Dahlia Kairy1,2, Mir Abolfazl Mostafavi3,4, Catherine Blanchette-Dallaire5, Eva Belanger6, Andrea Corbeil6, Meena Kandiah6, Tian Qiang Wu6, Barbara Mazer2,6. 1. School of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3N 1X7, Canada. 2. Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal, Montreal, QC H3S 1M9, Canada. 3. Département des Sciences Géomatiques, Faculté de Foresterie, de Géographie et de Géomatique, Centre de Recherche en Donnée et Intelligence Géospatiales, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada. 4. Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Quebec City, QC G1M 2S8, Canada. 5. OnRoule.org, Montreal, QC H2L 1S5, Canada. 6. School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Social participation is beneficial for individuals' health. However, people with disabilities that may lead to mobility limitations tend to experience lower levels of social participation. Information and communication technologies such as the OnRoule mobile application (app) can help promote social participation. OBJECTIVES: To obtain potential users' perceptions on the usability and content of the OnRoule app for providing information on accessibility, as well as its potential to optimize social participation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional user-centered design study. Individuals with physical disabilities (n = 18) were recruited through community organizations and interviewed using a semi-structured guide. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified: (1) "user-friendliness"; (2) "balance between the amount and relevance of information"; and (3) "potential use of the app". DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Findings from this study indicated that the app was easy to use, had pertinent information, and enabled a positive experience of finding information. However, several areas of improvement were identified, such as the clarity of specific elements, organization and amount of information, optimization of features, and inclusiveness. Apps such as OnRoule could optimize social participation by facilitating the process of finding resources in the community and building a sense of connectedness between users.
BACKGROUND: Social participation is beneficial for individuals' health. However, people with disabilities that may lead to mobility limitations tend to experience lower levels of social participation. Information and communication technologies such as the OnRoule mobile application (app) can help promote social participation. OBJECTIVES: To obtain potential users' perceptions on the usability and content of the OnRoule app for providing information on accessibility, as well as its potential to optimize social participation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional user-centered design study. Individuals with physical disabilities (n = 18) were recruited through community organizations and interviewed using a semi-structured guide. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified: (1) "user-friendliness"; (2) "balance between the amount and relevance of information"; and (3) "potential use of the app". DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Findings from this study indicated that the app was easy to use, had pertinent information, and enabled a positive experience of finding information. However, several areas of improvement were identified, such as the clarity of specific elements, organization and amount of information, optimization of features, and inclusiveness. Apps such as OnRoule could optimize social participation by facilitating the process of finding resources in the community and building a sense of connectedness between users.
Entities:
Keywords:
accessibility; mHealth; mobile application; physical disability; social participation; usability; user-centered design
Authors: Gurkaran Singh; Ethan Simpson; Megan K MacGillivray; Bonita Sawatzky; Jared Adams; W Ben Mortenson Journal: Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil Date: 2022-04-12