Innovative mobile app solution for facial nerve rehabilitation: a usability analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Technology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Digital Health

Background:

• Facial palsy following vestibular schwannoma surgery impacts patient quality of life.
• Physical training is crucial for facial nerve function recovery.
• Medical apps can enhance rehabilitation by boosting motivation and monitoring progress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and assess the usability of the FACEsemper mobile application for home-based facial nerve rehabilitation.
• To evaluate user experience and identify areas for improvement in the app.

Main Methods:

• A mobile app, FACEsemper, was designed for guided daily facial exercises with features like customization, reminders, and progress tracking.
• Usability was prospectively evaluated over two weeks in 27 subjects (physicians, patients, healthy individuals) using questionnaires (mHealth App Usability Questionnaire, System Usability Scale, Visual Aesthetics of Apps Inventory).

Main Results:

• Participants reported high average usability scores (MAUQ: 5.67/7, SUS: 89.6/100, VisAAI: 5.88/7).
• Patients used the app significantly more than other groups (p=0.017).
• High ratings were given for simplicity and craftsmanship; usability scores were similar across groups. A reminder malfunction was noted on some Android versions.

Conclusions:

• The FACEsemper app demonstrates positive user experience and excellent usability for facial rehabilitation.
• Identified limitations include the reminder feature's performance on certain Android versions.
• Future evaluation in a large patient cohort is recommended to determine medical benefits compared to traditional methods.