Table 3.
Critical measures of usability evaluation for the mHealth application
| Critical measures n (%) | Definition | Three stages of evaluation n (%)a | P valueb | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (n = 61) | 2 (n = 30) | 3 (n = 19) | |||
|
Satisfaction 74 (77.1) |
The extent to which the user’s physical, cognitive and emotional responses that result from the use of an app meet the user’s needs and expectations and can be expressed as interest in the app, willingness to continue using it, and initiative to share it | 43 (70.5) | 25 (83.3) | 19 (100) | .018 |
|
Learnability 60 (62.5) |
The app should be easy to learn by the class of users, which can be reflected in the introduction/instruction documents helping users to reach a reasonable level of usage proficiency within a short time | 34 (55.7) | 22 (73.3) | 16 (84.2) | .04 |
|
Operability 50 (52.1) |
The app should be easy to operate and control, which can be expressed as navigable and manipulable on the touchscreen to address the decline of cognitive ability, dexterity and muscle control in elderly individuals | 36 (59.0) | 19 (63.3) | 5 (26.3) | .02 |
|
Understandability 40 (41.7) |
The interaction information of the app should be easy to understand, which can be embodied in the clarity of the provided explanations and the graphical interface to compensate for the cognitive decline of elderly individuals | 33 (54.1) | 9 (30.0) | 4 (21.1) | .01 |
|
Attractiveness 38 (39.6) |
The interface of the app should enable pleasing and satisfying interaction for the user, for example, in terms of color use and graphic design, to meet the aesthetic needs of the elderly and accommodate their age-related perceptual resources | 29 (47.4) | 12 (40.0) | 4 (21.1) | .12 |
|
Efficiency 33 (34.4) |
The extent to which external resources, including time, human effort, money, and materials, are consumed when achieving goals by using the app | 24 (39.3) | 9 (30.0) | 6 (31.6) | .63 |
|
Effectiveness 26 (27.1) |
The extent to which actual outcomes match intended outcomes and can be measured by the accuracy and completeness with which users achieve specified goals using the app | 21 (34.4) | 8 (26.7) | 4 (21.1) | .48 |
|
Errors 22 (22.9) |
The app should have a low error rate and protect users against making errors, for example, providing error messages or help documentation to tell users how to fix problems | 18 (29.5) | 4 (13.3) | 4 (21.1) | .22 |
|
Memorability 13 (13.5) |
The operational flow of the app should be easy to remember, which can be embodied by reducing the demand on working memory through supporting recognition rather than recall | 11 (18.0) | 4 (13.3) | 3 (15.8) | .94 |
aFirst stage: combining components, second stage: integrating the system into the setting, third stage: routine use
bChi-squared test were conducted to reflect the statistical significance of the intergroup difference