either:

• 1. scientific quality, or
• 2. participant ability to provide accurate data.

If a screen does neither, it should not be included.

Evidence Reviewed

No external literature is reviewed in this entry.

This entry documents the proposed protocol structure created during early research development.

Observations

Several observations guide the proposed protocol:

• 1. Daily data may help examine whether perceived capacity changes over time.
• 2. Weekly measures may help compare short-term fluctuations with broader patterns.
• 3. App simplicity may improve completion and reduce participant burden.
• 4. Overly decorative or motivational app features could influence responses and weaken data quality.
• 5. The study must prioritize feasibility and safety before testing effectiveness.

Working Interpretation

The current working interpretation is that an 8-week app-based format may be suitable for studying fluctuations in perceived capacity accessibility and human distance.

However, this remains untested.

The proposed app structure should be treated as a draft research instrument pending:

• literature review
• expert feedback
• measurement refinement
• ethics review
• small usability testing
• feasibility pilot

Competing Explanations

Several possibilities remain open:

Explanation 1

The app may generate meaningful daily data about Capacity Accessibility and Human Distance.

Explanation 2

Daily self-report may be too burdensome or inconsistent for reliable analysis.

Explanation 3

Existing validated tools may already capture the most important information.

Explanation 4

The proposed app may need to be reduced further to avoid participant fatigue.

Explanation 5

The intervention component may need to be separated from the measurement component in early validation studies.

Decision Log

Since Entry #005:

• The project documented the first proposed 8-week app-based study structure.
• The app is defined as a research instrument, not a consumer wellness product.
• The participant flow is limited to baseline, daily sessions, weekly check-ins, and final assessment.
• The study remains conceptual and has not begun participant recruitment or testing.

Remaining Questions

Key questions remain:

• Which validated measures should be included at baseline and follow-up?
• Should the first pilot test measurement only, or measurement plus intervention?
• How short must the daily session be to maintain completion rates?
• Which items should be removed after literature mapping?
• What ethical review process would be required before real participant enrollment?
• What privacy and data security standards should govern the app?
• Should the app be tested first through cognitive interviews before a full pilot?

Next Research Step

Stop theory expansion and begin the first evidence-based literature map.

The next planned notebook entry is:

Research Notebook Entry #007: Psychological Flexibility Literature Map

That entry should review:

• formal definition
• key measurement tools
• evidence base
• overlap with Capacity Accessibility
• overlap with Human Distance
• implications for revising the current framework