Digital Health Tool Usability and Redesign: Preliminary Scoping Review Findings
Clinical Snapshot
PICO Framework
| P — Population | Digital health tools across four user groups: patients, healthcare professionals, public health users, and mixed groups |
| I — Intervention | Usability evaluation and subsequent redesign of digital health tools |
| C — Comparator | Not applicable (scoping review examining process rather than comparative effectiveness) |
| O — Outcomes | Usability evaluation insights leading to improved digital health tool design and redesign outcomes |
Bottom Line
This preliminary scoping review identifies 102 studies linking usability evaluation to digital health tool redesign, addressing a critical gap in the literature. The findings reveal that most digital health tools are newly developed (68%) and predominantly web-based (36%) or mobile applications (32%), serving patients, healthcare professionals, public health users, and mixed groups. While this represents important foundational work for evidence-based digital health tool development, the preliminary nature limits immediate clinical application. The categorisation framework may guide Australian healthcare organisations in systematic usability evaluation approaches, particularly relevant for TGA-regulated software as medical devices and telehealth platforms. However, clinicians and health informaticians should await the complete review for specific redesign recommendations and effectiveness outcomes. This work supports the growing emphasis on user-centred design in digital health, aligning with Australian Digital Health Strategy priorities for usable, safe, and effective digital health solutions.
Key Findings
Effect Size: Not applicable for scoping review methodology
Primary Outcome: Categorisation of 102 studies examining usability evaluation leading to digital health tool redesign
Nnt Or Sensitivity: Platform distribution: 36% web-based, 32% mobile-based applications; 68% newly developed tools
Clinical Application
High feasibility for informing digital health tool development processes, though specific redesign recommendations require full paper review Highly relevant to Australian Digital Health Strategy and TGA software as medical device regulations; applicable to My Health Record integration and telehealth platform development Healthcare organisations and developers implementing digital health tools across patient care, professional workflows, and public health applications
Abstract
Few usability or user experience studies report how insights resulted in improved digital health tool (DHT) design. Therefore, this paper reports on preliminary findings of a scoping review that examines this topic. A systematic search in five databases led to the inclusion of 102 studies that met the inclusion criteria, namely those reporting both usability evaluation and redesign outcomes. Categorisation of these studies identified four user groups: patients, healthcare professionals, public health users, and mixed groups. Many DTHs were web- (36%) or mobile-based (32%) applications, and most often newly developed (68%).
References
- 1.van den Berg, L., Peute, L., & Engelsma, T. (2026). Digital Health Tool Usability and Redesign: Preliminary Scoping Review Findings. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI260727
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