User-Centred Design with a Remote Approach: Experiences from the Chronic Pain Project

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• User-centered design (UCD) is crucial for developing effective health applications.
• The Chronic Pain research project aimed to create a shared decision-making tool for personalized pain management.
• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid adaptation of UCD processes due to social distancing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the transformation of an in-person UCD process to a digital approach.
• To share experiences from conducting a remote co-creation user workshop with patients and physicians.
• To provide practical recommendations for implementing remote UCD methodologies in health technology development.

Main Methods:

• The study utilized a user-centered design process.
• A patient organization collaborated throughout the development.
• Co-creation workshops were conducted remotely using digital tools.

Main Results:

• The digital adaptation of the user-centered design process was satisfactory.
• Remote co-creation workshops were feasible and effective.
• The project successfully involved end-users despite physical distancing restrictions.

Conclusions:

• Remote user-centered design methodologies can be successfully applied in health technology development.
• Digital co-creation offers a viable alternative for user engagement during public health crises.
• Sharing practical recommendations facilitates the adoption of remote UCD in similar research projects.