Evaluation of the usability and usefulness of the vocal'iz mobile application in a population of teachers.

Background

Although mobile health (mHealth) tools for vocal health are increasingly used, their scientific evaluation remains limited.

Objectives

To assess the perceived usability and usefulness of the Vocal'iz mobile application among teachers. To examine the relationships between these outcomes and individual factors such as age, Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30), health literacy, and digital literacy.

Method

Thirty teachers participated in the three phases of our study: (1) completion of a personal data questionnaire, the VHI-30, the Health Literacy Scale, and the Digital Literacy Scale; (2) 10 days of independent use of the application; and (3) completion of the System Usability Scale (SUS) and section F of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) to assess the app's usability and perceived usefulness. A one-sample t-test compared the participants' SUS score to the reference value of 70. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test compared the MARS section F score to the reference value of 3. Correlation tests were conducted between the SUS and MARS scores and the individual factors.

Results

The mean SUS score (76.67, SD = 11.55) and the mean score for MARS section F (4.03, SD = 0.74) were both significantly higher than the reference values, with medium to large effect sizes. There were no significant correlations between usability or usefulness and the individual factors.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that teachers rated the Vocal'iz app highly, demonstrating its good usability and positive perceived usefulness. The app's potential as a preventive tool warrants further evaluation in more diverse and larger populations, as well as an assessment of its effectiveness.