Using co-design to develop a tool for shared goal-setting with parents in speech and language therapy

Area of Science:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Health Sciences Research

Background:

• Collaborative goal-setting is crucial in family-centered speech and language therapy (SLT) but often therapist-led for children with developmental language disorder (DLD).
• Lack of parental engagement stems from communication complexities and insufficient support for parents in the goal-setting process.
• Co-design methodology is relatively new in SLT research for developing user-centered tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the co-design process for developing a physical tool to support SLTs in engaging parents of children with DLD in collaborative goal-setting.
• To enhance shared decision-making regarding children's communicative participation goals.

Main Methods:

• Co-design methodology based on the Design Council's Double Diamond model, involving eight SLT practitioners.
• Usability testing of prototypes in goal-setting conversations between SLTs and parents.
• Evaluation of prototype usability using five criteria rated by 64 SLTs.

Main Results:

• Development of the 'ENGAGE' physical tool, a tree-shaped artefact with magnetic leaves for participation goals.
• Initial prototype received usability scores of 7.0-8.0/10; final prototype showed significant improvements in attractiveness, user-friendliness, and safety.
• Functionality and affordability scores remained consistent across prototypes.

Conclusions:

• Co-design with end-users, specifically SLTs, resulted in an innovative, user-centered physical tool ('ENGAGE') that aids dialogue and information organization in therapy goal-setting.
• Advocacy for the widespread adoption of co-design in developing tools for clinical practice to enhance user engagement and innovation.
• The ENGAGE tool is expected to add value and improve implementation in clinical practice by facilitating SLT-parent collaboration for children with DLD.