Development of a Web-Based Decision Aid and Planning Tool for Family Building After Cancer (Roadmap to Parenthood): Usability Testing

BackgroundOwing to gonadotoxic cancer treatments, young adult female survivors often report uncertainty about their fertility, reproductive potential, and family-building options after treatment. Roadmap to Parenthood is a web-based decision aid and planning tool for family b...

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Main Authors: Catherine Benedict, Katherine L Dauber-Decker, Jennifer S Ford, D'Arcy King, David Spiegel, Lidia Schapira, Pamela Simon, Michael Diefenbach
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2022-05-01
Series:JMIR Cancer
Online Access:https://cancer.jmir.org/2022/2/e33304/
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author Catherine Benedict
Katherine L Dauber-Decker
Jennifer S Ford
D'Arcy King
David Spiegel
Lidia Schapira
Pamela Simon
Michael Diefenbach
author_facet Catherine Benedict
Katherine L Dauber-Decker
Jennifer S Ford
D'Arcy King
David Spiegel
Lidia Schapira
Pamela Simon
Michael Diefenbach
author_sort Catherine Benedict
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundOwing to gonadotoxic cancer treatments, young adult female survivors often report uncertainty about their fertility, reproductive potential, and family-building options after treatment. Roadmap to Parenthood is a web-based decision aid and planning tool for family building after cancer. ObjectiveAs part of a patient-centered development process, this study evaluated the usability of the decision aid website to inform design modifications and improve user experience. MethodsIn total, 2 rounds of usability testing were conducted with the target population of young adult female cancer survivors. During the testing sessions, participants viewed the website twice; first, as a think-aloud exercise, and second, while a researcher interrupted at key points to obtain user feedback. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to assess website usability. Quantitative measures included the System Usability Scale, WebQual, and eHealth Impact Questionnaire. An exit interview with open-ended questions gathered feedback on likes and dislikes and suggestions for improvement. ResultsParticipants (N=10) were young adult women, with average age of 30.9 (SD 4.51) years, and average time since treatment was 4.44 (SD 3.56) years. Website usability scores improved on the System Usability Scale from “acceptable” in round 1 to “excellent” in round 2 after making design changes based on user feedback (scores of 68 and 89.4, respectively). WebQual scores showed similar improvement from round 1 to round 2 of testing (mean 5.6 to 6.25; range 1-7). On the eHealth Impact Questionnaire, the information and presentation of the website was perceived as comprehensive, easy to understand, and trustworthy. Participants also reported improved confidence to discuss and manage fertility and family-building issues and felt encouraged to play a more active role in managing their fertility. In all, 3 usability themes were identified from the qualitative feedback: ease of use, visibility and navigation, and informational content and usefulness. Overall feedback was positive, and participants reported intentions to use the decision aid website in the future. In total, 10% (1/10) of the participants reported negative emotions when learning about infertility risks and potential family-building challenges. ConclusionsWebsite usability improved after design changes were made in response to user feedback. Young adult female survivors reported positive views about the website and indicated that the decision aid would be useful in decision-making about family building after cancer. Future studies will include further design modifications to consider the emotional experiences of users and any additional navigational features or content to optimize the ease of use and support provided by the tool.
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spelling doaj.art-223f19a79fcf4f5ca4ee6581ec6e32dd2023-08-28T21:52:36ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Cancer2369-19992022-05-0182e3330410.2196/33304Development of a Web-Based Decision Aid and Planning Tool for Family Building After Cancer (Roadmap to Parenthood): Usability TestingCatherine Benedicthttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9622-249XKatherine L Dauber-Deckerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0498-8779Jennifer S Fordhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7373-6949D'Arcy Kinghttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7947-5145David Spiegelhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9476-9173Lidia Schapirahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3298-9103Pamela Simonhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3835-1247Michael Diefenbachhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2821-1507 BackgroundOwing to gonadotoxic cancer treatments, young adult female survivors often report uncertainty about their fertility, reproductive potential, and family-building options after treatment. Roadmap to Parenthood is a web-based decision aid and planning tool for family building after cancer. ObjectiveAs part of a patient-centered development process, this study evaluated the usability of the decision aid website to inform design modifications and improve user experience. MethodsIn total, 2 rounds of usability testing were conducted with the target population of young adult female cancer survivors. During the testing sessions, participants viewed the website twice; first, as a think-aloud exercise, and second, while a researcher interrupted at key points to obtain user feedback. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to assess website usability. Quantitative measures included the System Usability Scale, WebQual, and eHealth Impact Questionnaire. An exit interview with open-ended questions gathered feedback on likes and dislikes and suggestions for improvement. ResultsParticipants (N=10) were young adult women, with average age of 30.9 (SD 4.51) years, and average time since treatment was 4.44 (SD 3.56) years. Website usability scores improved on the System Usability Scale from “acceptable” in round 1 to “excellent” in round 2 after making design changes based on user feedback (scores of 68 and 89.4, respectively). WebQual scores showed similar improvement from round 1 to round 2 of testing (mean 5.6 to 6.25; range 1-7). On the eHealth Impact Questionnaire, the information and presentation of the website was perceived as comprehensive, easy to understand, and trustworthy. Participants also reported improved confidence to discuss and manage fertility and family-building issues and felt encouraged to play a more active role in managing their fertility. In all, 3 usability themes were identified from the qualitative feedback: ease of use, visibility and navigation, and informational content and usefulness. Overall feedback was positive, and participants reported intentions to use the decision aid website in the future. In total, 10% (1/10) of the participants reported negative emotions when learning about infertility risks and potential family-building challenges. ConclusionsWebsite usability improved after design changes were made in response to user feedback. Young adult female survivors reported positive views about the website and indicated that the decision aid would be useful in decision-making about family building after cancer. Future studies will include further design modifications to consider the emotional experiences of users and any additional navigational features or content to optimize the ease of use and support provided by the tool.https://cancer.jmir.org/2022/2/e33304/
spellingShingle Catherine Benedict
Katherine L Dauber-Decker
Jennifer S Ford
D'Arcy King
David Spiegel
Lidia Schapira
Pamela Simon
Michael Diefenbach
Development of a Web-Based Decision Aid and Planning Tool for Family Building After Cancer (Roadmap to Parenthood): Usability Testing
JMIR Cancer
title Development of a Web-Based Decision Aid and Planning Tool for Family Building After Cancer (Roadmap to Parenthood): Usability Testing
title_full Development of a Web-Based Decision Aid and Planning Tool for Family Building After Cancer (Roadmap to Parenthood): Usability Testing
title_fullStr Development of a Web-Based Decision Aid and Planning Tool for Family Building After Cancer (Roadmap to Parenthood): Usability Testing
title_full_unstemmed Development of a Web-Based Decision Aid and Planning Tool for Family Building After Cancer (Roadmap to Parenthood): Usability Testing
title_short Development of a Web-Based Decision Aid and Planning Tool for Family Building After Cancer (Roadmap to Parenthood): Usability Testing
title_sort development of a web based decision aid and planning tool for family building after cancer roadmap to parenthood usability testing
url https://cancer.jmir.org/2022/2/e33304/
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