The Usability of a Smartphone-Based Fall Risk Assessment App for Adult Wheelchair Users: Observational Study.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Frechette, Mikaela Fanning, Jason Hsieh, Katherine Rice, Laura Sosnoff, Jacob
Editor	Leung, Tiffany
Copyright Year	2022
Abstract	BackgroundIndividuals who use wheelchairs and scooters rarely undergo fall risk screening. Mobile health technology is a possible avenue to provide fall risk assessment. The promise of this approach is dependent upon its usability.ObjectiveWe aimed to determine the usability of a fall risk mobile health app and identify key technology development insights for aging adults who use wheeled devices.MethodsTwo rounds (with 5 participants in each round) of usability testing utilizing an iterative design-evaluation process were performed. Participants completed use of the custom-designed fall risk app, Steady-Wheels. To quantify fall risk, the app led participants through 12 demographic questions and 3 progressively more challenging seated balance tasks. Once completed, participants shared insights on the app’s usability through semistructured interviews and completion of the Systematic Usability Scale. Testing sessions were recorded and transcribed. Codes were identified within the transcriptions to create themes. Average Systematic Usability Scale scores were calculated for each round.ResultsThe first round of testing yielded 2 main themes: ease of use and flexibility of design. Systematic Usability Scale scores ranged from 72.5 to 97.5 with a mean score of 84.5 (SD 11.4). After modifications were made, the second round of testing yielded 2 new themes: app layout and clarity of instruction. Systematic Usability Scale scores improved in the second iteration and ranged from 87.5 to 97.5 with a mean score of 91.9 (SD 4.3).ConclusionsThe mobile health app, Steady-Wheels, has excellent usability and the potential to provide adult wheeled device users with an easy-to-use, remote fall risk assessment tool. Characteristics that promoted usability were guided navigation, large text and radio buttons, clear and brief instructions accompanied by representative illustrations, and simple error recovery. Intuitive fall risk reporting was achieved through the presentation of a single number located on a color-coordinated continuum that delineated low, medium, and high risk.
Journal	JMIR Formative Research
Volume Number	6
PubMed Central reference number	PMC9526126
Issue Number	9
PubMed reference number	36112405
e-ISSN	2561326X
DOI	10.2196/32453
Language	English
Publisher	JMIR Publications
Publisher Date	2022-09-16
Publisher Place	Toronto, Canada
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Formative Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://formative.jmir.org, as well as this copyright and license information must be included. ©Mikaela Frechette, Jason Fanning, Katherine Hsieh, Laura Rice, Jacob Sosnoff. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 16.09.2022.
Subject Keyword	usability testing mobile health wheeled device user fall risk telehealth mHealth mobile device smartphone health applications older adults elderly population device usability
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Health Informatics Medicine