Requirements for the Acceptance of an App for Voice Therapy—A Usability Report Based on the “Oldenburger Logopädie App” (OLA)

Abstract

ObjectiveThe prototype "Oldenburger Logopädie App" (OLA) was designed to support voice therapy for patients with recurrent paresis, such as to accompany homework or as a short-term substitute for regular therapy due to dropouts, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. the treating speech and language pathologist (SLP) unlocks videos individually applicable to the respective patients, in which the SLPs instructs the individual exercises. The app can be used without IT knowledge or detailed instructions. Materials and methodsThe prototype’s usability was evaluated through a usability test battery (AttrakDiff™ questionnaire, System Usability Scale, Visual Aesthetics of Websites Inventory questionnaire) and informal interviews from the perspective of patients and SLPs. ResultsThe acceptance, usability, user experience, self-descriptiveness, and user behavior of OLA were consistently given and mostly rated as positive. Both user groups rated OLA as practical and easy to use (e.g. System Usability Scale: “practical” (agree: ∅ 49.5%), “cumbersome to use” (total: strongly disagree: ∅ 60.0%). However, the monotonous layout of the app and the instructional and exercise videos should be modified in the next editing step. An overview of relevant criteria for a voice therapy app, regarding design and functions, was derived from the results. ConclusionThis user-oriented feedback on the usability of the voice app provides the proof of concept and the basis for the further development of the AI-based innovative follow-up app LAOLA. In the future, it should be possible to support the treatment of all voice disorders with such an app. For the further development of the voice app, the therapeutic content and the effectiveness of the training should also be investigated.