New research highlights gaps in user input for digital sexual health tools
To what extent does the reporting of user input in publications suggest their input is meaningfully shaping the development of digital sexual health tools? What do potential users say when given the opportunity to share their views on digital sexual health tools?
These questions are the topic of two recent publications led by ALIVE Centre Research Fellow, Dr Alicia King.
The STARTOnline (Supporting Timely and Appropriate Review and Treatment Online) study, lead by Dr King in her former role at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, sought feedback from potential users of three digital sexual health tools. The AiSTi tool provides a short list of potential conditions causing changes in the anogenital region from an uploaded photo. Participants described a pathway to better sexual health promoted by the AiSTi tool, and identified things that might interfere with this pathway: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20552076251361749.
Findings in relation to a risk assessment tool (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20552076241289646) and symptom checker tool (https://formative.jmir.org/2024/1/e54565) have also been published.
Dr King’s experiences inspired her to bring together an interdisciplinary team of researchers from Australia, Canada and the UK to conduct a scoping review of published studies seeking user input into digital sexual health tools. This review has just been published in Health Expectations: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hex.70360
Key findings from the review of 34 qualitative and mixed methods studies:
- Studies more often sought input on the usability and user satisfaction of tools after they were developed than formative input
- Only half of studies reported input related to accessibility
- Many studies failed to report changes made in response to suggestions from potential users
The review also included guidance for tool developers that have broader application to the development of other digital health tools (pictured).
