Exploring the Influence of End-Users’ Lived Experience on Usability Problem Detection: A Case Study of the Pregnancy and Work App

Usability evaluation studies require participants representative of the target group to ensure validity and reliability. Lived experience is a relevant characteristic in co-design studies, but its impact on usability testing outcomes is unclear. This mixed-methods usability study subgroup analysis examines the influence of lived experience (primigravida or multigravida) on usability testing outcomes using the Think Aloud method for a pregnancy mHealth application. Twelve pregnant women participated, categorized as primigravida (novices) or multigravida (experts). Usability issues were analyzed using the Usability Problems Taxonomy and Nielsen’s severity scale. Think Aloud performance metrics (thoroughness, validity, and effectiveness) were compared. Only 18% of the overall usability problems were detected by both groups. A Fisher’s exact test indicated a significant association between group and problem detection (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in Think Aloud validity, SUS, IMI, or app grading. Future studies should consider lived experience in participant selection to enhance usability evaluation outcomes.