Experienced usability of assistive technology for cognitive support with respect to user goals

Studies have shown that Assistive Technology (AT) for cognitive support can support users in everyday activities. However, whether the AT actually supports the user to achieve their individual goals must further be examined.

The study objective was to examine the experienced usability of features in AT for cognitive support for users with cognitive impairment.

A content analysis was applied on data from interviews and field notes collected during two six-month interventions in which persons with cognitive impairment tested AT for cognitive support.

Features, included in the AT support that enhanced the user's sense of control, were identified as promotional for the achievement of user goals, and some features, such as reminders, were more sensitive to the specific user's perceptions and motives. Also, features related to how the AT was maintained and communicated with other technology were very influential.

The results show that easily maintained AT that fits in to the context of use increases the user's sense of control of the AT and thereby promotes the goal achievement and usability of the AT. Further, the usability of the AT is very influenced by contextual factors such as the ordinary mobile network, the Internet, and the operators.