Development of 4to24, a Transition Application for Parents of Students With Visual Impairments

Abstract

Introduction This article focuses on the development of 4to24, an informational app for parents of students with visual impairments, with emphasis on obtaining stakeholder input, developing content, and establishing content validity. The app provides information, resources, and activities to help students, ages 4–24 years, prepare for independence and employment as an adult. Method App design and content development involved multiple phases of iterative design and writing. Stakeholder input was obtained via an advisory board and user focus groups with parents and students. Experts reviewed and validated content with ratings and recommendations on accuracy, age-appropriateness, and relevance. Results Advisory board members identified important domains to address in 4to24 including social skills, technology, travel skills, health and fitness, independent living, career education, and self-determination. They recommended focusing on elevating parents’ expectations and confidence in supporting and teaching their children. Focus group participants recommended accessibility, ease of use, and relevant information to make the app appealing to users. The content validation process supported the content’s relevance, accuracy, and age-appropriateness and resulted in a final count of 410 informational modules. Discussion Parent involvement and expectations are critical to students’ preparation for future employment. 4to24 provides support for parents to collaborate with service providers and reinforce concepts and skills outside of school. Development of the app technology and its large volume of content required a full 5-year process. Implications for practitioners Lessons learned from this project can inform future resource development projects, including recommendations to start small and define goals early in the process. The 4to24 app is a new resource for parents of students with visual impairments that can supplement services provided by professionals.

The Experiences of Parents of and Students With Visual Impairments With 4to24, a Transition Application

“…The SUS is a brief quantitative measure of perceived usability (Brooke, 1996) wherein participants rated their level of agreement for 10 items (e.g., “I felt very confident using the system”) on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Previous research conducted with various types of products supports the validity and reliability of the SUS (Bangor et al, 2008; Sauro, 2011). We generated total SUS scores for each participant using calculations provided by Brooke (1996).…”

“…At both time points, app SUS scores were above average (Sauro, 2011; Sauro & Lewis, 2012), indicating that participants felt that the app was user-friendly and intuitive. The SUS scores from the account setup survey demonstrated an upward trend for students compared to scores from our initial usability sessions with similar tasks (Antonelli et al, in press), perhaps due to the improvements made to the account setup process in response to user feedback. Logistical differences between the initial usability sessions and the field test could have also influenced SUS scores since initial sessions were moderated by researchers and involved only brief interactions with the app.…”

“…Participants’ positive ratings on the ease of the account setup process and quick setup times may reflect the team's efforts to streamline the process and fix the bugs identified during the previous project phases (Antonelli et al, in press). Students were slightly faster at setting up their accounts than parents.…”

“…Early stages included (a) obtaining input from stakeholders and (b) developing and validating app content (Antonelli et al, 2021). Information about technical development and initial usability testing with parents and students is available in Antonelli et al (in press). The final stage of the development process involved conducting a 6-month field test with parents and students.…”

“…See Antonelli et al (2021) for an overview of the development process and a timeline depicting the various stages. Early stages included (a) obtaining input from stakeholders and (b) developing and validating app content (Antonelli et al, 2021). Information about technical development and initial usability testing with parents and students is available in Antonelli et al (in press).…”