VINCE

VINCE tests in Sweden: How does it work and how do people react?

The Refugee Health Centre (FMC) in Region Östergötland’s main task in the project is to play an important role in creating the content of the comprehensive integration home application, together with the partners. In the initial phase, the FMC health communicators have collected insights from end-users and professionals working with migrants trying to get deeper and more detailed knowledge about needs, wishes, and thoughts to be fulfilled by the application. User feedback is an important part of the service design process, providing insights into the app’s usability and how it meets the real needs of the migrant users. By gathering input from migrant communities, we want to ensure that the app is accessible and relevant across different languages and cultures.

group of people around a meeting table watching a presentation on the screen

Collecting the voices of the target group – how do we learn from them?

During the fall 2024, as soon as we had a working prototype, we organised several testing events to evaluate with the end-users how the app works and how adequate, relevant and fitting the content shared in the virtual home is.

Test groups for migrants

There have been several testing opportunities for migrants, starting in November 2024. There has been different groups at a school, in a community orientation, in language training of “Swedish for immigrants”, in parents training sessions, in healthcare settings, in groups held by NGO, and so on. The groups varied in size and consisted of adult migrants aged 18–65. The participants had different educational backgrounds and varying experience – some had been in Sweden for a few months, while others had lived here for up to 15 years. Experience with digital services also varied, with some participants being experienced users of apps and others having less experience. In some groups, the participants spoke the same language as the health communicators, while in other groups there were several different languages spoken.

Test events for integration professionals

Testing has also taken place with professionals such as integration coordinators, labor market coordinators, study and work guidance counselors and teachers of Swedish as a foreign language. Also, the staff at the Refugee Medical Centre have been involved with the tests. The aim was to get also their feedback and perspectives on the app’s functions and usability, and whether the app meets the support needs of migrants in the integration process.

The testing has been carried out in continuous contact and cooperation with partners in Finland to ensure a similar approach and the best way of collecting of feedback. All the data has been delivered to the IT-engineers at Turku UAS developing the app for the project.

Reactions, comments and suggestions

Most test users have been very positive about the app’s development and found it to have a nice and clear design and good content. The test users/staff and trained migrants have mentioned that it is easy to navigate between the different functions, but that the functions are not yet fully developed to be used effectively.

Feedback and suggestions for improvement on the content and usability

Here are some of the feedback we received from the tests in regards to the actual content in the application and how to improve the usability:

two people from behind watching a mobile phone

Content

  • Make sure that the app name fits the content of the app so that everyone can easily understand what the app is from the start.
  • The app should contain all basic information newcomers require. Migrants often don’t know what specific information they need, making it harder for them to find solutions.
  • Consider how the app can assist illiterate users. Application works well for those who can read and find information, but it is difficult to use for those who cannot read and write. An example of this is that you should be able to speak your question and get your answer both verbally and visually.
  • Simplify the subtitle “The Living Desk,” as it may confuse users about the content (e.g., housing or general information).
  • Replace “Welcome” with a more appropriate introduction or remove it altogether.
  • It would also be valuable if the app included functions that facilitate communication with staff, which would make the app more useful for both migrants and professionals.

Usability

  • Include a short introductory video to explain how the app works.
  • Add interactive guides or help texts to facilitate the use of the app.
  • Make the app visually simple, with clear titles and subtitles that grow as needed.
  • Google Translate requires more accurate data to be effective.
  • Include features for scanning text or adding pictures for the translations in the app.
  • Use simpler language and more visual aids. Adapt the content and language used for different language levels as some migrants, especially those with low education or who have recently arrived in Sweden, do not always have the language level to understand all the information in the app.
  • Ensure headlines are visible, with translation options on the homepage, potentially using flags.
  • Improve navigation so that users can easily switch between sections without being redirected.

Positive reactions with high expectations

There have been strong emotional reactions, especially from migrants who believe that when the app is ready, it will give them a sense of being more involved in their own integration work. They also believe that many will feel more independent when they can find both health and social information and get guidance directly in the app, without always having to ask for help from others. Having all the information they need in one application and that the information will come from a safe sources, was considered very important and much appreciated. In fact, many were asking when will the app be available and they can get introductory information about it.

“Many will feel more independent when they can find both health and social information and get guidance directly in the app, without always having to ask for help from others.”

There were some concerns about stable access to the internet. Several participants, especially migrants, pointed out that they do not always have access to stable internet and were wondering whether the app, when fully developed, will be able to be used even without a stable internet connection. Other issues we still need to understand and decide on are such as language barriers, joint services and, how to create trust for the app.

The user test phase has been very exciting and, despite the obvious need for further development, it gets clear which potential the app has to become a powerful tool in the integration process. During the conducted tests we realized that we had probably underestimated expectations when we discovered that some of the missing features in the app created some disappointment among those who tested it. Together with the specific feedback we got, we interpret it overall as a very positive reaction to the app.

Writer
Roberto Felizia, Administrative Project Manager at the Refugee Health Center in Region Östergötland