Design of interactive cancer education technology for Latina farmworkers

Latinas in the United States experience higher levels of cervical cancer (CC) incidence and mortality rates than the general population, and many lack access to healthcare or face communication, literacy, and knowledge barriers preventing proper CC screening. Interactive technological interventions, like embodied conversational agents (ECA)/virtual agents, are currently used in other populations, settings, and for other health topics, however, no known initiative has used culturally- and literacy-appropriate technological interventions to deliver Spanish-language CC education. This study aims to create a culturally tailored Spanish-language Virtual Patient Educator (VPE) application to augment a patient navigator (PN) intervention for increasing CC screening rates among Hispanic women in a rural agricultural community. The VPE is a computer character that can simulate face-to-face conversation with an actual person and will embody the characteristics of a PN. Through iterative interviews with the target population, key cultural design factors were identified to inform the design and implementation of a prototype VPE. This paper discusses design and usability issues associated with development of the VPE for low-literacy users in addition to a framework methodology for development of similar tools and a cultural matrix of design factors. A VPE might help close the knowledge gap between Hispanic women and the general population regarding cervical cancer screening. Incorporation of culturally tailored features in technology aids in increasing overall understanding and trust of health information presented. An iterative approach that engages the patient population in design of technology is important to identify population-specific patient preferences.