Table 1.

Summary of primary themes identified from qualitative descriptive analysis of focus groups

Theme	Definition	Example
1. Trust in data for decision making	This theme includes issues associated with the source of data for visual displays and what types of health information would be useful when visualized.	“Oh interesting, would have thought it would have been longer and or be closer in gap because at eight weeks it seems as though now people think they don’t feel as well then, interesting, eight weeks hmm.”
2A. Visualization of health – perceived as focused view (individual components)	This theme deals with visual displays that are perceived primarily as displaying individual components of wellness through different features of the visual display.	“I really appreciate that it’s a square and I feel like the different angles tell me something too. “
2B. Visualization of health – perceived as summary view (holistic)	This theme deals with visual displays that are perceived primarily as displaying summary views of wellness.	“I feel like I can glance at it and we can, tell there is more area inside the blue polygon then the red…”
3A. Cognitive issues – Cognitive overload	Theme associated with an overload of information from the visual displays resulting in difficulty interpreting the information.	“I can see this being pretty confusing for a family member though. If I’m trying to show them that they are going to be, whoa, what is that?”
3B. Cognitive issues – Contrast issues	Use of visual displays to impact cognitive load for comparisons of health information within display.	“I think it’s subtle but you can tell what the differences are but they’re not, it’s not drastic enough to make a point.”
3C. Cognitive issues – Training and experience	Theme focused on the learning curve involved with interpreting and using visual displays and how this might negatively impact uptake of visual displays.	“… the reason I think it looks confusing and overwhelming at first is because I have never seen it represented in that way before.”
4A. Use of visual displays – Decision making	Theme related to how visual displays can impact the decision making process amongst health care providers, older adults, and family and friends. This theme also includes shared-decision-making.	“And if you know one aspect of wellness has diminished if something else has compensated for that, I think that would be maybe acceptable to somebody, some family member, the actual individual themselves.”
4B. Use of visual displays – Identifying health deficits	This theme deals with how visualizations might support detection of health deficits, or sudden changes and decline in health.	“I feel like I would know that the deficits based on this graph for the pre and the post data say that they needed more assistance with their spiritual needs…”
4C. Use of visual displays – Intervention	Theme related to how visual displays could be used by a health care provider or family member to become involved in older adult care.	“And it’s also a way to figure out your resource allocation. Do you send an MD, a nurse practitioner, or do you send the therapies out?”
4D. Use of visual displays – Monitoring long term trends	Use of visual displays as a tool to detect longitudinal trends in health.	“So if, that’s what I would look at this image, and say I am concerned about your cognitive needs. Why is it declining, right?”