Usability in the lifecycle of medical software development

Abstract

A close cooperation with users is necessary to ensure that interactive systems are robust, easy to use and accepted. Therefore, in medical technology, standards for usability are of fundamental importance. We investigated with the presented study how the concept of usability is currently understood and implemented in medical software companies. Interviews were conducted with 21 employees of German enterprises. Furthermore we extended an already existing quantitative online survey where 53 companies (including 24 from the health industry sector) participated in. Results show that the importance of usability is recognized by most of the respondents. Moreover, a wide variety of methods and approaches is known and implemented for exploring user needs and evaluating system prototypes. However, it was observed that human-centered design activities mainly focus on functionality, risk prevention and accessibility. Hedonic user needs and subjective perceptions (“user experience”) still play a minor role. Based on the results, practical requirements are derived and a “best case” for methodological approach is introduced.