JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mobile health (mHealth) applications show promise for delivering physical activity interventions, but uptake remains low due to usability barriers. Beta testing is essential to optimize user experience before full implementation.

Objective:

To evaluate the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of the 50K4Life mobile application (50K4Life app) prototype for delivering a two-week walking challenge to public school administrative employees.

Methods:

Following the Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share (IDEAS) framework, we conducted a single-group beta test with 12 public school administrative employees in El Paso County, Texas. Participants used the 50K4Life app built on the Pathverse platform for a two-week walking challenge. Data collection included acceptability surveys, satisfaction questionnaires, app utilization metrics, and qualitative debriefing sessions.

Results:

All 12 participants completed the walking challenge. Acceptability was high for app design (91.7%), layout (75.0%), and battery impact (83.3% reported no issues). However, participants experienced difficulties with navigation (58.3%), delays in updating step counts (66.7%), and completion of assigned tasks (41.7% could not locate all features). App utilization was high: 100% accessed the leaderboard and walking challenge page, 91.6% synced step data and set step goals. Qualitative feedback identified needs for improved user engagement features, better synchronization, and enhanced visual appeal.

Conclusions:

The 50K4Life app demonstrated feasibility for delivering walking challenges with high engagement rates. However, improvements in navigation, data synchronization, and user interface are needed before full-scale implementation. This beta testing approach provides a valuable framework for optimizing mHealth interventions.