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The aim of this study was to observe how a user’s individual factors in a commercial weight-loss treatment app affect their perceived usefulness of its features and how they relate to each other.

The information was obtained from an online survey with a sample of 412 users from a branded app for a commercial weight-loss treatment using body mass index (BMI), self-efficacy, social support and perceived usefulness as variables.

Users with higher self-efficacy perceived the app’s features as more useful. However, BMI was not a factor except for the psycho-emotional support features, which individuals with obesity perceived as more useful. Likewise, it was found that there weren’t any significant differences in self-efficacy based on their BMI. Lastly, it was found that social support could not be used as a factor to predict self-efficacy.

This study helps understand how individual factors for behavioural change may affect the perceived usefulness of a weight-loss app. Furthermore, the significance of self-efficacy as an influencing factor provides useful information for companies and app developers alike when developing their branded apps.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge on factors affecting user perceptions of weight-loss apps. It also adds to the literature of branded apps as complimentary resources for companies, which has not been studied in detail.

Industry 4.0 is exacerbating the need for offsite construction (OSC) adoption, and this rapid transformation is pushing the boundaries of construction skills towards extensive modernisation. The adoption of this modern production strategy by the construction industry would redefine the position of OSC. This study aims to examine whether the existing skills are capable of satisfying the needs of different OSC types.

A critical literature review evaluated the impact of transformative technology on OSC skills. An existing industry standard OSC skill classification was used as the basis to develop a master list that recognises emerging and diminishing OSC skills. The master list recognises 67 OSC skills under six skill categories: managers, professionals, technicians and trade workers, clerical and administrative workers, machinery operators and drivers and labourers. The skills data was extracted from a series of 13 case studies using document reviews and semi-structured interviews with project stakeholders.

The multiple case study evaluation recognised 13 redundant skills and 16 emerging OSC skills such as architects with building information modelling and design for manufacture and assembly knowledge, architects specialised in design and logistics integration, advanced OSC technical skills, factory operators, OSC estimators, technicians for three dimensional visualisation and computer numeric control operators. Interview findings assessed the current state and future directions for OSC skills development. Findings indicate that the prevailing skills are not adequate to readily relocate construction activities from onsite to offsite.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is one of the first studies that recognises the major differences in skill requirements for non-volumetric and volumetric OSC types.