Currently accepted at: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jul 24, 2025
Date Accepted: Jan 28, 2026
This paper has been accepted and is currently in production.
It will appear shortly on 10.2196/81247
The final accepted version (not copyedited yet) is in this tab.
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Usability study of iSupport Swiss: a WHO culturally adapted digital intervention for caregivers of people with dementia
ABSTRACT
Background:
Dementia presents a pressing public health challenge, with informal caregivers playing a pivotal role in supporting people with dementia (PwD). Digital interventions like WHO iSupport offer scalable, self-guided psychosocial and educational support for caregivers. However, effective implementation relies on strong usability, particularly for older adults with varying levels of digital literacy.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the usability of the desktop version of iSupport Swiss, a WHO culturally adapted digital intervention for informal caregivers of PwD in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland.
Methods:
We conducted a mixed-methods usability study at the Università della Svizzera italiana. Participants completed a pre-test questionnaire to collect sociodemographics and digital health literacy measures via eHEALS), 11 structured usability tasks, a post-test System Usability Scale (SUS), and a semi-structured interview. Task performance was observed and analyzed, including completion rates and qualitative feedback using the think-aloud technique. Interviews were analyzed via thematic analysis.
Results:
Twelve caregivers (10 informal and 2 formal) took part in the study. Most part of participants showed high digital proficiency (mean eHEALS = 31.17, SD = 5.84) and completed most tasks successfully or with minimal support. The mean SUS score was 71.5 (SD = 12.27), indicating good usability. Website features were rated positively, especially information quality (mean = 4.58/5) and quantity (mean = 4.42/5), though ease of navigation scored lower (mean = 3.42/5). Qualitative interviews revealed five core dimensions: content quality and relevance, credibility of the source, navigational and usability, interactivity, and emotional impact. Participants reported the platform as useful, trustworthy, and emotionally supportive, especially for those at the early stages of the caregiving journey. Suggestions included clearer language switching, improved navigation cues, and more personalized feedback in exercises.
Conclusions:
iSupport Swiss demonstrated overall good usability among caregivers, supporting its further implementation. Key areas for refinement include navigation clarity and user-tailored feedback. Participants appreciated the emotional resonance and credibility of the program, underlining its potential to enhance caregiver self-efficacy and early help-seeking. Usability testing proved essential to identify both functional and affective dimensions of user experience. Future work should extend to broader and more diverse populations, incorporate real-world usage settings, and examine long-term engagement to optimize adoption and impact.
Citation
