Field Test Research
One of the top stressors in the workplace is adopting new technology. Anyone who has had to learn new technology at the same time as performing their job will know, it’s not a morale booster. The autism services field has already enough stressors that come with the nature of the work, that service teams don’t need any added stress with adopting confusing, time-consuming technology. That is why Motivity Systems has spent years designing and field testing our data collection interface. Our goal has been to create the most user-friendly data collection system so that the adoption and transition to Motivity immediately relieves stress for front-line technicians rather than adding to it.
Participants
For one of our field tests, we partnered with Northwest Behavioral Associates (NBA) in Bellevue Washington. We deployed an early prototype for a 2-week field test to determine user acceptability in a one-one ABA therapy setting. Ten NBA staff members participated in the study, including the NBA director, Dr. Stacey Shook, 3 BCBA program managers, and 6 Behavior Technicians. Dr. Shook had previously tried two other data collection systems and had found that they were not user-friendly and not able to adequately handle NBA’s existing program model. Since the services were mostly in-home, we recruited seven families with children with autism ages 2-16 participated as well to receive their feedback on the system and how well it integrated into the therapy sessions.
Methods
Training was provided to BCBA Supervisors to set up learner programs. After BCBA Supervisors set up the programs for the seven participating children then 6 BTs used Motivity to conduct 4-5 therapy sessions for each of the 7 children over a two-week period. Parents also observed the system being used in-home sessions. At the end of the field test, BTs and parents completed a 16-question survey measuring the usability and value of Motivity.
Results
Five of the Six BTs were able to successfully perform 97% of data collection without problems or additional training. Overall, participants reported high satisfaction on all 16 survey questions (aggregate 4.1 of 5 average scores). Motivity used this data and feedback from the BTs and BCBAs to continue to improve the usability and functionality of Motivity for commercial release.
About Northwest Behavior Associates
Northwest Behavioral Associates is a non-profit organization accredited by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence and has been providing behavioral services to the community of Bellevue, WA for over 20 years. Lead by Dr. Stacey Shook and Wendy Knowles, they serve over 150 families with a wide range of services by in-homes, schools, and communities. Their mission is to provide individualized therapy and education for children with autism and related disorders and to their families, and to promote awareness of autism in the community.