The Iterative Convergent Design for Mobile Health Usability Testing: Mixed Methods Approach

BACKGROUND Patients with chronic arthritis (CA) ideally apply self-management behaviors between consultations. This enduring, tedious task of keeping track of disease-related parameters, adhering to medication schemes, and engaging in physical therapy may be supported by using a mobile health (mHealth) app. However, further research is needed to determine which self-management features are valued most by adult patients with CA patients. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the preference of features for an mHealth app to support self-management behavior in patients with CA. In addition, we aimed to explore the motives behind these ratings. METHODS A mixed-methods approach was used to gather information from 31 adult patients (14 females), aged 23 to 71 years (mean 51 [SD 12.16]), with CA. Structured interviews were conducted to gather data pertaining to preferences of app features. Interviews were analyzed qualitatively, whereas ratings for each of the 28 features studied were analyzed quantitatively. RESULTS In general, patients with CA favored the use of features pertaining to supporting active and direct disease management, (eg, medication intake and detecting and alarming of bad posture), helping them to keep a close watch on their disease status and inform their health care professional (eg, providing a means to log and report disease-related data) and receiving personalized information (eg, offering tailored information based on the patient’s health data). Patients strongly disliked features that provide a means of social interaction or provide incentivization for disease-related actions (eg, being able to compare yourself with other patients, cooperating toward a common goal, and receiving encouragement from friends and/or family). Driving these evaluations is the finding that every patient with CA hurts in his/her own way, the way the disease unfolds over time and manifests itself in the patient and social environment is different for every patient, and patients with CA are well aware of this. CONCLUSIONS We have offered an insight into how patients with CA favor mHealth features for self-management apps. The results of this research can inform the design and development of prospective self-management apps for patients with CA.

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Scenario-based Group Usability Testing as a Mixed Methods Approach to the Evaluation of Three-Dimensional Virtual Learning Environments

Journal of Educational Computing Research ◽

10.1177/0735633119859918 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 58 (3) ◽

pp. 616-639

Author(s):

Andrina Granić ◽

Jelena Nakić ◽

Nikola Marangunić

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Usability Testing ◽

Virtual Learning ◽

Virtual Learning Environments ◽

Systematic Evaluation ◽

Educational Value ◽

Mixed Methods Approach ◽

Insight Into

Although virtual reality became popular technology whose application is recognized in various domains, the field generally still lacks a widespread culture of usability. This is also evident when considering environments intended for learning, specifically virtual learning environments (VLEs). According to our findings, it is clear that there is a growing need for systematic evaluation approach to help with the design and development of usable learner-centered VLE solutions. After comprehensive introductory background and state of the art in the field, this article provides an insight into Scenario-based Group Usability Testing (ScerGUT), a mixed methods approach to the evaluation of three-dimensional VLEs which integrates several different methods of usability testing with measurements of educational value. While the majority of the existing work has made use of usually one single usability assessment technique, ScerGUT employs a number of methods putting in focus users and user testing. To examine efficiency and applicability of the approach, empirical validation is conducted as a case study of particular VLE. The contribution of the article is twofold: (a) ScerGUT as a mixed methods approach to the evaluation of VLEs, which brings new scientific value and could help other researchers and (b) ScerGUT’s application to a particular VLE, which brings quantitative and qualitative results, thus providing an insight into ease of use and educational value of specific VLE.

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