Development and usability of an app-based instrument of participation in children with disabilities

Background Picture My Participation (PmP) is a picture-supported child-report instrument of participation of children with disabilities. Aims This study described the development of a mobile application of the PmP Traditional Chinese version (PmP-C) and evaluated its usability. Methods The PmP-C App includes features that allow the input of a child's demographics, identification of frequency and involvement of 22 culturally appropriate activities, selection of the three most important activities and the specification of the environmental facilitators and barriers. The usability test was conducted with 10 healthcare workers, who interviewed 10 children with disabilities aged 6-12 years. The healthcare workers completed a usability questionnaire and were asked to provide feedback on the ease of use, learning, satisfaction and perceived usefulness. Results The mean score for the usability questionnaire ranged from 2.7 to 4.6 out of 5.0. The feedback indicated that the interface was simple to operate by the healthcare workers and was attractive and motivating to children. Improvements of layout design, operation instructions and technical problems were recommended, which contributed to the app program optimization. Conclusions The PmP-C App provides a practical tool with initial support for usability to enable active engagement and communication of children with disabilities with healthcare providers.