From needs assessment to usability testing: evaluating the AinoAid™ chatbot for domestic violence support

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dc.contributor.authorVogt, Catharina
dc.contributor.authorGiljohann, Stefanie
dc.contributor.authorKöpsel, Natalie
dc.contributor.authorGonzález Cabezas, Sandra
dc.contributor.authorHoutsonen, Jarmo
dc.contributor.authorIzaguirre Choperena, Ainhoa
dc.contributor.authorJuusela, Anna
dc.contributor.authorTananau Blumenschein, Emanuel
dc.contributor.authorVassileva, Margarita
dc.date.accessioned2026-02-20T15:48:34Z
dc.date.available2026-02-20T15:48:34Z
dc.date.issued2026-12-01
dc.date.updated2026-02-20T15:48:34Z
dc.description.abstractBackground: Survivors of domestic violence (DV) often encounter barriers when accessing professional support services. These barriers arise, for example, from uncertainty in identifying violence, limited knowledge of support options, and psychological barriers such as fear or shame. To address these challenges, the European project IMPROVE developed AinoAid™, a data-secure and multilingual website with an integrated chatbot. Developed in collaboration with psychotherapists, the chatbot provides low-threshold, anonymous, empathetic access to information on domestic violence support services, risk assessment and legal procedures. Ultimately, AinoAid™ seeks to serve as a safe, informative gateway to protection and support. Methods: Employing a mixed-methods design, Study 1 involved interviews with 80 DV survivors from Austria, Germany, Finland, France and Spain to explore their openness and needs concerning an AI chatbot for 24/7 support. Furthermore, Study 2 was a German evaluation survey of 669 users, assessing perceived safety, usability, utility and interaction quality of AinoAid™. Results: In Study 1, interviewees predominantly reported limited prior chatbot experience, yet expressed remarkably positive attitudes toward the potential use of a chatbot tailored for DV support. They emphasized the importance of data safety, chatbot accessibility and usability, offering suggestions on chatbot content tone and promotion. The evaluation in Study 2 indicated a positive overall rating of the chatbot by users, with perceived safety emerging as the most highly rated feature. Study participants suggested improving the chatbot’s empathy, engagement, input comprehension, follow-up integration, and memory of previous statements. Additionally, users called for more personalized information, actionable guidance and direct links to relevant support services. Conclusions: Our evaluation confirms that the AI chatbot AinoAid™ functions as a safe, accessible, and effective gateway to protection and support for DV survivors. Its perceived great strength, its impartiality due to its non-human nature, presents, on the other hand, also a significant challenge in meeting the high expectations for human-like, empathetic, and dynamic conversations in such a sensitive context. However, we anticipate that sustained usage and continuous training will even further enhance the AI ability to fully meet the evolving needs of domestic violence survivors.en
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research was conducted as part of the IMPROVE research project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Innovation Action funding scheme under Grant Agreement No. 101074010en
dc.identifier.citationVogt, C., Giljohann, S., Köpsel, N., González Cabezas, S., Houtsonen, J., Izaguirre Choperena, A., Juusela, A., Tananau Blumenschein, E., & Vassileva, M. (2026). From needs assessment to usability testing: evaluating the AinoAid™ chatbot for domestic violence support. BMC Women’s Health, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/S12905-025-04202-3
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/S12905-025-04202-3
dc.identifier.eissn1472-6874
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14454/5187
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherBioMed Central Ltd
dc.rights© The Author(s) 2025
dc.subject.otherArtificial intelligence
dc.subject.otherBarrier
dc.subject.otherChatbots
dc.subject.otherDomestic violence
dc.subject.otherHelp seeking
dc.subject.otherIntimate partner violence
dc.subject.otherPrevention
dc.subject.otherPsycho-education
dc.subject.otherSupport system
dc.subject.otherTechnology-based interventions
dc.titleFrom needs assessment to usability testing: evaluating the AinoAid™ chatbot for domestic violence supporten
dc.typejournal article
dcterms.accessRightsopen access
oaire.citation.issue1
oaire.citation.titleBMC Women's Health
oaire.citation.volume26
oaire.licenseConditionhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
oaire.versionVoR
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