Yury Shevchenko

Research

Smartphones as instruments

When the study material itself is sent to the phone, the researcher also gives up control over how stimuli are presented and how responses are recorded. Screen size, input method and the moment of delivery differ between participants and over the course of a day.

This line of research develops methods for delivering experimental material to smartphones and recording responses there. The Samply Stream API sends real-time event data, such as current news items, to participants and can use AI to modify the content for an experimental manipulation. A two-week field experiment with this method found that discernment between true and false news decreased under time constraint. SMAAT, a sensor-based research platform, was used to compare swiping with tapping as a response format; accuracy and response times did not differ reliably between the two formats.

Current work addresses the measurement properties of smartphone sensors.

Papers

  • Shevchenko, Y., & Hong, H. (2026). Sensor-based mobile app for assessment and tracking (SMAAT): Cross-sectional usability study. JMIR Formative Research, 10, e98984. https://doi.org/10.2196/98984
  • Shevchenko, Y., Buchanan, T., & Reips, U.-D. (2026). AI-supported real-time news evaluation reveals effects of time constraint on misinformation discernment. Scientific Reports, 16, 6362. Correction: Scientific Reports, 16, 9546. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39555-8
  • Shevchenko, Y., & Reips, U.-D. (2025). Samply Stream API: The AI-enhanced method for real-time event data streaming. Behavior Research Methods, 57(4), 119. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-025-02634-1

Software used

SMAAT*

A smartphone platform for experience sampling, mobile sensing and cognitive testing, with a visual study builder. Studies combine surveys, tasks and sensor recordings such as location and movement.

Samply

Schedules and sends notifications for experience-sampling and diary studies to a free smartphone app for iOS and Android. Each notification links to an online survey or experiment. Schedules can be fixed, randomised, triggered by location or driven by real-time event data. Free for research and hosted at the University of Konstanz.

* Open Lab and SMAAT are operated by Open Lab Online UG (haftungsbeschränkt). Yury Shevchenko develops both platforms, which are available for research use with free and paid tiers, and may benefit financially from their institutional use.