Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38487781›Full record

ArticleWearable technologies2023

Design and validation of a novel online platform to support the usability evaluation of wearable robotic devices.

Jan T Meyer, Natalie Tanczak, Christoph M Kanzler, Colin Pelletier, Roger Gassert, Olivier Lambercy

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Wearable technologies, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Methodology for the knowledge-based selection of occupational exoskeletons.Production engineering : research and development · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jan T MeyerRehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0361-1152
Natalie TanczakRehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Christoph M KanzlerRehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Colin PelletierRehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Roger GassertRehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Olivier LambercyRehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Wearable robotic devices (WRD) are still struggling to fulfill their vast potential. Inadequate daily life usability is one of the main hindrances to increased technology acceptance. Improving usability evaluation practices during the development of WRD could help address these limitations. In this work, we present the design and validation of a novel online platform aiming to fill this gap, the Interactive Usability Toolbox (IUT). This platform consists of a public website that offers an interactive, context-specific search within a database of 154 user research methods and educational information about usability. In a dedicated study, the effect of this platform to support usability evaluation was investigated. Twelve WRD experts were asked to complete the task of defining usability evaluation protocols for two specific use cases. The platform was provided to support one of the use cases. The quality and composition of the proposed protocols were assessed by (i) two blinded reviewers, (ii) the participants themselves, and (iii) the study coordinators. We showed that using the IUT significantly affected the proposed evaluation focus, shifting protocols from mainly effectiveness-oriented to more user-focused studies. The protocol quality, as rated by the external reviewers, remained equivalent to those designed with conventional strategies. A mixed-method usability evaluation of the platform yielded an overall positive image, with detailed suggestions for further improvements. The IUT is expected to positively affect the evaluation and development of WRD through its educational value, the context-specific recommendations supporting ongoing benchmarking endeavors, and highlighting the value of qualitative user research.

Indexed as

usability evaluationuser-centered designwearable robotic devices

Identifiers

PMID38487781
PMCPMC10936320

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.