A Mobile App to Optimize Social Participation for Individuals with Physical Disabilities: Content Validation and Usability Testing

Dahlia Kairy, Mir Abolfazl Mostafavi, Catherine Blanchette-Dallaire, Eva Belanger, Andrea Corbeil, Meena Kandiah, Tian Qiang Wu and Barbara Mazer
Additional contact information
Dahlia Kairy: School of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3N 1X7, Canada
Mir Abolfazl Mostafavi: Département des Sciences Géomatiques, Faculté de Foresterie, de Géographie et de Géomatique, Centre de Recherche en Donnée et Intelligence Géospatiales, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
Catherine Blanchette-Dallaire: OnRoule.org, Montreal, QC H2L 1S5, Canada
Eva Belanger: School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada
Andrea Corbeil: School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada
Meena Kandiah: School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada
Tian Qiang Wu: School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada
Barbara Mazer: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal, Montreal, QC H3S 1M9, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Background: Social participation is beneficial for individuals’ health. However, people with disabilities that may lead to mobility limitations tend to experience lower levels of social participation. Information and communication technologies such as the OnRoule mobile application (app) can help promote social participation. Objectives: To obtain potential users’ perceptions on the usability and content of the OnRoule app for providing information on accessibility, as well as its potential to optimize social participation. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional user-centered design study. Individuals with physical disabilities ( n = 18) were recruited through community organizations and interviewed using a semi-structured guide. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Three main themes were identified: (1) “user-friendliness”; (2) “balance between the amount and relevance of information”; and (3) “potential use of the app”. Discussion and Conclusion: Findings from this study indicated that the app was easy to use, had pertinent information, and enabled a positive experience of finding information. However, several areas of improvement were identified, such as the clarity of specific elements, organization and amount of information, optimization of features, and inclusiveness. Apps such as OnRoule could optimize social participation by facilitating the process of finding resources in the community and building a sense of connectedness between users.

Keywords: social participation; mobile application; mHealth; usability; user-centered design; accessibility; physical disability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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