Jones Lenette M, Monroe Korrey E, Tripathi Priya, Bashshur Mary J, Kavalakatt Joachim, Tarrance Kierra, Mitchell Jamie, Hawkins Jaclynn
Department of Health Behavior and Biological Sciences, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton, Erie, PA, USA.
Mhealth. 2024 Jul 22;10:26. doi: 10.21037/mhealth-24-6. eCollection 2024.
High blood pressure (hypertension) disproportionately affects African American/Black (Black) women. Previous research suggests that self-managing hypertension may be challenging, yet mobile applications (apps) can help to empower patients and increase medication adherence. We developed questions to test the usability of evaluating the WHISE (Wellness, Hypertension, Information Sharing, Self-Management, Education) mobile app for Black women with hypertension.
Fifteen participants completed usability testing; five were potential app users (Black women with hypertension); each invited two of their peers to participate. Each testing session (n=5) included a brief overview of the app, time for participants to complete surveys and have an active discussion about the app (concurrent and retrospective think-aloud, concurrent and retrospective probing, per usability.gov), and observation of participants' body language during the session. Testing sessions were designed to familiarize participants with the app's features and examine their navigating ability.
The app received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with 80% of participants finding it to be a valuable tool in hypertension management. Participants praised the app's user-friendliness and educational value, with one stating, 'It is a good educational piece for helping people manage hypertension, at least to understand its basics.' Another participant highlighted the potential for community support, saying, 'Having a community, having some people to be accountable, to check in with and see how things are going, could encourage and motivate people to be more diligent about managing their hypertension.' Some participants also provided constructive feedback, suggesting font size adjustments (73%) and color scheme changes (60%) for certain screens.
Based on the feedback we received, we were able to mitigate the participants' concerns about font size and color and create tutorial videos to guide future users in using the app. We completed these changes prior to deploying the app in our randomized clinical controlled trial.
高血压对非裔美国/黑人女性的影响尤为严重。先前的研究表明，自我管理高血压可能具有挑战性，但移动应用程序（应用）有助于增强患者能力并提高药物依从性。我们设计了一些问题，以测试用于评估WHISE（健康、高血压、信息共享、自我管理、教育）移动应用程序对患有高血压的黑人女性的可用性。
15名参与者完成了可用性测试；其中5名是潜在的应用用户（患有高血压的黑人女性）；每人邀请了两位同龄人参与。每次测试环节（n = 5）都包括对应用程序的简要概述，让参与者有时间完成调查问卷并就应用程序进行积极讨论（按照usability.gov的要求进行并发和回顾性出声思考、并发和回顾性探查），以及在测试过程中观察参与者的肢体语言。测试环节旨在让参与者熟悉应用程序的功能并检查他们的导航能力。
该应用程序获得了压倒性的积极反馈，80%的参与者认为它是高血压管理中的一个有价值的工具。参与者称赞了应用程序的用户友好性和教育价值，其中一人表示，“这是一个很好的教育工具，有助于人们管理高血压，至少能帮助他们了解其基本知识。”另一位参与者强调了社区支持的潜力，称“拥有一个社区，有一些人可以相互负责、相互联系并了解进展情况，这可以鼓励和激励人们更加勤勉地管理自己的高血压。”一些参与者也提供了建设性的反馈，建议对某些屏幕进行字体大小调整（73%）和配色方案更改（60%）。
根据我们收到的反馈，我们能够减轻参与者对字体大小和颜色的担忧，并制作教程视频以指导未来用户使用该应用程序。我们在将该应用程序用于我们的随机临床对照试验之前完成了这些更改。
