Usability and Acceptance of an Interactive Tablet-Based Exercise Application: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate usability and acceptance of a newly developed interactive, tablet-based exercise application (app) and to explore personal opinions of therapists when using this app in the clinical setting.Methods: Twenty participants (10 therapists and 10 inactive healthy adults) tested usability of this app performing different test tasks, using the think aloud method, and rated overall satisfaction with the System Usability Scale and acceptance with a modified Technology Acceptance Model Questionnaire. For a secondary objective, personal opinions of therapists were evaluated with two focus groups, one for team leaders and one for team members.Results: Overall, the app was judged to be usable. Effectiveness varied between 73 and 90%, overall satisfaction between 70.5 and 85.5/100 points and acceptance between 74 and 80%. Team leader and team member focus groups considered the app as providing a great opportunity for therapy extension, especially because of its blended character. Barriers to its implementation were seen in the existing clinical working processes, personal attitudes of therapists and uncertainty of who would cover expenses for this new form of therapy. Some improvements such as using videos instead of photos, the integration of more interactive tools and the possibility to add additional exercises were suggested in both settings. Conclusion:The app showed high acceptance and usability in trainees and therapists, although some ideas for upgrading functions were formulated. Before this app can be used in clinical practice, feasibility of this blended approach should be evaluated in a clinical setting.

A Newly Developed Exergame-Based Telerehabilitation System for Older Adults: Usability and Technology Acceptance Study

“…The overall acceptance ratings based on the UTAUT were high among both OAs and HPs. These findings align with those of Baschung Pfister et al [57], who investigated the acceptance of an interactive tablet-based exercise application sharing many characteristics with the COCARE system and obtained comparable results. Despite using the TAM as a measure for acceptance and having slightly younger participants (mean age of 57, SD 10 y), their findings support the assumption that remotely managed training using ICTs is generally accepted by older patients, as is the use of technologies for exergaming.…”

“…Looking at other previous studies [57][58][59][60], the latter factor is especially likely to result in a lower SUS score. For instance, Baschung Pfister et al [57] conducted a usability study on an interactive tablet-based exercise application for independent home-based training, which was, similar to the COCARE system, developed by researchers from ETH, University Hospital Zürich, and Dividat AG. Participants in that study were healthy younger adults with a mean age of 38 (SD 9) and OAs with a mean age of 57 (SD 10), and the application indeed obtained higher SUS scores in the younger participants.…”

“…It is worth noting that usability scores from previous studies on similar exergame systems vary, with some studies showing slightly higher [18,56,57] or even significantly higher SUS scores [14,57]. However, in all these studies except one [57], usability was assessed after 10 to 24 training sessions, whereas in this study, the COCARE system was evaluated after only 1 exergame session.…”

“…This difference could potentially be explained by the inclusion of participants with mobility limitations and a higher mean age (80.5, SD 4.9 y) in the study by Thalmann et al [55]. Looking at other previous studies [57][58][59][60], the latter factor is especially likely to result in a lower SUS score. For instance, Baschung Pfister et al [57] conducted a usability study on an interactive tablet-based exercise application for independent home-based training, which was, similar to the COCARE system, developed by researchers from ETH, University Hospital Zürich, and Dividat AG.…”

Patient Perspectives on Using a Smartphone App to Support Home-Based Exercise During Physical Therapy Treatment: Qualitative Study

“…Additional information on physical therapists’ perspectives regarding working with mHealth apps to support HBE and the effects of the physical therapist–patient relation on treatment results might lead to more effective treatments in the future. Although explorative research regarding the usability and acceptability of an app to support HBE by physical therapists is available, research involving physical therapists, patients, and their interactions when using smartphone apps to support HBE is still lacking and should be further investigated [ 29 ].…”