Evaluating the Usability of an mHealth App for Empowering Cancer Survivors With Disabilities: Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing
BackgroundMore than 18 million cancer survivors are living in the United States. The effects of cancer and its treatments can have cognitive, psychological, physical, and social consequences that many survivors find incredibly disabling. Posttreatment support is often unavail...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2024-04-01
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| Series: | JMIR Human Factors |
| Online Access: | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2024/1/e51522 |
| _version_ | 1797228986123681792 |
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| author | Rachel F Adler Kevin Baez Paulina Morales Jocelyn Sotelo David Victorson Susan Magasi |
| author_facet | Rachel F Adler Kevin Baez Paulina Morales Jocelyn Sotelo David Victorson Susan Magasi |
| author_sort | Rachel F Adler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundMore than 18 million cancer survivors are living in the United States. The effects of cancer and its treatments can have cognitive, psychological, physical, and social consequences that many survivors find incredibly disabling. Posttreatment support is often unavailable or underused, especially for survivors living with disabilities. This leaves them to deal with new obstacles and struggles on their own, oftentimes feeling lost during this transition. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been shown to effectively aid cancer survivors in dealing with many of the aftereffects of cancer and its treatments; these interventions hold immense potential for survivors living with disabilities. We developed a prototype for WeCanManage, an mHealth-delivered self-management intervention to empower cancer survivors living with disabilities through problem-solving, mindfulness, and self-advocacy training.
ObjectiveOur study conducted a heuristic evaluation of the WeCanManage high-fidelity prototype and assessed its usability among cancer survivors with known disabilities.
MethodsWe evaluated the prototype using Nielsen’s 10 principles of heuristic evaluation with 22 human-computer interaction university students. On the basis of the heuristic evaluation findings, we modified the prototype and conducted usability testing on 10 cancer survivors with a variety of known disabilities, examining effectiveness, efficiency, usability, and satisfaction, including a completion of the modified System Usability Scale (SUS).
ResultsThe findings from the heuristic evaluation were mostly favorable, highlighting the need for a help guide, addressing accessibility concerns, and enhancing the navigation experience. After usability testing, the average SUS score was 81, indicating a good-excellent design. The participants in the usability testing sample expressed positive reactions toward the app’s design, educational content and videos, and the available means of connecting with others. They identified areas for improvement, such as improving accessibility, simplifying navigation within the community forums, and providing a more convenient method to access the help guide.
ConclusionsOverall, usability testing showed positive results for the design of WeCanManage. The course content and features helped participants feel heard, understood, and less alone. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T15:05:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d0bf758dfa7f468bb9cb2986ac5a4fb8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2292-9495 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T15:05:24Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Human Factors |
| spelling | doaj.art-d0bf758dfa7f468bb9cb2986ac5a4fb82024-04-02T13:30:34ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Human Factors2292-94952024-04-0111e5152210.2196/51522Evaluating the Usability of an mHealth App for Empowering Cancer Survivors With Disabilities: Heuristic Evaluation and Usability TestingRachel F Adlerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0462-5716Kevin Baezhttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-1910-4948Paulina Moraleshttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3652-1396Jocelyn Sotelohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4018-695XDavid Victorsonhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3530-8633Susan Magasihttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6386-2386 BackgroundMore than 18 million cancer survivors are living in the United States. The effects of cancer and its treatments can have cognitive, psychological, physical, and social consequences that many survivors find incredibly disabling. Posttreatment support is often unavailable or underused, especially for survivors living with disabilities. This leaves them to deal with new obstacles and struggles on their own, oftentimes feeling lost during this transition. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been shown to effectively aid cancer survivors in dealing with many of the aftereffects of cancer and its treatments; these interventions hold immense potential for survivors living with disabilities. We developed a prototype for WeCanManage, an mHealth-delivered self-management intervention to empower cancer survivors living with disabilities through problem-solving, mindfulness, and self-advocacy training. ObjectiveOur study conducted a heuristic evaluation of the WeCanManage high-fidelity prototype and assessed its usability among cancer survivors with known disabilities. MethodsWe evaluated the prototype using Nielsen’s 10 principles of heuristic evaluation with 22 human-computer interaction university students. On the basis of the heuristic evaluation findings, we modified the prototype and conducted usability testing on 10 cancer survivors with a variety of known disabilities, examining effectiveness, efficiency, usability, and satisfaction, including a completion of the modified System Usability Scale (SUS). ResultsThe findings from the heuristic evaluation were mostly favorable, highlighting the need for a help guide, addressing accessibility concerns, and enhancing the navigation experience. After usability testing, the average SUS score was 81, indicating a good-excellent design. The participants in the usability testing sample expressed positive reactions toward the app’s design, educational content and videos, and the available means of connecting with others. They identified areas for improvement, such as improving accessibility, simplifying navigation within the community forums, and providing a more convenient method to access the help guide. ConclusionsOverall, usability testing showed positive results for the design of WeCanManage. The course content and features helped participants feel heard, understood, and less alone.https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2024/1/e51522 |
| spellingShingle | Rachel F Adler Kevin Baez Paulina Morales Jocelyn Sotelo David Victorson Susan Magasi Evaluating the Usability of an mHealth App for Empowering Cancer Survivors With Disabilities: Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing JMIR Human Factors |
| title | Evaluating the Usability of an mHealth App for Empowering Cancer Survivors With Disabilities: Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing |
| title_full | Evaluating the Usability of an mHealth App for Empowering Cancer Survivors With Disabilities: Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating the Usability of an mHealth App for Empowering Cancer Survivors With Disabilities: Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating the Usability of an mHealth App for Empowering Cancer Survivors With Disabilities: Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing |
| title_short | Evaluating the Usability of an mHealth App for Empowering Cancer Survivors With Disabilities: Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing |
| title_sort | evaluating the usability of an mhealth app for empowering cancer survivors with disabilities heuristic evaluation and usability testing |
| url | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2024/1/e51522 |
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