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. 2013 Aug 27:7:843-54.
doi: 10.2147/PPA.S45897. eCollection 2013.

User-centered development and testing of a monitoring system that provides feedback regarding physical functioning to elderly people

Joan Vermeulen  1 , Jacques Cl Neyens, Marieke D Spreeuwenberg, Erik van Rossum, Walther Sipers, Herbert Habets, David J Hewson, Luc P de Witte
Affiliations

User-centered development and testing of a monitoring system that provides feedback regarding physical functioning to elderly people

Joan Vermeulen et al. Patient Prefer Adherence. .

Abstract

Purpose: To involve elderly people during the development of a mobile interface of a monitoring system that provides feedback to them regarding changes in physical functioning and to test the system in a pilot study.

Methods and participants: The iterative user-centered development process consisted of the following phases: (1) selection of user representatives; (2) analysis of users and their context; (3) identification of user requirements; (4) development of the interface; and (5) evaluation of the interface in the lab. Subsequently, the monitoring and feedback system was tested in a pilot study by five patients who were recruited via a geriatric outpatient clinic. Participants used a bathroom scale to monitor weight and balance, and a mobile phone to monitor physical activity on a daily basis for six weeks. Personalized feedback was provided via the interface of the mobile phone. Usability was evaluated on a scale from 1 to 7 using a modified version of the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ); higher scores indicated better usability. Interviews were conducted to gain insight into the experiences of the participants with the system.

Results: The developed interface uses colors, emoticons, and written and/or spoken text messages to provide daily feedback regarding (changes in) weight, balance, and physical activity. The participants rated the usability of the monitoring and feedback system with a mean score of 5.2 (standard deviation 0.90) on the modified PSSUQ. The interviews revealed that most participants liked using the system and appreciated that it signaled changes in their physical functioning. However, usability was negatively influenced by a few technical errors.

Conclusion: Involvement of elderly users during the development process resulted in an interface with good usability. However, the technical functioning of the monitoring system needs to be optimized before it can be used to support elderly people in their self-management.

Keywords: community-dwelling elderly people; physical functioning; telemonitoring; usability; user-centered design.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Monitoring and feedback system. Notes: The monitoring and feedback system consists of three devices: a bathroom scale that measures weight and balance, a Grip-ball that measures grip strength, and a mobile phone with a built-in accelerometer that measures physical activity. Weight, balance and grip strength data are transferred to the mobile phone via Bluetooth. Via the screen of the mobile phone, feedback regarding (changes in) the physical indicators is provided to the elderly user. Besides that, all measurements are forwarded to a database that is accessible to care professionals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
User-centered development process. Abbreviations: UTT, Université de Technologie de Troyes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Three screenshots of the final interface.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Mean usability scores per participant. Abbreviation: PSSUQ, Post Study System Usability Questionnaire.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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