Adapting usability testing techniques to gather user requirements: an illustrative proposal

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Software Engineering

Background:

• Effective medical imaging software is crucial for accurate diagnosis in emergency situations.
• Current system development may not adequately capture user requirements, especially for specialized environments like trauma departments.
• Early-stage usability testing can bridge the gap between user needs and system design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and illustrate a methodology for conducting usability testing during the pre-planning and pre-development phases of medical imaging software.
• To determine essential software functionalities for assessing medical images in emergency trauma care.
• To assess the value of data gathered through early-stage usability testing.

Main Methods:

• An illustrative pilot usability study was conducted.
• The study involved two participants interacting with a proposed system concept.
• A methodology for usability testing in the pre-development phase was proposed and demonstrated.

Main Results:

• The pilot study illustrated the proposed methodology for usability testing.
• Data collected indicated significant potential value for informing system design.
• The methodology proved effective in identifying potential software requirements.

Conclusions:

• Usability testing in the pre-planning and pre-development phase is highly beneficial for system requirement gathering.
• The proposed methodology shows promise for enhancing medical imaging software development.
• A full pilot study is recommended to validate these initial findings and the methodology's effectiveness.