User Testing with individuals with digital barriers

The Ask:

NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) commissioned us to recruit individuals from across the UK to participate in user research sessions for the "Be Part of Research" platform. This platform is a digital tool designed to encourage public involvement in health research by simplifying the sign-up process. The recruitment focus was on individuals who often face barriers in digital environments:

• Users with low health literacy, who may struggle to read and understand medical information intended for public use. 

• Users with low digital confidence, who may not have the self-belief to be able to learn the skills they need to use the internet safely and effectively.

• Individuals who have varying levels of English, but we will not be conducting research with people who can't speak English or require a full-time translator.

• Users more likely to engage through offline channels, such as those referred by GPs or community contacts.

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The Why: 

Making sure that the "Be Part of Research" platform is accessible to everyone is important. Health research must be inclusive, and that means the tools designed to facilitate public involvement need to work for everyone, not just those who are already digitally savvy. By focusing on these user groups, NIHR RDN sought to flag the obstacles to accessibility, making the platform more welcoming and effective for a broader audience.

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What We Did: 

With a large part of the user testing taking place in person in Leeds, and requiring people who prefer to be offline or struggle to be online, we used a heavily in-person community based recruitment strategy and offered supportive onboarding. 

1. Targeted Recruitment Planning: We created a purposive recruitment framework, ensuring that the participants selected would provide valuable insights into the platform's accessibility. This involved identifying communities with a high likelihood of representing the target user categories with a range of needs.

2. Multi-channel Communication: We employed a mix of communication methods to reach potential participants. This included in-person visits, distributing printed fliers/posters, and lots of telephone calls and emails to share the information with various community groups and local organisations. 

3. Community Engagement: We luckily have strong connections with organisations in the North of England and Leeds itself, so were able to directly connect with community organisations who provide services for people who we needed to speak to.

4.  Unexpected lessons: Local organisations taught us that we could engage with local job centres attached to the local community hubs; which played a pivotal role in connecting with individuals who might not typically engage with digital research initiatives.

5. Supportive onboarding: Attendance was really hard for some of the participants so made sure everyone always knew what was going on with visual instructions and regular communication, we booked and paid for taxis, and encouraged people’s friends or carers to accompany them.   

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The best feedback always comes from participants we meet during public involvement, who have tried something really new for them. Lindsey, who earlier had been messaging us on her journey to the research saying how ‘super nervous anxious’ she was, later said:

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“Wow. Thank you for the opportunity. The team were very lovely and welcoming and I’d definitely do more research next time.”