Getting to know the person: participatory development of the artistic person-centered fotoscope web-app in Dutch nursing homes

Purpose: To develop a web app version of the person-centered Photo-Activity, which aims to enhance the social interaction between people with dementia (PWD) residing in nursing homes and their (in)formal carers. Materials and Methods: The Fotoscope app development followed a participatory design process. Qualitative (interviews and focus groups) and quantitative (via the System Usability questionnaire; SUS) data were collected. Phase I and Phase II were about determining user and system requirements and app design. Phase III and IV involved user-test sessions with 4 residents with dementia, 1 informal carer and 2 formal carers, resolving issues, and using feedback to make improvements to the final version. Results: An interactive web app with pages for searching on photo (sub)themes, a digital guide, and a profile page with photo-selection tool, was developed. The user-test with the Fotoscope prototype, showed that residents responded positively to the digital Photo-Activity, and the (in)formal carers reported that the Fotoscope web app was easy enough to use. Improvements and adjustments based on the user-test feedbacks were then implemented to the first version of the Fotoscope. Conclusion: The Fotoscope web app was successfully developed following a participatory design process. It proved successful and easy to use during the user-tests.