Introduction Decision aid (DA) development requires expertise and resources to engage key stakeholders and meet the International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS). The PADA technology platform facilitates this process. Our aim was to assess users’ perceptions of the usability and sustainability of a minimal viable version of PADA.

Methods In this descriptive mixed-methods study, we recruited researchers through our international networks who were willing to develop their DA in either French, English or Spanish. Participants took part in video-recorded think-aloud sessions while using PADA. After the development process, participants answered semi-structured questions and the Normalisation MeAsure Development (NoMAD) questionnaire to assess the factors influencing the implementation of PADA. Two researchers conducted thematic qualitative analyses of the interview guided by the Normalization Process Theory. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed on questionnaire results.

Preliminary Results To date, we have recruited eight participants from three countries, with varying levels of experience, ranging from zero to ten DAs developed in the past. Experienced users quickly understood the features of PADA and were able to use it immediately, while novices needed guidance and additional resources before using it. For some key features, such as previsualization which allows a preview of the DA at any development stage, we had to guide participants to use them. Participants found PADA particularly valuable for getting feedback from collaborators or patients at the prototyping stage and saw it as an incentive to use it in the future.

Discussion Less experienced users needed coaching to clarify decision points or templates for content creation before using PADA. A tutorial should be added to familiarize users with all PADA features.

Conclusions PADA is suitable for users with diverse experience levels. Adapting PADA based on our findings will ensure that it meets the needs of a broad user base in the future.