Use and Ease of Use
SAID
For the control group (n=99), the database with help options was the most popular (I’m staying now because it’s been going well for a month.He’s playing upon your hope and empathy.You always hope it’ll be better again. I’ve buried my head in the sand for a long time as well.Yeah, I do constantly remain hopeful. But my boyfriend says that I have no empathy haha!........................You keep holding on because you get enough ‘good’ moments still. Unfortunately, those moments are part of the game.Yeah, that’s right but sometimes I also hear that we complement each other so well. I have the patience of a saint, he doesn’t. And sometimes he’s really grateful for that. It’s so contradictory sometimes. One moment everything’s peaches and cream and after that it suddenly explodes.........................I admire that you took these steps. I hope I will be able to do so as well.I have faith in you [Participant 429]I think it’s really good that you have a lot of insight already! [Participant 429]With regard to the relatively limited use of the chat, the interviewees provided some explanations: if it is not very active, it is not encouraging to start a conversation, and if a few women are already having a conversation, other women may feel uncomfortable joining them. In addition, some may simply not feel the need to use the chat; a few interviewees said that it could even be triggering instead of helpful. Others can find it difficult to disclose their own experiences or dislike having to type their story. A woman said that she would like video calling in small groups to have a sense of more real contact that is still very accessible. In total, 20% (2/10) of the interviewees said that it was easier for them to talk to a friend or professional than to use the chat. Some interview participants faced obstacles, such as technological difficulties, not being able to find the chat on the website, or the timing of the themed chats, that could get in the way of their children’s bedtime or interfered with their abusive partner being home:I thought that [themed chats] was very good...However, what I noticed was because I have a child, that the themed chat is often around 19:00 or 20:00. But around that time many parents put their children to bed, so that’s quite impractical...I think also in the evening, you know, when you’re in an abusive relationship and the partner’s at home, well then you’re not going on the chat.There were similar explanations for the passive forum use, and interviewees said that the forum was less visible for them than the chat. They were happy to learn that they could read the previous themed chats on the forum as well; apparently, that was not always clear even though this was stated at the end of every themed chat and in the invitation emails for the themed chats as well.Regarding ease of use, many of the questionnaire participants and some of the interview participants reported that they did experience some obstacles. They attributed this to a lack of a clear overview of where they could find certain items on the website. A more intuitive and immediate structure might be needed, especially for women who are in a very stressful situation that causes problems with processing information. However, other participants did not identify this issue and found the website very accessible and easy to navigate. Reactions to use on a mobile device were mixed, with some participants extremely satisfied and others preferring a big screen for viewing. A few women also experienced log-in problems, but these were always solved quickly:Sometimes I found it difficult to use the website, to find certain things and to understand how to use it. That took a while to master. I think it’s also a matter of clicking through the website. You should actually go through all the steps but I think that most people are in survival mode and can’t go through all themes. It’s actually very helpful to go through all the steps because it increases your awareness.Surprisingly, a few interviewees stated that they thought that the intervention had changed over time, although in fact nothing was modified during the RCT period except the constant updates in the dynamic sections, such as chat, forum, “News and more,” and the help database. This also reinforces the assumption that the perception of the website and its ease of use and accessibility might differ depending on the current situation of the user:I can’t remember exactly when I’ve last seen the website but I have the impression that it’s really changed in the meantime. Yesterday I looked at the mobile website and I think it’s really good because it also works well on a mobile phone and that’s not always the case for websites. I think the design is great and super clear.