Co-designing mHealth interventions with TBI survivors yields specific usability requirements.

Why It Matters

This approach ensures that digital health tools are not only technically functional but also genuinely accessible and effective for the target user group. By prioritizing user feedback from the outset, designers can avoid costly redesigns and create more impactful solutions.

Key Finding

A co-design process with TBI survivors highlighted the need for simpler, linear navigation, robust technical performance, and clear content presentation in mHealth apps, rather than complex or novel interfaces.

Key Findings

• Co-design successfully translated community feedback into an empathy-informed, user-centered prototype.
• TBI-specific design requirements emerged, including a preference for linear content progression over branching navigation.
• Higher technical performance standards and explicit content signaling were identified as crucial.
• Clarity in interface design was prioritized over novelty.
• Participants struggled with mobile navigation and branching structures but excelled in other areas.

Research Evidence

Aim: To apply community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles to guide the front-end design and evaluate the sociotechnical-pedagogical usability of an electronic problem-solving training (ePST) mobile health intervention with TBI partners.

Method: Mixed Methods, Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)

Procedure: A multistep, mixed-methods design case methodology was employed. This involved a Community Advisory Board and Community Engagement Studios with TBI survivors, caregivers, clinicians, and researchers. Activities included empathy interviews, persona development, rapid prototyping, and usability testing using think-aloud protocols and a usability assessment instrument.

Sample Size: 33 (Community Advisory Board), 10 (Community Engagement Studios), 14 (empathy interviews), 10 (personas), 5 (usability testing participants with TBI)

Context: Development of a mobile health intervention for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Design Principle

User-centricity in design necessitates deep engagement with the target audience to uncover specific needs and preferences that inform functional and aesthetic choices.

How to Apply

Before finalizing a design for a specific user group, especially those with known cognitive or physical challenges, conduct extensive user research and co-design sessions to validate design choices and identify potential usability barriers.

Limitations

The findings are specific to the context of TBI and mHealth interventions for problem-solving training; generalizability to other user groups or intervention types may vary.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: When you design something for people who have had a brain injury, it's really important to ask them what they need. They told the researchers that they prefer apps that go step-by-step, are easy to use, and clearly show what to do, rather than fancy or complicated ones.

Why This Matters: This research shows that designing for specific user groups, especially those with unique needs like individuals with TBI, requires a different approach than general design. It highlights the importance of user input to create effective and usable products.

Critical Thinking: How might the specific cognitive challenges associated with TBI influence the design of user interfaces, and what are the ethical considerations when involving vulnerable populations in the design process?

IA-Ready Paragraph: This research underscores the critical importance of user-centered design, particularly when developing interventions for specific populations such as individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study's application of community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles, involving TBI survivors directly in the design process, led to the identification of crucial usability requirements. Key findings indicated a strong preference for linear content progression, high technical performance standards, and explicit content signaling, prioritizing clarity over novel interface design. These insights are invaluable for guiding the development of accessible and effective digital health tools, ensuring that design decisions are grounded in the lived experiences and practical needs of the end-users.

Project Tips

• Involve your target users early and often in the design process.
• Use methods like interviews and usability testing to gather feedback.
• Document how user feedback directly influences your design decisions.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when justifying your user research methods, particularly if you are using co-design or participatory design approaches.
• Use the findings to support your design decisions, especially if your target audience has specific accessibility needs.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the target user's needs and how they informed your design.
• Show evidence of user testing and how feedback was incorporated into iterative design changes.

Independent Variable: Participatory design approach (CBPR vs. traditional research), Interface design elements (linear vs. branching navigation, clarity vs. novelty).

Dependent Variable: Usability of the mHealth intervention, User satisfaction, Effectiveness of problem-solving training.

Controlled Variables: Type of mHealth intervention (ePST), Target user group (individuals with TBI), Research phases (Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver).

Strengths

• Employed a robust CBPR framework, ensuring user voices were central.
• Utilized a mixed-methods approach for comprehensive data collection.
• Iterative design process allowed for refinement based on feedback.

Critical Questions

• To what extent can the findings regarding linear navigation and clarity be generalized to other user groups with different cognitive profiles?
• What are the long-term impacts of using co-designed interventions on user engagement and health outcomes?

Extended Essay Application

• Investigate the effectiveness of co-design methodologies in developing assistive technologies for individuals with specific disabilities.
• Explore how user-centered design principles can be applied to improve the usability of educational software for learners with diverse needs.

Source

Designing Electronic Problem-Solving Training for Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury: Mixed Methods, Community-Based, Participatory Research Case Study · Journal of Medical Internet Research · 2026 · 10.2196/83995