Usability evaluation of a Body Surface Potential Map visualization system

Although the Body Surface Potential Map (BSPM) is considered to be an improved technique for the detection of cardiac pathologies when compared to the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), it has not been adopted for routine clinical practice. This is partly due to a lack of clinician-friendly tools for visualizing the large amount of data a BSPM contains. This work presents the details of a usability evaluation of a BSPM viewer. This evaluation was conducted at the 2010 Computing in Cardiology meeting. Seven delegates (7 males, age:39±11) were recruited to take part in the evaluation. The protocol required the participants to complete a pre-test questionnaire, attempt a series of tasks whilst `thinking-aloud´ and at the end of the session, complete a post-test questionnaire. Based on 3.5 hours of video and audio recordings (circa), 41 use errors were discovered and given a severity rating (mean:2.24±1.09, 1=cosmetic, 4=critical). Using a five-star scale, participants rated the responsiveness of the viewer (mode: 4/5), its usefulness (mode:3/4), learnability (mode:3/4), and its `look and feel´ (mode:5). In conclusion, a usability evaluation was carried out in a conference setting to assess and improve the interface of a BSPM visualization system.