Usability, user experience and acceptance evaluation of CAPACITY: a technological ecosystem for remote follow-up of frailty (Preprint)

Abstract

Frailty is a highly prevalent condition that predisposes older persons to adverse events. According to the WHO, there is a pressing need to develop comprehensive community-based approaches, and to introduce interventions to prevent functional decline. In this regards, Information and Communication Technologies can play a crucial role to promote ageing in place, for instance by collecting fresh and periodic information on variables associated to poor health outcomes. The CAPACITY technological ecosystem tackles this problem, providing a means to remotely monitor variables with high predictive power for adverse events (ie, gait speed, muscle power and involuntary weight loss) that enable personalized early interventions aimed to prevent disability.

This study aims to present a novel mobile app designed using a participatory methodology to be used by frail older persons to interact with the services offered by the CAPACITY technological ecosystem, Furthermore, this research work pursues evaluating its usability, user experience and acceptance.

Usability, User Experience and acceptance were assessed at 3 different sampling points during 6 months of continued use of CAPACITY to receive a multicomponent intervention to prevent/reverse frailty. Usability was assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS); User Experience using the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ); and acceptance with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and a customized quantitative questionnaire. Data were collected at baseline (recruitment), and after 3 and 6 months of use.

Forty-six participants used the technology for six months at their homes, and 9 dropped out during the follow-up, leaving a final sample of 37 subjects. All of them completed the questionnaires about usability, user experience and acceptance evaluation in the intermediate and final sample collection points; 25 subjects completed the whole evaluation set at baseline. Usability, measured as SUS reached a maximum averaged value of 83.68 after 6 months of use; no statistically significant values have been found to demonstrate that usability improves with use. User experience, measured as UEQ, obtained averages scores higher or very close to 2 in all 6 categories. Finally, acceptance in terms of TAM reached a maximum of 51.54 points, showing an improvement trend.

Results indicate the success of the participatory methodology, and support User Centered Design as the key methodology to follow when designing technologies for frail older persons. Involving potential end users and giving them voice during the design stage maximizes usability and acceptance.