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Purpose: Although the literature shows that robotic assistance can support the surgeon, robotic systems are not widely spread in clinics. They often incorporate large robotic arms adopted from the manufacturing industry, imposing safety hazards when in contact with the patient or surgical staff. We approached this limitation with a modular dual robot consisting of an ultra-lightweight carrier robot for rough prepositioning and small, highly dynamic, application-specific, interchangeable tooling robots. Methods: A formative usability study with N = 10 neurosurgeons was conducted using a prototype of a novel tooling robot for laminectomy to evaluate the system's usability. The participants were asked to perform three experiments using the robotic system: (1) prepositioning with the carrier robot and milling into (2) a block phantom as well as (3) a spine model. Results: All neurosurgeons could perform a simulated laminectomy on a spine phantom using the robotic system. On average, they rated the usability of this first prototype already between good and excellent (SUS-Score above 75%). Eight out of the ten participants preferred robotic-assisted milling over manual milling. For prepositioning, the developed haptic guidance showed significantly higher effectiveness and efficiency than visual navigation. Conclusion: The proposed dual robot system showed the potential to increase safety in the operating room because of the synergistic hands-on control and the ultra-lightweight design of the carrier robot. The modular design allows for easy adaptation to various surgical procedures. However, improvements are needed in the ergonomics of the tooling robot and the complexity of the virtual fixtures. The cooperative dual robot system can subsequently be tested in a cadaver laboratory and in vivo on animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital healthy eating interventions are an increasingly important tool; however, poor adherence and high dropout rates may compromise efficacy. It is crucial to develop usability and feasibility studies to identify barriers and facilitators of user engagement. A two-iteration mixed-method study was conducted to assess perceptions of the usability and feasibility of CANVAS® as a platform to deliver intervention for children. Both iterations included a guided exploration of the platform, questionnaires (i.e., System Usability Scale and Enjoyment subscale from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory [IMI]), and semi-structured interviews. The sample comprised nine child-parent dyads (i.e., sixth-grade children and their mothers) from a school in which the study was publicized. Overall, participants perceived the platform positively. Facilitators (e.g., enjoyability) and barriers (e.g., lack of digital literacy) were identified. Lastly, participants enrolled in both iterations improved their performance. Data from this study will be critical for the implementation of the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EXO+ hip protector was developed to minimize the risk of hip fractures in seniors following falls. This study evaluated its usability in a Singapore nursing home from the perspective of the staff, focusing on learnability, efficiency, and satisfaction. A mixed-method design was employed, with nursing home residents wearing the EXO+ daily for eight weeks. Quantitative data on wear time were collected alongside qualitative insights from four repeated focus group discussions with care staff. In total, 15 residents (including 8 residents with cognitive impairments) and 9 staff participated. The analysis revealed six themes and fourteen subthemes related to EXO+'s usability. The residents wore the device for an average of 1.54 h per day, with those having cognitive impairments showing increased wear times, especially in the mornings and on weekdays. The findings indicated that the EXO+ was learnable and satisfactory for nursing home use, provided there are adequate supporting features. The efficiency of the EXO+ was not fully measured since no falls were reported during the study period. The study offers valuable insights for potential design modifications and workflow adaptations to enhance the implementation of hip protectors in healthcare settings, highlighting facilitators and barriers to support device uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EXO+ hip protector was developed to minimize the risk of hip fractures in seniors following falls. This study evaluated its usability in a Singapore nursing home from the perspective of the staff, focusing on learnability, efficiency, and satisfaction. A mixed-method design was employed, with nursing home residents wearing the EXO+ daily for eight weeks. Quantitative data on wear time were collected alongside qualitative insights from four repeated focus group discussions with care staff. In total, 15 residents (including 8 residents with cognitive impairments) and 9 staff participated. The analysis revealed six themes and fourteen subthemes related to EXO+’s usability. The residents wore the device for an average of 1.54 h per day, with those having cognitive impairments showing increased wear times, especially in the mornings and on weekdays. The findings indicated that the EXO+ was learnable and satisfactory for nursing home use, provided there are adequate supporting features. The efficiency of the EXO+ was not fully measured since no falls were reported during the study period. The study offers valuable insights for potential design modifications and workflow adaptations to enhance the implementation of hip protectors in healthcare settings, highlighting facilitators and barriers to support device uptake.

Background and objective: Tools to accurately and efficiently measure dietary intake in Nigeria are lacking. We aimed to develop and assess the usability of a new online dietary assessment tool for Nigeria—myfood24 West Africa. Methods: We developed the myfood24 West Africa database using data from existing food composition tables, packaged foods labels and research articles. The development followed seven steps: identified data sources, selected foods, processed/cleaned the data, calculated the nutrient content of recipes, created and allocated portion sizes, quality-checked the database and developed food accompaniments. To pilot the tool, we recruited 179 university staff in Nigeria using a cross-sectional design. Usability was assessed using a questionnaire that included the System Usability Scale (SUS) and a feedback session. Results: The database included 924 foods, with up to 54 nutrients and 35 portion-size images allocated to foods. Sixty percent of the data were sourced from the 2019 West Africa Food Composition Table, 17% from back-of-pack labels of packaged foods, 14% from the 2017 Nigerian Food Composition Table, 5% from generated recipes and 4% from the published literature. Of the participants, 30% (n = 53) self-recorded their food intake, with a total of 1345 food and drink entries from both self- and interviewer-collected data. The mean SUS score of 74 (95% CI: 68,79) indicated good usability. The feedback showed that the tool was user-friendly, educational and included a variety of local foods. Conclusions: This new tool will enhance the dietary assessment of the Nigerian population. More work will expand coverage to include more foods from the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the usability of the geodiscussion administrative panel, an online tool aiding Public Participation Geographic Information Systems. This tool was specifically designed and developed for distribution in a Software as a service model, offering geodiscussion users the flexibility to leverage the tool without the need for substantial investments in expensive infrastructure or complex deployments. The research primarily centers on the geodiscussion administrative panel, a key component empowering organizers of public consultations in spatial planning to efficiently create and manage consultation processes. In contrast to previous studies that focused on the usability for consultation participants, this research uniquely targets individuals responsible for organizing and overseeing the consultation processes. A diverse array of usability research methods were employed, ranging from the creation of personas and conducting direct interviews based on test scenarios to non-invasive methods for recording user activities. The study involved 682 participants who had prior experience with public consultations across various public administration units and representatives from consulting firms. Given that the usability studies were an integral part of the geodiscussion administrative panel’s development process, the research team has the opportunity to influence the further implementation of the applied functionalities. This implies that insights gained from the research can actively shape and enhance the tool’s features as it progresses in its development cycle.

Learning history is vital for students' intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical development. Students perceive history subject as difficult and boring because they must memorize facts and understandthose facts, concepts, time, and historical events. Interactive multimedia can increase students' enthusiasm and make the teaching and learning process more interesting to make the history "alive." Game-based learning uses game elements and principles to effectively deliver teaching and learning process in the classrooms. Yamashita's Treasure: A Quest to Find the Treasure is a game-based instructional material designed for grade 7 students of the Philippine K-12 curriculum that aims to teach significant lessons and events occurred in the Philippines over the last century. In this paper, we present findings from an assessment of an instructional material in teaching Philippine history. A System Usability Scale (SUS) was used to test the system's usability which generated a positive score. Respondents were highly satisfied with the game's usability scoring 87.5 on the SUS. Future work includes developing a programmed system, conducting quasi-experimental research design, and consultations with the experts for further enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital era has brought significant advancements in technology to such an extent that it has transformed people’s life. Assistive technology makes it possible to undergo tasks that are otherwise difficult for people who are differently-abled. For instance, voice-over capabilities and screen readers make it possible for the visually disabled to use various smartphone applications. Digital payment applications are one such application that significantly eases their daily financial transactions needs. There may, however, be several design issues while using such applications. The mobile applications designed should be designed equitably, keeping in mind the needs of people with disability. A usability study is conducted to assess a product by its actual testing done by a diverse audience. This study aims to evaluate Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based digital payment solutions for the visually impaired. To identify the design considerations needed while designing digital payment applications, three UPI mobile applications (namely Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm) most used in India were selected and evaluated with fifteen visually impaired participants using standard accessibility guidelines. A broad objective of this study is to bring out the issues in accessibility features and suggest insights for re-designing these features to make mobile applications more accessible for visually impaired users. Usability tests were conducted on our volunteers to gather relevant data and a thorough analysis was thereby done. Our analysis reveals that while digital payment mobile applications provide accessibility features for visually impaired users, there may be significant design issues in areas such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and clear labelling of buttons and controls. Furthermore, suggestions for improving the accessibility of digital payment mobile applications to serve the visually impaired community can be found based on the findings of the present research study. These suggestions can be useful while designing or updating digital payment mobile applications considering the needs of visually impaired people.

Following tetraplegia, independence for completing essential daily tasks, such as opening doors and eating, significantly declines. Assistive robotic manipulators (ARMs) could restore independence, but typically input devices for these manipulators require functional use of the hands. We created and validated a hands-free multimodal input system for controlling an ARM in virtual reality using combinations of a gyroscope, eye-tracking, and heterologous surface electromyography (sEMG). These input modalities are mapped to ARM functions based on the user’s preferences and to maximize the utility of their residual volitional capabilities following tetraplegia. The two participants in this study with tetraplegia preferred to use the control mapping with sEMG button functions and disliked winking commands. Non-disabled participants were more varied in their preferences and performance, further suggesting that customizability is an advantageous component of the control system. Replacing buttons from a traditional handheld controller with sEMG did not substantively reduce performance. The system provided adequate control to all participants to complete functional tasks in virtual reality such as opening door handles, turning stove dials, eating, and drinking, all of which enable independence and improved quality of life for these individuals.

Abstract Background Visualising patient genomic data in a cohort with embedding data analytics models can provide relevant and sensible patient comparisons to assist a clinician with treatment decisions. As immersive technology is actively used around the medical world, there is a rising demand for an efficient environment that can effectively display genomic data visualisations on immersive devices such as a Virtual Reality (VR) environment. The VR technology will allow clinicians, biologists, and computer scientists to explore a cohort of individual patients within the 3D environment. However, demonstrating the feasibility of the VR prototype needs domain users’ feedback for future user-centred design and a better cognitive model of human–computer interactions. There is limited research work for collecting and integrating domain knowledge into the prototype design. Objective A usability study for the VR prototype–-Virtual Reality to Observe Oncology data Models (VROOM) was implemented. VROOM was designed based on a preliminary study among medical users. The goals of this usability study included establishing a baseline of user experience, validating user performance measures, and identifying potential design improvements that are to be addressed to improve efficiency, functionality, and end-user satisfaction. Methods The study was conducted with a group of domain users (10 males, 10 females) with portable VR devices and camera equipment. These domain users included medical users such as clinicians and genetic scientists and computing domain users such as bioinformatics and data analysts. Users were asked to complete routine tasks based on a clinical scenario. Sessions were recorded and analysed to identify potential areas for improvement to the data visual analytics projects in the VR environment. The one-hour usability study included learning VR interaction gestures, running visual analytics tool, and collecting before and after feedback. The feedback was analysed with different methods to measure effectiveness. The statistical method Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyse various task performances among the different participant groups, and multiple data visualisations were created to find insights from questionnaire answers. Results The usability study investigated the feasibility of using VR for genomic data analysis in domain users’ daily work. From the feedback, 65% of the participants, especially clinicians (75% of them), indicated that the VR prototype is potentially helpful for domain users’ daily work but needed more flexibility, such as allowing them to define their features for machine learning part, adding new patient data, and importing their datasets in a better way. We calculated the engaged time for each task and compared them among different user groups. Computing domain users spent 50% more time exploring the algorithms and datasets than medical domain users. Additionally, the medical domain users engaged in the data visual analytics parts (approximately 20%) longer than the computing domain users.

Keyla Lebrón Gutiérrez,1 Sarah Thomas,1 Julia L Martin,2 Annegret Dahlmann-Noor3 1Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK; 2Santen SA, La Voie-creuse 14, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland; 3NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, London, UKCorrespondence: Annegret Dahlmann-Noor, NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK, Email annegret.dahlmann-noor@nhs.netBackground: One of the challenges of treating chronic ocular diseases like vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), glaucoma, and ocular surface disease is patient adherence to topical medication. To support correct eye drop instillation, a variety of delivery aids have been developed for both single-dose and conventional multi-dose containers.Methods: To evaluate Dropaid™ Single-dose, an eye drop delivery aid designed for single-dose containers, a usability study was conducted on 30 parents and caregivers of patients with VKC. After assessing the ability to squeeze a single eye drop from the single-dose container onto the eye of a pediatric medical dummy, the delivery aid was evaluated using an 11-point Likert scale on a variety of characteristics: from “very difficult” (− 5) to “very easy” (+5).Results: The majority of participants rated the task of opening the single-dose units (SDUs), preparing, and positioning the Dropaid™ Single-dose device as “very easy”. When providing a single eye drop from the container, 87% of participants rated the Dropaid™ Single-dose device as either “very easy” or “easy”, with a median rating score of +5.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 4.0– 5.0). For general ease of use, 84% considered the delivery aid as either “very easy” or “easy”, with a median score of +4.0 (IQR, 3.0– 5.0). Most participants (93%) rated Dropaid™ Single-dose as either “very comfortable” or “comfortable” to hold, with a median score of +5.0 (IQR, 4.0– 5.0).Conclusion: The Dropaid™ Single-dose delivery aid demonstrated rapid learning and ease of use across all stages of application, including opening the container, eye drop administration, and handling comfort. Although designed for use with single-dose containers to help eye drop instillation in patients with VKC, Dropaid™ Single-dose may provide a wider utility across a range of other ocular diseases such as glaucoma and dry eye.Keywords: Dropaid, eye drop instillation, usability study, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, VKC

Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder with no cure. Most children are prescribed several medications aimed at controlling disease activity, managing symptoms, and reducing pain. Physical activity is also encouraged to retain musculoskeletal function. The primary determinants of treatment success are maintaining long-term adherence, ongoing monitoring by a pediatric rheumatologist, and involvement of an interdisciplinary team. To support these goals, a new digital intervention was developed, InteractiveClinics, which aimed to prompt children to take their medications, report pain levels, and increase their physical activity. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the usability of InteractiveClinics among children with JIA. Methods: As part of this pediatric cross-sectional study, 12 children were asked to wear a smartwatch for 2 weeks, which was synchronized to the InteractiveClinics phone app and web-based platform. Personalized notifications were sent daily to the watch and phone, to prompt and record medication adherence and pain level assessment. Physical activity was automatically recorded by the watch. At the end of the study, all children and parents completed a postintervention survey. Written comments were also encouraged to gain further feedback. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the survey results, and all qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Results: Twelve children aged 10 to 18 years (mean 14.2, SD 3.1 years; female: n=8, 66.7%) and 1 parent for each child (n=12; female: n=8, 66.7%) were enrolled in the study. Based on the highest and lowest agreement areas of the survey, most children and parents liked the smartwatch and web-based platform; they found it easy to learn and simple to use. They were also satisfied with the pain and physical activity module. However, usability and acceptability barriers that hindered uptake were identified in the phone app and medication module. Children required a unique in-app experience, and their suggestive improvements included more personalization within the app; simplification by removing all links not relevant to antirheumatic medications; flexibility in response times; improved conferment through gamification; additional comment fields for the input of more data, such as medication side effects or pain-related symptoms; more detailed graphical illustrations of the physical activity module, including a breakdown of metrics; and importantly, interconnections between modules, because medication adherence, pain levels, and physical activity can each influence the other. They were, overall, improving usefulness for children and parents. Conclusions: The usability of InteractiveClinics was positive. Children and parents liked the watch and web-based platform and were satisfied with the pain and physical activity module. However, children wanted a unique in-app experience through more personalization, simplification, flexibility, conferment, comment fields, graphical illustrations, a breakdown of metrics, and interconnections. Certainly, inclusions are needed to promote user adoption and advancement of new validated digital health interventions in pediatric rheumatology, to support the delivery of integrated care. Trial Registration: ANZCTR ACTRN12616000665437; https://tinyurl.com/mwwfje8r [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alzheimer disease (AD) and AD-related dementia are prevalent concerns for aging populations. With a growing older adult population living in the United States, the number of people living with dementia is expected to grow, posing significant challenges for informal caregivers. The mental and physical burdens associated with caregiving highlight the importance of developing novel and effective resources to support caregivers. However, technology solutions designed to address their needs often face low adoption rates due to usability issues and a lack of contextual relevance. This study focuses on developing a web-based platform providing financial and legal planning information and education for dementia caregivers and evaluating the platform's usability and adoptability. Objective: The goal of this project is to create a web-based platform that connects caregivers with personalized and easily accessible resources. This project involves industrial, academic, and community partners and focuses on two primary aims: (1) developing a digital platform using a Dementia Care Personalization Algorithm and assessing feasibility in a pilot group of caregivers, and (2) evaluating the acceptability and usability of the digital platform across different racial or ethnic populations. This work will aid in the development of technology-based interventions to reduce caregiver burden. Methods: The phase I study follows an iterative Design Thinking approach, involving at least 25 dementia caregivers as a user feedback panel to assess the platform's functionality, aesthetics, information, and overall quality using the adapted Mobile Application Rating Scale. Phase II is a usability study with 300 dementia caregivers in Texas (100 African American, 100 Hispanic or Latinx, and 100 non-Hispanic White). Participants will use the digital platform for about 4 weeks and evaluate its usefulness and ease of use through the Technology Acceptance Survey. Results: The study received funding from the National Institute on Aging on September 3, 2021. Ethical approval for phase I was obtained from the Texas A&M University Institutional Review Board on December 8, 2021, with data collection starting on January 1, 2022, and concluding on May 31, 2022. Phase I results were published on September 5, 2023, and April 17, 2024, respectively. On June 21, 2023, ethical approval for human subjects for phase II was granted, and participant recruitment began on July 1, 2023. Conclusions: Upon completing these aims, we expect to deliver a widely accessible digital platform tailored to assist dementia caregivers with financial and legal challenges by connecting them to personalized, contextually relevant information and resources in Texas. If successful, we plan to work with caregiving organizations to scale and sustain the platform, addressing the needs of the growing population living with dementia. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/64127 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following tetraplegia, independence for completing essential daily tasks, such as opening doors and eating, significantly declines. Assistive robotic manipulators (ARMs) could restore independence, but typically input devices for these manipulators require functional use of the hands. We created and validated a hands-free multimodal input system for controlling an ARM in virtual reality using combinations of a gyroscope, eye-tracking, and heterologous surface electromyography (sEMG). These input modalities are mapped to ARM functions based on the user’s preferences and to maximize the utility of their residual volitional capabilities following tetraplegia. The two participants in this study with tetraplegia preferred to use the control mapping with sEMG button functions and disliked winking commands. Non-disabled participants were more varied in their preferences and performance, further suggesting that customizability is an advantageous component of the control system. Replacing buttons from a traditional handheld controller with sEMG did not substantively reduce performance. The system provided adequate control to all participants to complete functional tasks in virtual reality such as opening door handles, turning stove dials, eating, and drinking, all of which enable independence and improved quality of life for these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly being used in higher education for clinical skills training and role-playing among health care students. Using 360° videos in VR headsets, followed by peer debrief and group discussions, may strengthen students' social and emotional learning. Objective: This study aimed to explore student-perceived usability of VR simulation in three health care education programs in Norway. Methods: Students from one university participated in a VR simulation program. Of these, students in social education (n=74), nursing (n=45), and occupational therapy (n=27) completed a questionnaire asking about their perceptions of the usability of the VR simulation and the related learning activities. Differences between groups of students were examined with Pearson chi-square tests and with 1-way ANOVA. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze data from open-ended questions. Results: The nursing students were most satisfied with the usability of the VR simulation, while the occupational therapy students were least satisfied. The nursing students had more often prior experience from using VR technology (60%), while occupational therapy students less often had prior experience (37%). Nevertheless, high mean scores indicated that the students experienced the VR simulation and the related learning activities as very useful. The results also showed that by using realistic scenarios in VR simulation, health care students can be prepared for complex clinical situations in a safe environment. Also, group debriefing sessions are a vital part of the learning process that enhance active involvement with peers. Conclusions: VR simulation has promise and potential as a pedagogical tool in health care education, especially for training soft skills relevant for clinical practice, such as communication, decision-making, time management, and critical thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaria impacts nearly 250 million individuals annually. Specifically, Uganda has one of the highest burdens, with 13 million cases and nearly 20,000 deaths. Controlling the spread of malaria relies on vector surveillance, a system where collected mosquitos are analyzed for vector species' density in rural areas to plan interventions accordingly. However, this relies on trained entomologists known as vector control officers (VCOs) who identify species via microscopy. The global shortage of entomologists and this time-intensive process cause significant reporting delays. VectorCam is a low-cost artificial intelligence–based tool that identifies a mosquito's species, sex, and abdomen status with a picture and sends these results electronically from surveillance sites to decision makers, thereby deskilling the process to village health teams (VHTs). Objective: This study evaluates the usability of the VectorCam system among VHTs by assessing its efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction. Methods: The VectorCam system has imaging hardware and a phone app designed to identify mosquito species. Two users are needed: (1) an imager to capture images of mosquitos using the app and (2) a loader to load and unload mosquitos from the hardware. Critical success tasks for both roles were identified, which VCOs used to train and certify VHTs. In the first testing phase (phase 1), a VCO and a VHT were paired to assume the role of an imager or a loader. Afterward, they swapped. In phase 2, two VHTs were paired, mimicking real use. The time taken to image each mosquito, critical errors, and System Usability Scale (SUS) scores were recorded for each participant. Results: Overall, 14 male and 6 female VHT members aged 20 to 70 years were recruited, of which 12 (60%) participants had smartphone use experience. The average throughput values for phases 1 and 2 for the imager were 70 (SD 30.3) seconds and 56.1 (SD 22.9) seconds per mosquito, respectively, indicating a decrease in the length of time for imaging a tray of mosquitos. The loader's average throughput values for phases 1 and 2 were 50.0 and 55.7 seconds per mosquito, respectively, indicating a slight increase in time. In terms of effectiveness, the imager had 8% (6/80) critical errors and the loader had 13% (10/80) critical errors in phase 1. In phase 2, the imager (for VHT pairs) had 14% (11/80) critical errors and the loader (for VHT pairs) had 12% (19/160) critical errors. The average SUS score of the system was 70.25, indicating positive usability. A Kruskal-Wallis analysis demonstrated no significant difference in SUS (H value) scores between genders or users with and without smartphone use experience. Conclusions: VectorCam is a usable system for deskilling the in-field identification of mosquito specimens in rural Uganda. Upcoming design updates will address the concerns of users and observers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Visualising patient genomic data in a cohort with embedding data analytics models can provide relevant and sensible patient comparisons to assist a clinician with treatment decisions. As immersive technology is actively used around the medical world, there is a rising demand for an efficient environment that can effectively display genomic data visualisations on immersive devices such as a Virtual Reality (VR) environment. The VR technology will allow clinicians, biologists, and computer scientists to explore a cohort of individual patients within the 3D environment. However, demonstrating the feasibility of the VR prototype needs domain users' feedback for future user-centred design and a better cognitive model of human–computer interactions. There is limited research work for collecting and integrating domain knowledge into the prototype design. Objective: A usability study for the VR prototype–-Virtual Reality to Observe Oncology data Models (VROOM) was implemented. VROOM was designed based on a preliminary study among medical users. The goals of this usability study included establishing a baseline of user experience, validating user performance measures, and identifying potential design improvements that are to be addressed to improve efficiency, functionality, and end-user satisfaction. Methods: The study was conducted with a group of domain users (10 males, 10 females) with portable VR devices and camera equipment. These domain users included medical users such as clinicians and genetic scientists and computing domain users such as bioinformatics and data analysts. Users were asked to complete routine tasks based on a clinical scenario. Sessions were recorded and analysed to identify potential areas for improvement to the data visual analytics projects in the VR environment. The one-hour usability study included learning VR interaction gestures, running visual analytics tool, and collecting before and after feedback. The feedback was analysed with different methods to measure effectiveness. The statistical method Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyse various task performances among the different participant groups, and multiple data visualisations were created to find insights from questionnaire answers. Results: The usability study investigated the feasibility of using VR for genomic data analysis in domain users' daily work. From the feedback, 65% of the participants, especially clinicians (75% of them), indicated that the VR prototype is potentially helpful for domain users' daily work but needed more flexibility, such as allowing them to define their features for machine learning part, adding new patient data, and importing their datasets in a better way. We calculated the engaged time for each task and compared them among different user groups. Computing domain users spent 50% more time exploring the algorithms and datasets than medical domain users. Additionally, the medical domain users engaged in the data visual analytics parts (approximately 20%) longer than the computing domain users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the challenges of treating chronic ocular diseases like vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), glaucoma, and ocular surface disease is patient adherence to topical medication. To support correct eye drop instillation, a variety of delivery aids have been developed for both single-dose and conventional multi-dose containers.Methods: To evaluate Dropaid™ Single-dose, an eye drop delivery aid designed for single-dose containers, a usability study was conducted on 30 parents and caregivers of patients with VKC. After assessing the ability to squeeze a single eye drop from the single-dose container onto the eye of a pediatric medical dummy, the delivery aid was evaluated using an 11-point Likert scale on a variety of characteristics: from "very difficult" (− 5) to "very easy" (+5).Results: The majority of participants rated the task of opening the single-dose units (SDUs), preparing, and positioning the Dropaid™ Single-dose device as "very easy". When providing a single eye drop from the container, 87% of participants rated the Dropaid™ Single-dose device as either "very easy" or "easy", with a median rating score of +5.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 4.0– 5.0). For general ease of use, 84% considered the delivery aid as either "very easy" or "easy", with a median score of +4.0 (IQR, 3.0– 5.0). Most participants (93%) rated Dropaid™ Single-dose as either "very comfortable" or "comfortable" to hold, with a median score of +5.0 (IQR, 4.0– 5.0).Conclusion: The Dropaid™ Single-dose delivery aid demonstrated rapid learning and ease of use across all stages of application, including opening the container, eye drop administration, and handling comfort. Although designed for use with single-dose containers to help eye drop instillation in patients with VKC, Dropaid™ Single-dose may provide a wider utility across a range of other ocular diseases such as glaucoma and dry eye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medication non-adherence is a prevalent healthcare problem with poor health outcomes and added healthcare costs. MedScrab, a gamification-based mHealth app, is the first attempt to deliver crucial life-saving medication information to patients and increase their medication adherence. The paper presents the development of MedScrab and a two-phase mixed-method usability evaluation of MedScrab. Phase I qualitatively evaluated MedScrab using a think-aloud protocol for its usability. With 51 participants, qualitative data analysis of Phase I revealed two themes: positive functionality of the app and four areas of improvement. The improvement recommendations were incorporated into MedScrab's design. Phase I also validated a widely used mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ). Quantitative data analysis of Phase I reduced the original 18-item MAUQ scale to a 15-item scale with two factors: ease of use (4 items) and usefulness and satisfaction (11 items). Phase II surveyed 83 participants from Amazon's Mechanical Turk using a modified MAUQ. The modified MAUQ scale showed strong internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.959) and high factor loadings (between 0.623 and 0.987). The study design of the usability evaluation can serve as a methodological guide for designing, evaluating, and improving mHealth apps. The usability study showed that MedScrab was perceived as ease of use (6.24 out of 7) with high usefulness and satisfaction (5.72 out of 7). The quantitative data analysis results support the use of the modified MAUQ as a valid instrument to measure the usability of the MedScrab. However, the instrument should be used with adaptation based on the app's characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePROs) have potential to improve health outcomes and healthcare. The development of health-technology applications, such as ePROs, should include the potential users and be theoretically grounded. Swedish Youth Health Clinics (YHCs) offer primarily sexual and psychological healthcare for young people aged 12 to 25 years old. Young people in healthcare settings are considered a vulnerable group. The development of a collection of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) in an Electronic Health Report Form (eHRF) for identifying health and health-related problems in young people, was preceded by a qualitative interview study, exploring young people’s views on using an eHRF at YHCs and which questions about health an eHRF should contain. The aim of the current study was to develop and evaluate the usability of an eHRF prototype for identifying health and health-related problems in young people visiting YHCs. Methods This study used a participatory design. During the development, an expert panel consisting of eight researchers and one Information Technology worker, participated. A wide literature search was performed to find PROs to construct an eHRF prototype to cover health areas. A mixed methods usability evaluation included 14 participants (young people, healthcare professionals, and an expert panel). Results The development resulted in an eHRF prototype, containing ten reliable and valid health questionnaires addressing mental-, physical-, and sexual health and social support, a self-efficacy question, and background questions, in total 74 items. The interviews in the usability evaluation resulted in three categories describing the usability of the eHRF: ‘Captures the overall health of young people but needs clarification’, ‘Fun, easy, and optional and will keep young people’s interest’, and ‘Potential contribution to improve the health consultation’. The quantitative results support the usability of the eHRF for YHCs. Conclusions The participatory approach contributed to development of the eHRF prototype to cover health areas adapted for the target population. The usability evaluation showed that the eHRF was usable and had the potential for self-reflection and contributions to cooperation between young people and healthcare professionals during the health consultation.

IntroductionIn response to reported difficulties in selecting a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, we designed a patient-centered online Part D plan selection tool (CHOICE1.0) to simplify the selection process and to provide personalized, expert recommendations.MethodsThis ethnographic comparative usability study observed 44 patients using the first version of the tool during Medicare 2016 Open Enrollment. Participants were observed as they chose their drug plan using Medicare.gov and 1 of 3 versions of CHOICE1.0 that varied in amount of expert guidance. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze exit survey data. The observations were video-recorded, and field notes were analyzed thematically.ResultsParticipants were significantly more satisfied with CHOICE1.0 for choosing a plan, understanding information, and ease of use compared to Medicare.gov. Those using expert versions of CHOICE1.0 were more likely to indicate their intention to switch plans than those using Medicare.gov, though they wanted to know the source and content.ConclusionThe more patient-centered prescription drug choice tool improved user experience and enabled users to choose plans more consistent with expert recommendations.

Background: Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePROs) have potential to improve health outcomes and healthcare. The development of health-technology applications, such as ePROs, should include the potential users and be theoretically grounded. Swedish Youth Health Clinics (YHCs) offer primarily sexual and psychological healthcare for young people aged 12 to 25 years old. Young people in healthcare settings are considered a vulnerable group. The development of a collection of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) in an Electronic Health Report Form (eHRF) for identifying health and health-related problems in young people, was preceded by a qualitative interview study, exploring young people's views on using an eHRF at YHCs and which questions about health an eHRF should contain. The aim of the current study was to develop and evaluate the usability of an eHRF prototype for identifying health and health-related problems in young people visiting YHCs. Methods: This study used a participatory design. During the development, an expert panel consisting of eight researchers and one Information Technology worker, participated. A wide literature search was performed to find PROs to construct an eHRF prototype to cover health areas. A mixed methods usability evaluation included 14 participants (young people, healthcare professionals, and an expert panel). Results: The development resulted in an eHRF prototype, containing ten reliable and valid health questionnaires addressing mental-, physical-, and sexual health and social support, a self-efficacy question, and background questions, in total 74 items. The interviews in the usability evaluation resulted in three categories describing the usability of the eHRF: 'Captures the overall health of young people but needs clarification', 'Fun, easy, and optional and will keep young people's interest', and 'Potential contribution to improve the health consultation'. The quantitative results support the usability of the eHRF for YHCs. Conclusions: The participatory approach contributed to development of the eHRF prototype to cover health areas adapted for the target population. The usability evaluation showed that the eHRF was usable and had the potential for self-reflection and contributions to cooperation between young people and healthcare professionals during the health consultation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of digital therapeutics (DTx) in the prevention and management of medical conditions has increased through the years, with an estimated 44 million people using one as part of their treatment plan in 2021, nearly double the number from the previous year. DTx are commonly accessed through smartphone apps, but offering these treatments through additional platforms can improve the accessibility of these interventions. Voice apps are an emerging technology in the digital health field; not only do they have the potential to improve DTx adherence, but they can also create a better user experience for some user groups. Objective: This research aimed to identify the acceptability and feasibility of offering a voice app for a chronic disease self-management program. The objective of this project was to design, develop, and evaluate a voice app of an already-existing smartphone-based heart failure self-management program, Medly, to be used as a case study. Methods: A voice app version of Medly was designed and developed through a user-centered design process. We conducted a usability study and semistructured interviews with patients with heart failure (N=8) at the Peter Munk Cardiac Clinic in Toronto General Hospital to better understand the user experience. A Medly voice app prototype was built using a software development kit in tandem with a cloud computing platform and was verified and validated before the usability study. Data collection and analysis were guided by a mixed methods triangulation convergence design. Results: Common themes were identified in the results of the usability study, which involved 8 participants with heart failure. Almost all participants (7/8, 88%) were satisfied with the voice app and felt confident using it, although half of the participants (4/8, 50%) were unsure about using it in the future. Six main themes were identified: changes in physical behavior, preference between voice app and smartphone, importance of music during voice app interaction, lack of privacy concerns, desired reassurances during voice app interaction, and helpful aids during voice app interaction. These findings were triangulated with the quantitative data, and it concluded that the main area for improvement was related to the ease of use; design changes were then implemented to better improve the user experience. Conclusions: This work offered preliminary insight into the acceptability and feasibility of a Medly voice app. Given the recent emergence of voice apps in health care, we believe that this research offered invaluable insight into successfully deploying DTx for chronic disease self-management using this technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A low-cost home exercise system called VestAid has been developed to assist participants during vestibulo-ocular reflex gaze stabilization exercises outside of clinic visits. The system includes a tablet-based app for the participant and a web-based portal for the physical therapist that provides data to make judgments about exercise accuracy and performance., Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of VestAid in a pilot study of 10 participants (mean age 45 [SD 19] years; 6 women) with various vestibular diagnoses., Methods: All participants completed twelve 30-second horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex exercises in a seated position (6 "easy" and 6 "hard" exercises). The exercises differed by variations in the background color, pattern, and movement. One of the exercises was repeated to assess the test-retest reliability of the measure of gaze stability accuracy and head motion compliance during the exercise. Participants rated the difficulty of the exercises (0-10 where 0=easy, 10=difficult) and completed usability surveys., Results: Participants completed the VestAid session without adverse events. The responses from the usability survey demonstrate the acceptability of VestAid. The mean rating of the "easy" exercises was 2.7/10 (SD 1.9). The mean rating for the "difficult" exercises across participants was 4.8/10 (SD 2.1)., Conclusions: The consistency of the mean ratings of the participants with the exercise classifications ("easy" and "difficult") suggests that VestAid has clinical utility., (© Brooke N Klatt, Pedram Hovareshti, Lisa S Holt, Pamela M Dunlap, Chad Zalkin, Devendra Tolani, Susan L Whitney. Originally published in JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (https://rehab.jmir.org).)

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health issue and a leading cause of death and disability globally. Advances in clinical care have improved survival rates, leading to a growing population living with long-term effects of TBI, which can impact physical, cognitive, and emotional health. These effects often require continuous management and individualized care. Traditional paper-based assessments can be cumbersome, potentially impeding regular monitoring of patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Electronic PROs (ePROs) offer a promising alternative by enabling real-time symptom tracking, which can facilitate early identification of issues, support shared decision-making, and improve outcomes for patients with TBI., Objective: This study evaluates the usability of an ePRO platform-Atom5-for individuals with TBI. By analyzing how patients use the system to report their symptoms, the study aims to identify usability issues, assess user satisfaction, and determine the potential of Atom5 to support ongoing patient-centered care., Methods: Atom5 was customized to enable individuals with TBI to report their symptoms. Usability testing was conducted through one-on-one sessions with participants recruited from Headway UK-an organization supporting brain injury survivors. Each participant took part in cognitive interviews using with the "Think Aloud" method, encouraging them to verbalize their thoughts and experiences while using the platform. This approach provided qualitative insights into areas of difficulty, usability strengths, and accessibility barriers. User satisfaction was quantitatively assessed with a brief 4-item questionnaire based on the System Usability Scale. Usability outcomes were analyzed for critical and noncritical errors, focusing on user experience and overall satisfaction., Results: In total, 9 participants completed a single usability testing session using Atom5, including 4 men, 4 women, and 1 nonbinary individual; 4 participants were under 55 years old, and 6 had their TBI <10 years ago. Finally, 8 participants used an Android device. The platform included measures for anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 item), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-2), posttraumatic stress disorder (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder checklist 2), and TBI-specific quality of life (Traumatic Brain Injury - Quality of Life Short form) and a total of 26 questions. Overall, all participants were satisfied with the system, noting that it was easy to navigate and accessible despite difficulties in understanding some questions. Further, 6 participants encountered no errors, while 1 participant reported one critical error and 2 others reported one noncritical error each. The participants rated their overall satisfaction with the platform at an average score of 3.9 (SD 0.49) out of 5., Conclusions: This usability study suggests that individuals living with TBI can effectively report symptoms using the Atom5 ePRO platform, with generally high satisfaction and few usability issues, thereby enabling continuous monitoring and proactive symptom management. Future ePRO development should focus on inclusivity and adaptability to address the diverse needs of patients with TBI, ensuring these tools can effectively support a wide range of users., (© Christel McMullan, Grace Turner, Ameeta Retzer, Antonio Belli, Elin Haf Davies, Laura Nice, Luke Flavell, Jackie Flavell, Melanie Calvert. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org).)

Background: Although effective pharmacological treatment exists, many adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prefer a nonpharmacological option for managing their symptoms. Internet-delivered self-help interventions have the potential to address this unmet supportive care need reported by adults with ADHD, at relatively low costs. However, if the intervention does not offer optimal functions, content, and layout, it could decrease adherence and engagement and potentially compromise the effectiveness of such interventions. Thus, there is a need for examining the usability and factors that enhance and impair the usability of internet-delivered self-help interventions. Objective: This study evaluates the usability of an internet-delivered self-help intervention for adults with ADHD (MyADHD). The main goals were to (1) collect qualitative and quantitative data on usability and (2) identify usability problems. Methods: Individual think-aloud interviews and staged usability testing (N=5) were conducted to evaluate the usability of the MyADHD intervention in terms of function, content, and design. MyADHD end users provided iterative feedback to maximize engagement and usability. They performed tasks involved in operating the intervention and provided "think-aloud" commentary and postsession usability ratings. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed. Results: Participants were satisfied with the overall usability of the program. The average perceived usability score out of 100 was 70 for the first round of testing and improved to 77.5 after applying modifications, with a mean score of 75.5 (SD 5.9) for all rounds of usability testing. The analysis of the interviews revealed 3 central themes: functionality, content, and layout. Conclusions: Optimizing the usability of internet-delivered self-guided interventions is a critical step in the design and development process. The usability testing in this study provided valuable information from users' perspectives on the content and platform of the intervention. Analysis revealed the need for intervention enhancement with regard to design, functionality, and content from the perspective of potential end users. Overall, participants saw value in the MyADHD intervention and were confident that they could use it for the self-management of symptoms and expressed the desire to use the entire intervention when it becomes available. Through this development process, we produced an intervention that is likely to be used successfully and is ready for deployment in a randomized controlled trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]