Usability Inspection of Multipurpose Scalable Informed Consent Platform.

Area of Science:

• Clinical Research Technology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Informed Consent Process

Background:

• Traditional informed consent processes can be complex and difficult for participants to fully understand.
• There is a need for adaptable and user-friendly digital tools to improve the informed consent experience in research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a multipurpose, scalable electronic informed consent (E-Consent) platform.
• To assess the usability and participant satisfaction with the E-Consent platform for delivering complex research information.

Main Methods:

• Developed a reusable E-Consent platform enabling research staff to upload multimedia protocol information.
• Conducted usability inspections using cognitive walkthroughs and participant surveys.
• Utilized the System Usability Scale (SUS) to quantify usability and satisfaction.

Main Results:

• The E-Consent platform was rated as easy-to-use, satisfying, and timely by participants.
• The system successfully delivered complex information and recorded user consents in an understandable manner.
• E-Consent achieved a top 10th percentile ranking for usability based on SUS scores.

Conclusions:

• The developed E-Consent framework is a highly usable and extensible solution for various research settings.
• The platform enhances the informed consent process by delivering complex information effectively and engagingly.
• E-Consent represents a significant advancement in digital tools for clinical research participant engagement.