Evaluating the usability and engagement of a money management tool for users with cognitive impairments

Cognitive impairment features in a broad range of disorders and can impact money management skills. My Money Counts is a proposed money management application currently in development at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design, and Technology (IADT) in conjunction with the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and Carmona Services. The aim of this research project was to evaluate the usability and engagement of My Money Counts. This study also compared observational with self-reported evaluations for both usability and engagement, as well as exploring participants’ views on spending and saving money. The participants were ten adults with intellectual disability. A mixed methods approach used controlled observations, self-report questionnaires and a focus group. Findings indicated significant usability issues with the My Money Counts prototype; engagement was moderately positive. A comparison of self-reported and observed evaluations revealed that observed usability was very poor while self-reported usability was positive; observed engagement was moderately positive while self-reported engagement was very positive. Focus group findings suggest that participants understand the need to save money and may have difficulty checking change and shopping independently. These findings are discussed along with implications, strengths and weaknesses of the study, and suggestions for future research.