Testing Usability and Acceptability of a Web Application to Promote Physical Activity (iCanFit) Among Older Adults

Abstract

BackgroundMost older Americans do not exercise regularly and many have chronic conditions. Among an increasing number of fitness mobile and Web apps, few are designed for older adults with chronic conditions despite high ownership rates of mobile tools and Internet access in this population. We designed a mobile-enabled Web app, iCanFit, to promote physical activity in this population.ObjectiveThis study aimed to test the usability and acceptability of iCanFit among older adults in a community setting.MethodsA total of 33 older adults (aged 60 to 82 years) were recruited from communities to test iCanFit. Of these 33, 10 participants completed the usability testing in a computer room of a senior community center. A research assistant timed each Web application task and observed user navigation behavior using usability metrics. The other 23 participants used the website on their own devices at home and provided feedback after 2-3 weeks by completing a user-experience survey assessing ease of use, helpfulness, and satisfaction with iCanFit.ResultsParticipants completed all 15 tasks on the iCanFit site in an average of 31 (SD 6.9) minutes; some tasks required more time or needed assistance. Participants’ comments were addressed to improve the site’s senior friendliness and ease of use. In the user-experience survey, participants reported high levels of usefulness and satisfaction. More than 56% (13/23) of participants indicated they would continue using the program and recommend it to their families or friends.ConclusionsTesting usability and acceptability is a very important step in developing age-appropriate and user-friendly Web apps, especially for older adults. Testing usability and acceptability in a community setting can help reveal users’ experiences and feedback in a real-life setting. Our study suggested that older adults had a high degree of acceptance of iCanFit and could use it easily. The efficacy trial of iCanFit is currently underway.

Social and environmental predictors of walking among older adults

“…In line with the “exercise as medicine” philosophy, we encourage physicians to assess and advise their older patients on how they can be more physically active for health promotion and disease prevention. Additionally, we endorse efforts underway to inform physicians of the impact of environmental factors on their patient’s health [52] and to create and disseminate inventories of places where older adults can safely walk [53, 54]. Recognizing the important influence that mental health concerns can have on initiating and sustaining healthy lifestyles [37], consistent with clinical guidelines for older patients [55], we also recommend that physicians assess whether late-life depression or other mental health symptomatology are present and how these can be addressed to enhance activity levels and overall quality of life.…”

Interest in Health Behavior Intervention Delivery Modalities Among Cancer Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In their formative research for a mobile-enabled Web app to promote physical activity in older cancer survivors, Hong et al [27,28] found that while participants were enthusiastic regarding participation in an online health intervention, less than 10% reported accessing the Internet through their smartphones. In a design survey, 80% of 92 interview participants [27] reported that they would participate in an online physical activity program, but only 56% of pilot participants indicated that they would continue using the program after the intervention had completed [28]. In addition, participants typically accessed the app via a desktop or laptop computer, with only 9% accessing it through a smartphone [28].…”

“…In a design survey, 80% of 92 interview participants [27] reported that they would participate in an online physical activity program, but only 56% of pilot participants indicated that they would continue using the program after the intervention had completed [28]. In addition, participants typically accessed the app via a desktop or laptop computer, with only 9% accessing it through a smartphone [28]. Our findings support the results of this formative work, indicating that overall interest in health behavior interventions is low in this population and Web apps accessed via the computer may be preferable to those accessed via smartphone.…”

“…For example, Eakin et al found that breast cancer survivors participating in their telephone-based exercise intervention were more likely to report interest in the same intervention being delivered face to face versus the Internet (83% vs 76%) [25]. Age has also been shown to be predictive of delivery preference [26] and use [27,28]. Increasingly, specific information is needed to understand cancer survivors’ preferences for intervention modalities in order to design programs that produce the greatest public health impact.…”

Vaccination attitudes and mobile readiness: A survey of expectant and new mothers

“…Our sample size also limited the power of the study to detect associations between mobile usage and vaccination attitudes although it is consistent with other studies conducted to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability or efficacy of smartphone mediated interventions for health. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] However, our ability to detect associations was more limited by Figure 1. The distribution of participant mobile readiness scores (n D 54) calculated using the mean response to survey questions examining baseline mobile usage behavior outlined in Table 3.…”