Improving Support Through Technology: Pilot Testing of a User-Centered Mobile Health App for Family Caregivers

TL;DR

A mobile app designed with input from family caregivers was tested and found to be usable, acceptable, and feasible for supporting their caregiving and self-care needs.

Contribution

The app uniquely integrates self-care with caregiving education, developed through user-centered design and tested for usability and feasibility.

Findings

The app received a usability score of 5.49 out of 7, indicating good usability.

Caregivers found the app easy to use and useful, with positive feedback on its interface and navigation.

All 12 participants completed the study, showing high engagement and feasibility of app use.

Abstract

Family caregivers (caregivers) often begin their caregiving roles unexpectedly without adequate training or support. They prioritize caregiving over self-care, leading to compromised health outcomes. In response, we employed user-centered approaches to interview caregivers, co-design solutions, and develop a multi-component Family Caregiver App. While many digital solutions focus solely on caregiving skills, our Family Caregiver App uniquely integrates self-care alongside caregiving education. This study aimed to evaluate the app’s usability, acceptability, and feasibility in a three-week cohort with 12 caregivers averaging 44.5 (±13.69) years of age. Usability was measured with the Mobile Health App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ), ranging from 1 (disagree) to 7 (agree), resulting in an average score of 5.49 (±0.92). Acceptability, assessed through MAUQ subscales (ease of use: 5.62 ± 0.72, usefulness: 5.11 ± 1.35) and qualitative feedback guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), revealed positive user perceptions. Caregivers highlighted the app’s simple and accessible user interface, intuitive prompts, and straightforward navigation as key facilitators of ease of use. Additionally, cross-platform compatibility and tailored caregiver-focused features contributed significantly to the perceived usefulness and participants’ intentions for continued app use. Feasibility metrics indicated high engagement, with all caregivers completing the study and meeting predefined app usage criteria (average usage >1/3 days across more than four modules). Our findings consistently demonstrate that the Family Caregiver App is usable, acceptable, and feasible. Integrating user-centered and inclusive design principles offers a promising avenue to support caregivers, holistically addressing their caregiving responsibilities and well-being.