Grieve Natalie, Braaten Kyra, MacPherson Megan, Liu Sam, Jung Mary E
Faculty of Health and Social Development, University of British Columbia, 1238 Discovery Way, Kelowna, BC, V1V1V7, Canada, 1 250 807 9670.
Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
JMIR Form Res. 2025 Feb 11;9:e59386. doi: 10.2196/59386.
Technology is more likely to be used when it is designed to meet the needs of end users. To supplement the Small Steps for Big Changes diabetes prevention program, a smartphone app was developed in partnership with past Small Steps for Big Changes clientele. Usability testing is critical for the ongoing use and adoption of mobile health apps by providing insight on where appropriate adjustments and improvements need to be made to ensure user satisfaction.
A focus group with 7 participants was conducted to examine the app's usability and collect feedback for future iterations.
Past Small Steps for Big Changes clientele participated in a cognitive walkthrough of 8 novel tasks and completed the System Usability Scale survey. Participants were then given the option to use the app for 3 weeks before completing the User-Mobile Application Rating Scale.
Analysis of the cognitive walkthrough identified 26 usability problems; each was coded using a heuristic evaluation to describe usability errors. The most frequently coded errors included inappropriate progress feedback, information appearing in an illogical order, counterintuitive design, and issues with app aesthetics. A mean summary score of 66.8% (SD 18.91) was reported for the System Usability Scale, representing a marginal acceptability score and indicating that design issues needed to be resolved. A User-Mobile Application Rating Scale mean score of 3.59 (SD 0.33) was reported, implying an average acceptability rating.
These findings identified necessary improvements in the app, ranging from minor aesthetic problems to major functionality problems. Involving end users allows the app to be tailored to the client's preferences and increases the likelihood of usage. This app aligns with Small Steps for Big Changes' program components and behavior change techniques that can improve health outcomes for future clients and allow them to self-monitor their exercise, diet, and goals.
当技术设计旨在满足终端用户需求时，其更有可能被使用。为补充“大改变的小步骤”糖尿病预防计划，与“大改变的小步骤”计划的过往客户合作开发了一款智能手机应用程序。可用性测试对于移动健康应用程序的持续使用和采用至关重要，它能洞察何处需要进行适当调整和改进以确保用户满意度。
开展了一次有7名参与者的焦点小组讨论，以检查该应用程序的可用性并收集未来迭代的反馈。
“大改变的小步骤”计划的过往客户参与了8项新任务的认知走查，并完成了系统可用性量表调查。然后，参与者可以选择在完成用户-移动应用程序评分量表之前使用该应用程序3周。
对认知走查的分析确定了26个可用性问题；每个问题都使用启发式评估进行编码，以描述可用性错误。编码最频繁的错误包括进度反馈不当、信息呈现顺序不合逻辑、设计违反直觉以及应用程序美观性问题。系统可用性量表的平均总结得分为66.8%（标准差18.91），代表勉强可接受的分数，表明设计问题需要解决。用户-移动应用程序评分量表的平均得分为3.59（标准差0.33），意味着平均可接受评级。
这些发现确定了该应用程序需要进行的必要改进，范围从小的美观问题到重大功能问题。让终端用户参与可以使应用程序根据客户的偏好进行定制，并增加使用的可能性。该应用程序与“大改变的小步骤”计划的组成部分和行为改变技术相一致，这些技术可以改善未来客户的健康状况，并使他们能够自我监测运动、饮食和目标。
