Bridging HCI and Clinical Practice in Usability Evaluation
TL;DR
An evidence-based guidance system that synthesizes usability metrics and evaluation methods from HCI literature and informed by a mixed-method approach to empower clinical specialists with knowledge and resources to conduct rigorous, contextually grounded evaluations is developed.
Abstract
Evaluating usability in healthcare remains a challenge due to the absence of clear guidelines and standardized HCI/UX frameworks tailored for pre- and post-deployment evaluation. Clinical practice relies predominantly on generic questionnaires that fail to capture domain-specific challenges in technology use. Existing approaches often overlook the complex interplay among hardware reliability, user interaction, and technology acceptance in clinical settings, which limits the identification of design flaws, hinders user adoption, and reduces the effectiveness of healthcare technologies. The objective of my PhD research is to develop an evidence-based guidance system that synthesizes usability metrics and evaluation methods from HCI literature and informed by a mixed-method approach to empower clinical specialists with knowledge and resources to conduct rigorous, contextually grounded evaluations. By bridging disciplinary silos between HCI and clinical research, this work addresses a pivotal need in healthcare technology evaluation and contributes to improved adoption, safety, and efficacy of digital health interventions.