Mobile health for older adult patients: Using an aging barriers framework to classify usability problems

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Digital Health

Background:

• Aging populations necessitate digital health tools for independent living and chronic illness self-management.
• Current mobile health (mHealth) applications often lack user-friendliness for older adults.
• Understanding intrinsic aging barriers is crucial for developing effective mHealth services for the elderly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess usability problems encountered by older patients in two mHealth applications.
• To demonstrate the utility of the MOLD-US framework in classifying the intrinsic causes of these usability issues.

Main Methods:

• A case-study design was employed for in-depth analysis of usability issues.
• The Think Aloud Protocol was used to collect data on usability problems within two mHealth apps.
• The MOLD-US framework and Nielsen's severity rating were applied for issue classification.

Main Results:

• Twenty-eight high-severity usability issues were identified in the mHealth apps.
• Issues were primarily linked to motivational and cognitive barriers common in older adults.
• Participants struggled with app navigation, overlooking important text, buttons, and icons.

Conclusions:

• Existing mHealth designs often neglect established guidelines for older user groups.
• Design strategies must account for age-related declines in cognition, physical ability, and motivation.
• Utilizing frameworks like MOLD-US enhances insights into aging barriers for improved mHealth design and evaluation.