Designing an mHealth prototype for people with disabilities: insights from co-design and heuristic evaluation

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation science
• Human-computer interaction
• Assistive technology

Background:

• Transitioning from inpatient rehabilitation to community living presents challenges for individuals with newly acquired disabilities.
• Peer navigators offer valuable support, but in-person services can be inaccessible.
• Mobile health (mHealth) offers a potential solution for remote support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To co-design a user-centered mHealth app with peer navigators with disabilities.
• To improve accessibility and engagement in peer support services during community reintegration.
• To identify design implications for developing inclusive mHealth tools.

Main Methods:

• Co-design methodology involving four peer navigators with disabilities across three sessions.
• Development of personas and iterative refinement of low- and high-fidelity prototypes.
• Heuristic evaluation with 22 human-computer interaction students and a focus group with three students.

Main Results:

• Iterative improvements were made to the mHealth app based on usability evaluations and user feedback.
• Key design considerations for collaborating with people with disabilities were identified.
• The co-design process highlighted the importance of user involvement in technology development.

Conclusions:

• mHealth apps can effectively facilitate remote peer support for individuals with disabilities.
• Collaborative design with end-users, particularly those with lived experience, is crucial for developing accessible and usable technology.
• Lessons learned provide valuable insights for future mHealth tool development in disability research.