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Background: Canada’s legalization of recreational cannabis use (CU) has further highlighted the need for innovative interventions that promote lower-risk CU. Young adults aged 18-25 years represent the age group with the highest prevalence of CU. Protective behavioral strategies (PBSs) have been shown to help manage CU and reduce its negative consequences. To date, only a few interventions have focused on PBSs. To address this gap, a mobile app prototype using PBSs to influence CU was developed with and for young adults. Objective: This study aims to describe the development process and #usability testing of Joint Effort, a CU self-management mobile app prototype centered on promoting the use of PBSs among young adults with any past 30-day CU. Methods: Intervention mapping (IM) and a co-design approach were used. Six steps were followed: (1) focus groups were conducted to identify needs and preferences regarding CU interventions; (2) a matrix of change objectives was used to select target behaviors and determinants; (3) theory-based intervention methods and practical applications were selected; (4) focus groups were held to validate the intervention structure and examples of tailored messages; (5) preliminary intervention content was created; and (6) the intervention content was transposed into a mobile app prototype. #usability was assessed through qualitative semistructured interviews and the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS), completed by a sample of 20 university students with a mean age of 21.8 (median 22) years, 14 (70%) of whom were women and 15 (75%) were undergraduates. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were identified from the interviews: Joint Effort was visually pleasing and easy to use; the content was well-adapted to the target audience and nonjudgmental; customization functions were appreciated; and the app was perceived as helpful and relevant for initiating behavior change. The prototype received a mean quality score of 4.43/5.0 (SD 0.53) per item on the uMARS. The mean scores on the 5 subscales were as follows: engagement (4.14, SD 0.53), functionality (4.60, SD 0.47), aesthetics (4.53, SD 0.52), information quality (4.44, SD 0.61), and subjective quality (3.36, SD 0.53). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the added value of IM and a co-design approach, underscoring the importance of incorporating user feedback in the development of mobile apps. Building on the strong #usability results, the Joint Effort prototype has since been developed into an iOS mobile app, and larger-scale evaluations are currently underway to assess its acceptability, #feasibility, and efficacy.

Background: Game-based cognitive assessments (GBCAs) have the potential to transform the field of cognitive testing by enabling more effective screening of age-related cognitive decline. However, we lack a strong understanding of the usability and overall user experience of these games. This is a risk because the primary target users for GBCAs, older people, are seldom involved in game design research and development. Objective: This study aims to address this gap by investigating the usability, acceptability, and enjoyability of GBCAs for older people. Methods: This study followed established practices for undertaking evidence-based systematic reviews. Results: The initial database search returned 15,232 records. After a thorough screening process, 8 studies remained for extraction and analysis. A synthesis of the included papers identified 2 overlapping yet distinct areas of focus: system usability and subjective user experience. Usability scores were mostly positive across the studies included. However, in several of the game studies, older adults and those with cognitive impairment tended to find GBCAs less usable. This trend was observed even when the games were explicitly designed for these populations, and the tasks were simplistic and representative of basic daily activities. In our second focus area, user experience, we identified the importance of perceived challenge in mediating gameplay experience across groups. That is, generating the appropriate level of difficulty for each user is important for positive user experiences, specifically enjoyment. Conclusions: On the basis of these findings, we identified key learnings for researchers interested in designing and developing GBCAs. These include (1) recognizing that validity is essential but not sufficient on its own; (2) clearly defining the intended user; (3) designing games that align with the unique preferences and needs of older people; and (4), whenever possible, providing each user with their optimal level of challenge. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO CRD42023433298; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42023433298

This article is based on Abid Virani and Alwar Pillai’s talk at A11yNYC. Alwar’s career started as a user experience (UX) designer. She attended the Masters of Inclusive Design program at OCAD…

Relying on WCAG isn't enough to ensure accessibility. Conducting usability testing with disabled users is the only way. And is required by regulations such as the European Accessibility Act.

Eduard Kuric discusses the significance and role of context in the creation of relevant follow-up questions for unmoderated usability testing, how an AI tasked with interactive follow-up should be validated for its capability to incorporate such context, and what the potential — along with the risks — of AI interaction in usability testing.

Background: Clinical trial success depends on efficient participant recruitment and retention, yet low enrollment and high attrition remain persistent challenges. To address these issues, we developed RecruitGPS, a scalable dashboard that provides…

Eduard Kuric discusses the significance and role of context in the creation of relevant follow-up questions for unmoderated usability testing, how an AI tasked with interactive follow-up should be validated for its capability to incorporate such context, and what the potential — along with the risks — of AI interaction in usability testing.

Background: #usability testing is valuable for assessing a new tool or system’s usefulness and ease-of-use. Several established methods of #usability testing exist, including think aloud testing. Although #usability testing has been shown to be crucial to…

Background: Mobile Integrated Care for Childhood Obesity is a multicomponent intervention for caregivers of young children with obesity from rural communities that was developed in collaboration with community, parent, and health care partners. It…