Evaluating the usefulness and the ease of use of a Web-based inspection data collection tool

BACKGROUND Informal carers play an increasingly vital role in supporting the older population and the sustainability of health care systems. Care Companion is a theory-based and coproduced Web-based intervention to help support informal carers’ resilience. It aims to provide personalized access to information and resources that are responsive to individuals’ caring needs and responsibilities and thereby reduce the burdens associated with caregiving roles. Following the development of a prototype, it was necessary to undertake user acceptability testing to assess its suitability for wider implementation. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to undertake user acceptance testing to investigate the perceived usefulness and ease of use of Care Companion. The key objectives were to (1) explore how potential and actual users perceived its usefulness, (2) explore the barriers and facilitators to its uptake and use and (3) gather suggestions to inform plans for an area-wide implementation. METHODS We conducted user acceptance testing underpinned by principles of rapid appraisal using a qualitative descriptive approach. Focus groups, observations, and semistructured interviews were used in two phases of data collection. Participants were adult carers who were recruited through local support groups. Within the first phase, think-aloud interviews and observations were undertaken while the carers familiarized themselves with and navigated through the platform. In the second phase, focus group discussions were undertaken. Interested participants were then invited to trial Care Companion for up to 4 weeks and were followed up through semistructured telephone interviews exploring their experiences of using the platform. Thematic analysis was applied to the data, and a coding framework was developed iteratively with each phase of the study, informing subsequent phases of data collection and analysis. RESULTS Overall, Care Companion was perceived to be a useful tool to support caregiving activities. The key themes were related to its appearance and ease of use, the profile setup and log-in process, concerns related to the safety and confidentiality of personal information, potential barriers to use and uptake and suggestions for overcoming them, and suggestions for improving Care Companion. More specifically, these related to the need for personalized resources aimed specifically at the carers (instead of care recipients), the benefits of incorporating a Web-based journal, the importance of providing transparency about security and data usage, minimizing barriers to initial registration, offering demonstrations to support uptake by people with low technological literacy, and the need to develop a culturally sensitive approach. CONCLUSIONS The findings identified ways of improving the ease of use and usefulness of Care Companion and demonstrated the importance of undertaking detailed user acceptance testing when developing an intervention for a diverse population, such as informal carers of older people. These findings have informed the further refinement of Care Companion and the strategy for its full implementation.

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Development of a web-based application to improve data collection for antimicrobial point prevalence surveys in the public health care system in South Africa; findings and implications (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.16143 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Natalie Schellack ◽

Danie Kruger ◽

Nokuthula N Dlamini ◽

Johanna C Meyer ◽

Brian Godman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Data Collection ◽

Resource Constraints ◽

Data Entry ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Point Prevalence ◽

Public Health Care ◽

Time Saving ◽

Prevalence Survey ◽

Web Based

BACKGROUND Determining antimicrobial utilization patterns in hospitals can be a challenge given personnel and resource constraints with paper based systems. A web–based application (APP) was developed in South Africa to address this, building on a recent pilot point prevalence survey (PPS) using a paper-based system. OBJECTIVE The study aim was to test and refine the develop app as well as to evaluate its ease of use and potential time saving versus paper based methods. METHODS The developed app was tested in a large academic public hospital in a PPS in South Africa. During data collection phase, the app was evaluated for functionality on all 35 variables and subsequently refined. After the data collection, the app was evaluated in terms of its time saving potential and ease of use. RESULTS 181 patient’s files were surveyed across 13 wards in the hospital, with the findings similar to the paper-based study. The median age for males was 45.5 years and the median age for females was 42 years. Overall 80 out of 181 (44%) patients received antibiotics. Whilst 38% (12 out of 31) of patients in the adult surgical ward received antimicrobials, the prevalence was the highest (78%) in the paediatric medical wards. All the data collectors were confident in using the app after training and found the tool not complex at all. In addition, the time taken to plan for the study and to collect data was considerably reduced. Reduced time spending is important for instigating quality improvement programmes in resource limited settings. CONCLUSIONS All data collectors would recommend the app for future PPS surveys. Several concerns with data entry were identified, which have now been addressed in both the refined app as well as in future training. The app development has been successful and is now being deployed across South Africa as part of a national PPS.

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Exploring the Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use of a Personalized Web-Based Resource (Care Companion) to Support Informal Caring: Qualitative Descriptive Study

JMIR Aging ◽

10.2196/13875 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. e13875 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Amadea Turk ◽

Emma Fairclough ◽

Gillian Grason Smith ◽

Benjamin Lond ◽

Veronica Nanton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Personal Information ◽

User Acceptance ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Perceived Usefulness ◽

Acceptance Testing ◽

Second Phase ◽

Web Based ◽

Qualitative Descriptive ◽

Informal Carers

Background Informal carers play an increasingly vital role in supporting the older population and the sustainability of health care systems. Care Companion is a theory-based and coproduced Web-based intervention to help support informal carers’ resilience. It aims to provide personalized access to information and resources that are responsive to individuals’ caring needs and responsibilities and thereby reduce the burdens associated with caregiving roles. Following the development of a prototype, it was necessary to undertake user acceptability testing to assess its suitability for wider implementation. Objective This study aimed to undertake user acceptance testing to investigate the perceived usefulness and ease of use of Care Companion. The key objectives were to (1) explore how potential and actual users perceived its usefulness, (2) explore the barriers and facilitators to its uptake and use and (3) gather suggestions to inform plans for an area-wide implementation. Methods We conducted user acceptance testing underpinned by principles of rapid appraisal using a qualitative descriptive approach. Focus groups, observations, and semistructured interviews were used in two phases of data collection. Participants were adult carers who were recruited through local support groups. Within the first phase, think-aloud interviews and observations were undertaken while the carers familiarized themselves with and navigated through the platform. In the second phase, focus group discussions were undertaken. Interested participants were then invited to trial Care Companion for up to 4 weeks and were followed up through semistructured telephone interviews exploring their experiences of using the platform. Thematic analysis was applied to the data, and a coding framework was developed iteratively with each phase of the study, informing subsequent phases of data collection and analysis. Results Overall, Care Companion was perceived to be a useful tool to support caregiving activities. The key themes were related to its appearance and ease of use, the profile setup and log-in process, concerns related to the safety and confidentiality of personal information, potential barriers to use and uptake and suggestions for overcoming them, and suggestions for improving Care Companion. More specifically, these related to the need for personalized resources aimed specifically at the carers (instead of care recipients), the benefits of incorporating a Web-based journal, the importance of providing transparency about security and data usage, minimizing barriers to initial registration, offering demonstrations to support uptake by people with low technological literacy, and the need to develop a culturally sensitive approach. Conclusions The findings identified ways of improving the ease of use and usefulness of Care Companion and demonstrated the importance of undertaking detailed user acceptance testing when developing an intervention for a diverse population, such as informal carers of older people. These findings have informed the further refinement of Care Companion and the strategy for its full implementation.

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The feasibility of Web-based surveys as a data collection tool: a process evaluation

Applied Nursing Research ◽

10.1016/j.apnr.2009.03.006 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 37-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Lesa L.K. Chizawsky ◽

Carole A. Estabrooks ◽

Anne E. Sales

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Process Evaluation ◽

Data Collection Tool ◽

Web Based

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Inspection Data Collection Tool for Field Testing of Photovoltaic Modules in the Atacama Desert

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14092409 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (9) ◽

pp. 2409

Author(s):

Pía Vásquez ◽

Ignacia Devoto ◽

Pablo Ferrada ◽

Abel Taquichiri ◽

Carlos Portillo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Crystalline Silicon ◽

Atacama Desert ◽

Data Collection Tool ◽

Dust Deposition ◽

Cover Glass ◽

Partial Shading ◽

Front Cover ◽

Photovoltaic Modules ◽

Inspection Data

The Atacama Desert receives the highest levels of solar irradiance in the world with an annual average of 2500 kWh/m2 for the global horizontal irradiance and 3500 kWh/m2 for the direct normal irradiance. One of the challenges is the large portion of ultraviolet light. This part of the spectrum be detrimental for the encapsulant materials, reducing their lifetime. To develop a module adapted to the Atacama Desert conditions, it is imperative to have standardized information from first-hand about the typical faults experienced by photovoltaic modules operating in the desert. This work reports on the design and implementation of the Inspection Data Collection Tool to evaluate crystalline silicon-based moules operating in desert climates. The tool brings together novel features of compatibility with current standards, efficient mobile-type instrumentation (equipment and tools), clear procedures/protocols for non-expert users and low development costs. A total of 95 modules were inspected to characterize failure/degradation issues. Three components of the solar modules were assessed: front cover glass, ethylene-vinyl acetate encapsulant and solar cells. Seven abnormalities were analyzed: Soiling, front cover glass discoloration, encapsulant delamination, hotspots, partial shading, cell fracture and faulty soldering. Soiling was the most common issue, showing correlation between dust deposition and location.

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A Web-based Blended Learning Environment for Programming Languages: Students’ Opinions

Journal of Education and Training Studies ◽

10.11114/jets.v5i3.2118 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 211 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mustafa Yağci

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Learning Environment ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Programming Languages ◽

Learning Goals ◽

Data Collection Tool ◽

Web Based ◽

Course Content ◽

Face To Face ◽

E Learning

A learning environment which increases the desire and efforts of students to attain learning goals leads to greater motivation and success. This study examines the negative and positive opinions of students regarding the effectiveness of the learning process and students’ success in a computer programming course in which face-to-face and web-based e-learning methods were blended. The study, for which the case study method is used, was carried out over a 12 week period with the participation of 44 students. A data collection tool consisting of open-ended questions was applied to the participants at the end of the process. The replies given by the participants to the data collection tool were analyzed using qualitative analysis techniques. At the end of the research, the evaluation and satisfaction scores of the students regarding the web-based blended learning environment were found to be positive to a high degree. The positive opinions of the students were focused particularly around four themes, namely "facilitating learning through the learning environment"; "providing interaction opportunities"; "encouraging research", "video support for the course". Negative opinions were gathered around the themes of "lack of sufficient teaching time", "experiencing technical failures", "course badly scheduled" and "comprehensiveness of the course content".

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Using Webinar Polls to Collect Online Survey Data

International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education ◽

10.4018/jicte.2012010106 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 53-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chinmoy Sahu

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Survey Data ◽

Behavioral Finance ◽

Online Survey ◽

Research Topic ◽

Data Collection Tool ◽

Web Conferencing ◽

Web Based ◽

E Mail ◽

The Web

Data collection using respondent surveys is a common methodology used in many research projects. Increasing popularity of e-mail and internet has resulted in most of the modern surveys being carried out using these mediums. Declining response rates call for fresh methods of data collection. As a possible alternative to already popular methods like web-based and email surveys, this paper illustrates the use of webinar sessions to collect relevant data from the participants. The popularity of webinars in recent times throws up a tremendous potential in utilizing it as a data collection tool. The paper illustrates how the polling tool available within the web-conferencing systems can be used in a webinar session to survey respondents’ behavioral patterns. Using a behavioral finance problem, the paper examines an alternative to traditional methods of collecting online survey data. Although the paper uses a behavioral finance context, the findings should equally apply to any other research topic.

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