Pilot usability study of UI prototype for collaborative adaptive decision support in neonatal intensive care unit

Abstract

This thesis presents the usability evaluation of the user-interface prototype of the PArents Decision Support (PADS) framework. The PADS framework is the first decision support system to address ethical decision-making in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). But due to the historical resistance of information systems by clinical staffs, does this system have the potential of being accepted into the NICU? We took the user-centric evaluation approach by rapid prototyping and conducting a pilot study with clinical users to assess whether this prototype satisfies basic usability requirements. Our results indicated that all of the clinical evaluators found the prototype moderately easy or very easy to use, as well as being consistent with the concepts and terminologies used in their clinical practices. Based on those results, we conclude that the UI prototype satisfied the usability objects we set out and that the PADS framework's requirements has partially been validated.