Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting
Date Submitted: Jul 12, 2023
Date Accepted: Oct 2, 2023
Usability and Perception of a Wearable-Integrated Digital Maternity Record App in Germany: User Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Although digital maternity records (DMR) have been evaluated in the past, no previous work investigated usability or acceptance through an observational usability study.
Objective:
The primary objective was to assess usability and perception of a DMR smartphone application (app) for pregnant women. The secondary objective was to assess personal preferences and habits on online information search, wearable data presentation and interpretation, at-home examination, and sharing data for research purposes during pregnancy.
Methods:
A DMR smartphone app was developed. Key features such as wearable device integration, study functionalities (e.g. questionnaires), and common pregnancy app functionalities (e.g. mood tracker) were included. Women who had previously given birth were invited to participate. Participants completed 10 tasks while asked to think aloud. Sessions were conducted via Zoom. Video, audio, and the shared screen were recorded for analysis. Task completion times, task success, errors, and self-reported (free text) feedback were evaluated. Usability was measured through System Usability Scale (SUS) and User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ). Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the secondary objective.
Results:
11 participants (mean age: 34.6 years, standard deviation (SD): 2.2) were included in the study. A mean SUS score of 79.09 (SD: 18.38) was achieved. The app was rated “above average” in 4/6 UEQ categories. 16 unique features were requested. 5/11 participants would only use wearables during pregnancy if requested to by their physician. 10/11 women stated they would share their data for research purposes.
Conclusions:
Pregnant women rely on their medical caregivers for advice, also regarding the use of mobile and ubiquitous health technology. Clear benefits must be communicated if issuing wearable devices to pregnant women. Participants that experienced pregnancy complications in the past were overall more open towards the use of wearable devices in pregnancy. Pregnant women have different opinions regarding access to, interpretation, and reaction to alerts based on wearable data. Future work should investigate personalized concepts covering these aspects.
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