User Satisfaction With Assistive, Rehabilitation, and Training Technologies: Questionnaire Development and Content Validation Study.

Abstract

Background: According to human-centered design principles, user experience and user satisfaction are key aspects when developing or providing patients and clients with assistive, rehabilitation, or training technologies. Existing tools for assessing user experience and satisfaction are often either too narrow (developed for specific technologies) or too broad, failing to capture all relevant aspects of the technology being evaluated.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to present the development process and content validation of a questionnaire that, following further validation steps, could be useful for researchers and developers in assessing the satisfaction of direct end users with assistive, rehabilitation, and training technologies.

Methods: The development of the User Satisfaction Questionnaire for Assistive, Rehabilitation, and Training Technologies (U-ART-Q) followed a multistep process: (1) literature review, (2) domain definition and item generation, (3) expert consultation, (4) linguistic validation, and (5) content validation. Initially, 72 items were generated and organized into 7 domains. After expert review and linguistic validation, the questionnaire underwent content validation by 8 experts in physiotherapy, kinesiology, and ergonomics. Each item was rated for relevance using a 4-point Likert-type scale. The content validity ratio (CVR) and item-level content validity index (I-CVI) were calculated, and items below the accepted thresholds were removed or further revised.

Results: Expert consultation resulted in the removal or merging of 20 items to improve clarity and reduce redundancy. Of the 52 items evaluated during content validation, 44 met the CVR and I-CVI criteria (CVR >0.75 and I-CVI >0.78). Eight items required additional review, and 2 items were ultimately removed. The final questionnaire comprises 10 initial screening questions and 50 content-valid items across 7 domains: design, comfort, effectiveness and usefulness, service, treatment or exercise, overall impressions, and safety. The overall average content validity index was 0.915, providing evidence of strong content validity. A macro-enabled Excel tool was developed to automate item selection and generate a PDF version of the questionnaire based on initial screening responses.

Conclusions: The U-ART-Q is a newly developed instrument for assessing user satisfaction with assistive, rehabilitation, and training technologies. Further research will focus on psychometric evaluation, reliability testing, and multilingual validation to determine whether the U-ART-Q can provide a standardized method for assessing user satisfaction. Once fully evaluated, the questionnaire could support both developmental usability testing and postmarket evaluation, facilitating evidence-based decision-making and guiding future product improvement.