Introduction: Designing technologies for older adults is complex, as usability demands effective goal completion, efficient resource use, and user satisfaction. Neglecting to involve older adults in the design process may result in technologies that fail to meet their expectations. This highlights the need for inclusive design processes that engage older adults and meet usability requirements.

Objective: initiate a community of practice (CoP) to improve methodological skills in usability evaluation of technologies designed by, for, and with older adults.

Methods: A concurrent mixed methods design was adopted to establish this CoP in three phases: i) initiation, ii) resources development, iii) effectiveness evaluation. Multiple sources of data including needs assessments, workshop transcripts, and a validated CoP questionnaire, were collected and analyzed using an analytical questioning framework.

Results: 23 individuals participated in this initiative. The initial needs assessment revealed challenges in identifying methodological tools to evaluate usability of technologies that are adapted for older adults. Participants expressed their expectations for the CoP to facilitate experience sharing among members and provide opportunities to acquire new skills for effectively conducting usability evaluations.

Conclusion: By addressing skill gaps, fostering inclusivity, and promoting collaboration, the CoP demonstrates potential to enhance usability evaluation of technologies for older adults.

MOvIT-Vision is a telerehabilitation intervention being developed for remote monitoring and training of individuals with visual impairments using assistive technologies (ATs). Building on the MOvIT+ platform for mobility devices, MOvIT-Vision adapts this system to address the unique needs of visual impairment AT users. The study objectives were: to understand current follow-up practices in vision rehabilitation and to define end-user needs for the intervention. A user-centered design approach was employed, including a scoping review, regional interviews, and focus groups with key stakeholders. Findings revealed significant variability in follow-up timing and content, highlighting gaps in post-prescription support. The logic model developed for MOvIT-Vision includes device-specific educational materials and outcome evaluations at mid-term and end of the care episode. This research underscores the need for improved remote follow-up and digital resources to support AT use, and the results will guide the creation of follow-up tools to enhance effectiveness of low-vision rehabilitation.

The System Usability Scale (SUS) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT-2) were adapted for a project in which individuals with autism level 2, light and moderate brain injury and light intellectual disability were asked to rate the usability and acceptability of a prototype for a computerized workstation training system. Objectives are to present the co-design method for adapting the SUS and UTAUT-2. The co-design method involved to: 1.Establish a multidisciplinary advisory group an external evaluation expert, 2.Develop initial drafts of the prototype, 3.Conduct think-aloud usability evaluation, 4.Test the prototype in clinical simulations and 5.Generate a final prototype informed by workshops. The co-design method allowed us to quickly adapt these questionnaires and to validate them in context with the target population. The results from the adapted SUS (good = 78.73 out of 100) informed the pursuit of a computerized training system to facilitate the employability of the target population.

Background: People with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience a variety of secondary health conditions. Historically, to address these issues patients were taught self-management skills during in-person educational sessions. The purpose of this presentation is to review our efforts to create a mobile app to support self-management among people with SCI. This presentation will provide a high-level summary of our research to develop and pilot test the app among an in-patient SCI population and then work we did to extent the app to be more applicable to community dwelling individuals with SCI and small step-wedge trial we conducted with this population. The mixed methods studies used a variety of methods including needs assessment, qualitative interviews, iterative product development, and standardized instrument administration. Despite some initial promising results among in-patients among community dwelling individuals we did not observe improvements in self-management outcomes; however, it appears that the act of goal setting (goal attainment scaling) was beneficial for patients in both treatment groups. One of the challenges we encountered was working with a company that already had an existing platform. This restricted how the app was set up, which may have affected useability. Recommendations to improve app usability will be discussed.