User-Centered Development of a Mobile App to Assess the Quality of Life of Patients With Cancer: Iterative Investigation and Usability Testing

Beutter, Chantal N. L.; Zeller, Katharina; Martens, Uwe M.; Pfleiderer, Bettina; Fegeler, Christian

Zusammenfassung

The results of our app development indicate that an iterative, user-centered approach leads to a solution that is both user friendly and can be used to document the patient’s QoL at home. This is an important step toward empowering and engaging patients to integrate them into therapy as part of the treatment team. Our results can serve as an example of how user-centered development may be executed. In this research, a standardized self-management tool for patients with cancer to assess their QoL was developed. As end users were integrated iteratively into all stages of the development process, this led to a continuous adaptation of user requirements, with improved usability to implement a solution tailored to the needs of end users. The results of this study may be used for scientific exchange on new approaches to the user-centered development of health apps and QoL research. In further research, the long-term applicability and acceptance of Lion-App should be assessed, as well as its clinical impact.