Abstract Introduction More than one-third of children across America do not get enough sleep. Bedtime routines are a gold standard to address sleep duration in children. We aim to conduct usability testing to evaluate how caregivers interact with a). a lo-fi prototype decision-aide tool as part of the bedtime routine; and b). a hi-fi digital prototype version of the decision-aide tool to support bedtime routine, to refine effectiveness based on user feedback. Methods Qualitative methods were applied during in-person interviews of ten parents of children 5-10 years old for usability testing of a behavioral sleep tool (5 for lo-fi prototype alpha version; 5 for hi-fi prototype beta version). Observations of participants completing eight discrete tasks of the beta version of the website were conducted, along with a short survey on the usefulness, user-friendliness, and attractiveness, on a 5-point scale, with 5 being the highest rating. Results Five parents (all female) tested the lo-fi prototype at home with their children for five nights. Participants reported the lo-fi prototype was easy to understand, effective, and served as a visual reference to center themselves and stay on track during bedtime. Participants recommended including pre-bedtime soothing activities and to orient themselves with the poster before using it with their child. All parents reported they would use it again. Another five caregivers (1 male; 4 female) tested the hi-fi digital prototype. Participants reported the following ratings of the hi-fi prototype: usefulness: 5; user-friendliness: 4; attractiveness: 5. Parents recommended increasing the font size, access on other digital devices (e.g. phone/iPad), the ability to purchase the books listed, and a demonstration video for the belly-breathing exercise mentioned. Parents found the digital prototype informative, straight-forward, aesthetically pleasing, and reported that it included tools that they would use with their children during bedtime. Conclusion Overall, parents provided positive feedback on the bedtime routine decision-aide prototypes. Bedtime strategies resonated with parents, and they expressed interest in wanting to try the bedtime strategies described in the tool. A bedtime routine decision-aide tool that supports parent-child bonding, emotions and child independence may be an engaging way to promote bedtime routines in young children. Support (if any)
Chung et al. (Fri,) studied this question.