Heuristic Evaluation of a Gamified Application for Education in Patients with Diabetes

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usability of a top-rated diabetes app. Such apps are intended to markedly support the achievement of optimal health and financial outcomes by providing patients with substantive and continual support for self-management of their disease between periodic clinician visits. Poor usability can deter use which is especially concerning in patients with diabetes due to prevalence of the disease and impact of self-management on long-term prognosis. Methods A diabetes app was selected due to the prevalence and seriousness of the disease. A heuristic evaluation was then performed to collect and analyze data on the usability of the app based on Nielsen's heuristics. Pareto analysis was used to illustrate the contribution of each type of heuristic violation, augmented by a stacked bar chart illuminating associated severity. Results There were 51 heuristic violations on the opening screen, violating 6 of Nielsen's 10 heuristics. Pareto analysis revealed 29 (57%) of the heuristic violations involved a match between system and real world and 8 (16%) aesthetic and minimalist design. Severity ratings ranged from 1.0 to 4.0 (mean: 3.01) with 80% comprising a major usability problem and 6% a usability catastrophe. Conclusion Studies show that people with diabetes are more likely to receive greater benefit from a diabetes app if they are easy to use. The number and severity of heuristic violations in this study suggest that the commercialization of mobile health apps may play a factor in bypassing experts in clinical informatics during the design phase of development. Usability and associated benefits received from mobile health apps can be enhanced by debugging the user interface of identified heuristic violations during design. Waiting to correct ongoing usability issues while apps are in production can result in patients disengaging from use of digital health tools engendering poorer outcomes.

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Intramuscular Nerve and Neuromuscular Junction Alteration In Extraocular Muscles of Diabetic Mice

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100120102 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 682-683

Author(s):

Bruce R. Pachter

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Peripheral Nerves ◽

Sudden Onset ◽

Extraocular Muscles ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Oculomotor Palsy ◽

Third Nerve Palsy ◽

Patients With Diabetes ◽

Intramuscular Nerve ◽

Oculomotor Nerves

Diabetes mellitus is one of the commonest causes of neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy is a heterogeneous group of neuropathic disorders to which patients with diabetes mellitus are susceptible; more than one kind of neuropathy can frequently occur in the same individual. Abnormalities are also known to occur in nearly every anatomic subdivision of the eye in diabetic patients. Oculomotor palsy appears to be common in diabetes mellitus for their occurrence in isolation to suggest diabetes. Nerves to the external ocular muscles are most commonly affected, particularly the oculomotor or third cranial nerve. The third nerve palsy of diabetes is characteristic, being of sudden onset, accompanied by orbital and retro-orbital pain, often associated with complete involvement of the external ocular muscles innervated by the nerve. While the human and experimental animal literature is replete with studies on the peripheral nerves in diabetes mellitus, there is but a paucity of reported studies dealing with the oculomotor nerves and their associated extraocular muscles (EOMs).

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