User-centered Design of App-assisted Feedback Portfolio Technology for Individual Deliberate Practice in Health Professional Education

This research presents a novel app-based approach to record skills training ses- sions in medical training, with the goal to facilitate feedback collection, feedback sharing and learning. Simulation-based training is a cornerstone of Healthcare Professional Education (HPE), where timely and systematic feedback is essential for developing students’ skills, our, and reflective practice.
We present work from the Erasmus Plus ACTIVATE project, which develops software tools to support deliberate practice through structured feedback collec- tion and e-portfolio integration. In the first project phase, a visionary scenario of future simulation training was designed with stakeholders, followed by the de- velopment of a mobile feedback app and an e-portfolio prototype. To assess these innovations, early-stage usability testing was conducted with students, teachers, and staff, enabling evaluation of the scenario, systematic feedback mechanisms, and technical feasibility.
The results highlight the dual benefits of such workshops: they not only provide actionable insights for improving software design and implementation but also validate the conceptual underpinnings of enhanced feedback practices in medical education.
Findings indicate that structured user involvement at an early stage enriches both the usability and relevance of feedback tools, while simultaneously confirm- ing the value of scenario-driven development. These outcomes will guide subse- quent pilot testing and further refinement of feedback technologies in HPE.