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Usability and User Experience Assessment of Health Care Conversational Agents Using Validated Subjective Instruments:
João Pavão1, Rute Bastardo2, Anabela Gonçalves Silva3
1Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science-INESC-TEC, Science and Technology School, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
Text-based health care conversational agents (HCAs) show higher usability than voice or embodied types. However, current assessment tools may not fully capture HCA user experience, necessitating standardized evaluation frameworks.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Digital applications, including health care conversational agents (HCAs), are vital for modern healthcare delivery.
- Usability and user experience are crucial for the adoption and effectiveness of HCAs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review subjective instruments for assessing HCA usability and user experience.
- To investigate if HCA technical characteristics influence assessment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was performed across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus.
- Studies evaluating HCA usability or user experience using subjective instruments were included.
Main Results:
- 127 studies were analyzed, covering text-based, voice-based, and embodied HCAs across various healthcare applications.
- The System Usability Scale (SUS) was the most common instrument, with text-based HCAs generally receiving higher scores.
- Significant heterogeneity in assessment methodologies and limitations of current instruments were noted.
Conclusions:
- Text-based HCAs may offer superior usability, but findings require cautious interpretation due to study heterogeneity and SUS limitations.
- There is a clear need for standardized assessment protocols and context-specific evaluation frameworks for HCAs.
- Improving methodological consistency is essential for reliable HCA usability and user experience research.
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