scholarly journals Use of a Mobile App for the Process Evaluation of an Intervention in Health Care: Development and Usability Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winnie Szu Yun Chin ◽  
Alicia Kurowski ◽  
Rebecca Gore ◽  
Guanling Chen ◽  
Laura Punnett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
New England ◽  
Process Evaluation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
End Users ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Stage 1

BACKGROUND Process evaluation measures the context in which an outcome was or was not achieved through the ongoing monitoring of operations. Mobile apps are a potentially less burdensome tool for collecting these metrics in real time from participants. Research-driven apps are not always developed while paying attention to their usability for target users. Usability testing uncovers gaps in researchers’, developers’, and users’ mental models of what an efficient, effective, and satisfying product looks like and facilitates design improvement. Models may vary by user demographics. OBJECTIVE This study describes the development of a mobile app for collecting process evaluation metrics in an intervention study with health care workers that uses feedback at multiple stages to refine the app design, quantify usage based on workers' overall adoption of the app and the app's specific function, and compare the demographic and job characteristics of end users. METHODS An app was developed to evaluate the Center for Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace Healthy Workplace Participatory Program, which trains teams to develop solutions for workforce health obstacles. Labor-management health and safety committee members, program champions, and managers were invited to use the app. An accompanying website was available for team facilitators. The app’s 4 functions were meeting creation, postmeeting surveys, project time logs, and chat messages. Google Analytics recorded screen time. Two stages of pilot tests assessed functionality and usability across different device software, hardware, and platforms. In stage 1, student testers assessed the first functional prototype by performing task scenarios expected from end users. Feedback was used to fix issues and inform further development. In stage 2, the app was offered to all study participants; volunteers completed task scenarios and provided feedback at deployment. End user data for 18 months after deployment were summarized and compared by user characteristics. RESULTS In stage 1, functionality problems were documented and fixed. The System Usability Scale scores from 7 student testers corresponded to <i>good</i> usability (mobile app=72.9; website=72.5), whereas 15 end users rated usability as <i>ok</i> (mobile app=64.7; website=62.5). Predominant usability themes from student testers were <i>flexibility and efficiency</i> and <i>visibility of system status</i>; end users prioritized <i>flexibility and</i> <i>efficiency</i> and <i>recognition rather than recall</i>. Both student testers and end users suggested useful features that would have resulted in the large-scale restructuring of the back end; these were considered for their benefits versus cost. In stage 2, the median total use time over 18 months was 10.9 minutes (IQR 23.8) and 14.5 visits (IQR 12.5). There were no observable patterns in use by demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Occupational health researchers developing a mobile app should budget for early and iterative testing to find and fix problems or usability issues, which can increase eventual product use and prevent potential gaps in data.

scholarly journals Speech-To-Text (STT) based mobile apps can aid Citizen Reporting Program (CRP) to reduce reckless driving in resource-constrained situations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhanu Pratap Singh ◽  
Nirvisha Singh
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Mobile Network ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Resource Constrained ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Word Error Rate ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Internet Availability ◽  
Reckless Driving

Most of the data gathering devices used for monitoring driver’s behavior require large storage, strong cellular signals, and unlimited internet. Touching mobile devices, during driving, is prohibited by many law enforcement agencies. There are situations, especially in developing countries, where people get stuck on roads with a low battery, low device-memory, and no mobile network. <a>The drivers in such situations are not able to report against reckless drivers effectively. </a>This paper proposes the framework of the “citizen reporting program” (CRP) aided with mobile apps to reduce reckless driving in such <i>resource-constrained situations</i> (RCS). A mobile app was designed, developed, and tested as a tool for this purpose. It could convert speech to text without a cellular network, capture the nearest geolocation, and send data to a server on the network or internet availability. We tested its reliability for converting speech to text and got a “word error rate” (WER) of less than 5%. We tested its functional usability and got a score of more than 71% on the <i>system usability scale (SUS).</i> The survey showed a favorable response of 70 plus % in reducing reckless driving via CRP in RCS if aided with mobile apps.

scholarly journals Novel mHealth App to Deliver Geriatric Assessment-Driven Interventions for Older Adults With Cancer: Pilot Feasibility and Usability Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kah Poh Loh ◽  
Erika Ramsdale ◽  
Eva Culakova ◽  
Jason H Mendler ◽  
Jane L Liesveld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Utilization ◽  
Geriatric Assessment ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Intervention Period ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
System Usability Scale

BACKGROUND Older patients with cancer are at an increased risk of adverse outcomes. A geriatric assessment (GA) is a compilation of reliable and validated tools to assess domains that are predictors of morbidity and mortality, and it can be used to guide interventions. However, the implementation of GA and GA-driven interventions is low due to resource and time limitations. GA-driven interventions delivered through a mobile app may support the complex needs of older patients with cancer and their caregivers. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and usability of a novel app (TouchStream) and to identify barriers to its use. As an exploratory aim, we gathered preliminary data on symptom burden, health care utilization, and satisfaction. METHODS In a single-site pilot study, we included patients aged ≥65 years undergoing treatment for systemic cancer and their caregivers. TouchStream consists of a mobile app and a Web portal. Patients underwent a GA at baseline with the study team (on paper), and the results were used to guide interventions delivered through the app. A tablet preloaded with the app was provided for use at home for 4 weeks. Feasibility metrics included usability (system usability scale of >68 is considered above average), recruitment, retention (number of subjects consented who completed postintervention assessments), and percentage of days subjects used the app. For the last 8 patients, we assessed their symptom burden (severity and interference with 17-items scored from 0-10 where a higher score indicates worse symptoms) using a clinical symptom inventory, health care utilization from the electronic medical records, and satisfaction (6 items scored on a 5-point Likert Scale for both patients and caregivers where a higher score indicates higher satisfaction) using a modified satisfaction survey. Barriers to use were elicited through interviews. RESULTS A total of 18 patients (mean age 76.8, range 68-87) and 13 caregivers (mean age 69.8, range 38-81) completed the baseline assessment. Recruitment and retention rates were 67% and 80%, respectively. The mean SUS score was 74.0 for patients and 72.2 for caregivers. Mean percentage of days the TouchStream app was used was 78.7%. Mean symptom severity and interference scores were 1.6 and 2.8 at preintervention, and 0.9 and 1.5 at postintervention, respectively. There was a total of 27 clinic calls during the intervention period and 15 during the postintervention period (week 5-8). One patient was hospitalized during the intervention period (week 1-4) and two patients during the postintervention period (week 5-8). Mean satisfaction scores of patients and caregivers with the mobile app were 20.4 and 23.4, respectively. Barriers fell into 3 themes: general experience, design, and functionality. CONCLUSIONS TouchStream is feasible and usable for older patients on cancer treatment and their caregivers. Future studies should evaluate the effects of the TouchStream on symptoms and health care utilization in a randomized fashion.

scholarly journals The Mobile App Development and Assessment Guide (MAG): Delphi-Based Validity Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pere Llorens-Vernet ◽  
Jordi Miró
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
End Users ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
App Development ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

BACKGROUND In recent years, there has been an exponential growth of mobile health (mHealth)–related apps. This has occurred in a somewhat unsupervised manner. Therefore, having a set of criteria that could be used by all stakeholders to guide the development process and the assessment of the quality of the apps is of most importance. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to study the validity of the Mobile App Development and Assessment Guide (MAG), a guide recently created to help stakeholders develop and assess mobile health apps. METHODS To conduct a validation process of the MAG, we used the Delphi method to reach a consensus among participating stakeholders. We identified 158 potential participants: 45 patients as potential end users, 41 health care professionals, and 72 developers. We sent participants an online survey and asked them to rate how important they considered each item in the guide to be on a scale from 0 to 10. Two rounds were enough to reach consensus. RESULTS In the first round, almost one-third (n=42) of those invited participated, and half of those (n=24) also participated in the second round. Most items in the guide were found to be important to a quality mHealth-related app; a total of 48 criteria were established as important. “Privacy,” “security,” and “usability” were the categories that included most of the important criteria. CONCLUSIONS The data supports the validity of the MAG. In addition, the findings identified the criteria that stakeholders consider to be most important. The MAG will help advance the field by providing developers, health care professionals, and end users with a valid guide so that they can develop and identify mHealth-related apps that are of quality.

scholarly journals The Mobile App Development and Assessment Guide (MAG): Delphi-Based Validity Study

10.2196/17760 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e17760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pere Llorens-Vernet ◽  
Jordi Miró
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
End Users ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
App Development ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

Background In recent years, there has been an exponential growth of mobile health (mHealth)–related apps. This has occurred in a somewhat unsupervised manner. Therefore, having a set of criteria that could be used by all stakeholders to guide the development process and the assessment of the quality of the apps is of most importance. Objective The aim of this paper is to study the validity of the Mobile App Development and Assessment Guide (MAG), a guide recently created to help stakeholders develop and assess mobile health apps. Methods To conduct a validation process of the MAG, we used the Delphi method to reach a consensus among participating stakeholders. We identified 158 potential participants: 45 patients as potential end users, 41 health care professionals, and 72 developers. We sent participants an online survey and asked them to rate how important they considered each item in the guide to be on a scale from 0 to 10. Two rounds were enough to reach consensus. Results In the first round, almost one-third (n=42) of those invited participated, and half of those (n=24) also participated in the second round. Most items in the guide were found to be important to a quality mHealth-related app; a total of 48 criteria were established as important. “Privacy,” “security,” and “usability” were the categories that included most of the important criteria. Conclusions The data supports the validity of the MAG. In addition, the findings identified the criteria that stakeholders consider to be most important. The MAG will help advance the field by providing developers, health care professionals, and end users with a valid guide so that they can develop and identify mHealth-related apps that are of quality.

scholarly journals Mobile Apps, a tool for public health

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (16) ◽  
pp. 33-39
Author(s):  
Ma. Elena Cruz-Cortes
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Public Health Programs ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Effective Counseling ◽  
Access And Quality

The use of mobile apps in healthcare turned around the paradigm in which the medical service is underneath. M-Health is an increasing sector that offers a lot of innovation possibilities, it makes information available at any time. It allows the access to a large universe of tools that pledge to be of great benefit and become an important resource in the provision of health services due to its easy diffusion, use and wide acceptance. The mobile app help in diagnosis, treatment, disease prevention and effective counseling of health information. The reviewed literature reveal that M-Health in Mexico has a great potential to ameliorate access and quality of health-care services, boosting effectiveness of public health programs and the abatement of health care costs. The objective of this article is to explain the relation and benefits of e-Health and m- Health in the health care field and to identify the mobile app developed in public and private health care services in Mexico

scholarly journals Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Malay Version of the System Usability Scale Questionnaire for the Assessment of Mobile Apps (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhamad Fadhil Mohamad Marzuki ◽  
Nor Azwany Yaacob ◽  
Najib Majdi Yaacob
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Adaptation ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Face Validity ◽  
Validity Index ◽  
Cross Cultural Adaptation ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
System Usability ◽  
The Face

BACKGROUND A mobile app is a programmed system designed to be used by a target user on a mobile device. The usability of such a system refers not only to the extent to which product can be used to achieve the task that it was designed for, but also its effectiveness and efficiency, as well as user satisfaction. The System Usability Scale is one of the most commonly used questionnaires used to assess the usability of a system. The original 10-item version of System Usability Scale was developed in English and thus needs to be adapted into local languages to assess the usability of a mobile apps developed in other languages. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to translate and validate (with cross-cultural adaptation) the English System Usability Scale questionnaire into Malay, the main language spoken in Malaysia. The development of a translated version will allow the usability of mobile apps to be assessed in Malay. METHODS Forward and backward translation of the questionnaire was conducted by groups of Malay native speakers who spoke English as their second language. The final version was obtained after reconciliation and cross-cultural adaptation. The content of the Malay System Usability Scale questionnaire for mobile apps was validated by 10 experts in mobile app development. The efficacy of the questionnaire was further probed by testing the face validity on 10 mobile phone users, followed by reliability testing involving 54 mobile phone users. RESULTS The content validity index was determined to be 0.91, indicating good relevancy of the 10 items used to assess the usability of a mobile app. Calculation of the face validity index resulted in a value of 0.94, therefore indicating that the questionnaire was easily understood by the users. Reliability testing showed a Cronbach alpha value of .85 (95% CI 0.79-0.91) indicating that the translated System Usability Scale questionnaire is a reliable tool for the assessment of usability of a mobile app. CONCLUSIONS The Malay System Usability Scale questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool to assess the usability of mobile app in Malaysia.

scholarly journals A Mobile App–Based Intervention for Depression: End-User and Expert Usability Testing Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. e54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz ◽  
Ben Richardson ◽  
Britt Klein ◽  
Helen Skouteris ◽  
Helen Christensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Psychological Treatment ◽  
Treatment Compliance ◽  
End Users ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
End User ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Participant Engagement ◽  
System Usability Scale

Background Despite the growing number of mental health apps available for smartphones, the perceived usability of these apps from the perspectives of end users or health care experts has rarely been reported. This information is vital, particularly for self-guided mHealth interventions, as perceptions of navigability and quality of content are likely to impact participant engagement and treatment compliance. Objective The aim of this study was to conduct a usability evaluation of a personalized, self-guided, app-based intervention for depression. Methods Participants were administered the System Usability Scale and open-ended questions as part of a semistructured interview. There were 15 participants equally divided into 3 groups: (1) individuals with clinical depression who were the target audience for the app, (2) mental health professionals, and (3) researchers who specialize in the area of eHealth interventions and/or depression research. Results The end-user group rated the app highly, both in quantitative and qualitative assessments. The 2 expert groups highlighted the self-monitoring features and range of established psychological treatment options (such as behavioral activation and cognitive restructuring) but had concerns that the amount and layout of content may be difficult for end users to navigate in a self-directed fashion. The end-user data did not confirm these concerns. Conclusions Encouraging participant engagement via self-monitoring and feedback, as well as personalized messaging, may be a viable way to maintain participation in self-guided interventions. Further evaluation is necessary to determine whether levels of engagement with these features enhance treatment effects.

scholarly journals Mobile Health Apps on COVID-19 Launched in the Early Days of the Pandemic: Content Analysis and Review

10.2196/19796 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. e19796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Chiau Ming ◽  
Noorazrina Untong ◽  
Nur Amalina Aliudin ◽  
Norliza Osili ◽  
Nurolaini Kifli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Home Monitoring ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
App Store ◽  
Online Consultation ◽  
Basic Features

Background Mobile health (mHealth) app use is a major concern because of the possible dissemination of misinformation that could harm the users. Particularly, it can be difficult for health care professionals to recommend a suitable app for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) education and self-monitoring purposes. Objective This study aims to analyze and evaluate the contents as well as features of COVID-19 mobile apps. The findings are instrumental in helping health care professionals to identify suitable mobile apps for COVID-19 self-monitoring and education. The results of the mobile apps’ assessment could potentially help mobile app developers improve or modify their existing mobile app designs to achieve optimal outcomes. Methods The search for the mHealth apps available in the android-based Play Store and the iOS-based App Store was conducted between April 18 and May 5, 2020. The region of the App Store where we performed the search was the United States, and a virtual private network app was used to locate and access COVID-19 mobile apps from all countries on the Google Play Store. The inclusion criteria were apps that are related to COVID-19 with no restriction in language type. The basic features assessment criteria used for comparison were the requirement for free subscription, internet connection, education or advisory content, size of the app, ability to export data, and automated data entry. The functionality of the apps was assessed according to knowledge (information on COVID-19), tracing or mapping of COVID-19 cases, home monitoring surveillance, online consultation with a health authority, and official apps run by health authorities. Results Of the 223 COVID-19–related mobile apps, only 30 (19.9%) found in the App Store and 28 (44.4%) in the Play Store matched the inclusion criteria. In the basic features assessment, most App Store (10/30, 33.3%) and Play Store (10/28, 35.7%) apps scored 4 out of 7 points. Meanwhile, the outcome of the functionality assessment for most App Store apps (13/30, 43.3%) was a score of 3 compared to android-based apps (10/28, 35.7%), which scored 2 (out of the maximum 5 points). Evaluation of the basic functions showed that 75.0% (n=36) of the 48 included mobile apps do not require a subscription, 56.3% (n=27) provide symptom advice, and 41.7% (n=20) have educational content. In terms of the specific functions, more than half of the included mobile apps are official mobile apps maintained by a health authority for COVID-19 information provision. Around 37.5% (n=18) and 31.3% (n=15) of the mobile apps have tracing or mapping and home monitoring surveillance functions, respectively, with only 17% (n=8) of the mobile apps equipped with an online consultation function. Conclusions Most iOS-based apps incorporate infographic mapping of COVID-19 cases, while most android-based apps incorporate home monitoring surveillance features instead of providing focused educational content on COVID-19. It is important to evaluate the contents and features of COVID-19 mobile apps to guide users in choosing a suitable mobile app based on their requirements.

scholarly journals Speech-To-Text (STT) based mobile apps can aid Citizen Reporting Program (CRP) to reduce reckless driving in resource-constrained situations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhanu Pratap Singh ◽  
Nirvisha Singh
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Mobile Network ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Resource Constrained ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Word Error Rate ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Internet Availability ◽  
Reckless Driving

Most of the data gathering devices used for monitoring driver’s behavior require large storage, strong cellular signals, and unlimited internet. Touching mobile devices, during driving, is prohibited by many law enforcement agencies. There are situations, especially in developing countries, where people get stuck on roads with a low battery, low device-memory, and no mobile network. <a>The drivers in such situations are not able to report against reckless drivers effectively. </a>This paper proposes the framework of the “citizen reporting program” (CRP) aided with mobile apps to reduce reckless driving in such <i>resource-constrained situations</i> (RCS). A mobile app was designed, developed, and tested as a tool for this purpose. It could convert speech to text without a cellular network, capture the nearest geolocation, and send data to a server on the network or internet availability. We tested its reliability for converting speech to text and got a “word error rate” (WER) of less than 5%. We tested its functional usability and got a score of more than 71% on the <i>system usability scale (SUS).</i> The survey showed a favorable response of 70 plus % in reducing reckless driving via CRP in RCS if aided with mobile apps.

Where did my 256 GB go? A Measurement Analysis of Storage Consumption on Smart Mobile Devices

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Ashish Bijlani ◽  
Umakishore Ramachandran ◽  
Roy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
User Study ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Android Apps ◽  
Measurement Analysis ◽  
Redundant Storage ◽  
Smart Mobile ◽  
Smart Mobile Devices

This work presents the first-ever detailed and large-scale measurement analysis of storage consumption behavior of applications (apps) on smart mobile devices. We start by carrying out a five-year longitudinal static analysis of millions of Android apps to study the increase in their sizes over time and identify various sources of app storage consumption. Our study reveals that mobile apps have evolved as large monolithic packages that are packed with features to monetize/engage users and optimized for performance at the cost of redundant storage consumption. We also carry out a mobile storage usage study with 140 Android participants. We built and deployed a lightweight context-aware storage tracing tool, called cosmos, on each participant's device. Leveraging the traces from our user study, we show that only a small fraction of apps/features are actively used and usage is correlated to user context. Our findings suggest a high degree of app feature bloat and unused functionality, which leads to inefficient use of storage. Furthermore, we found that apps are not constrained by storage quota limits, and developers freely abuse persistent storage by frequently caching data, creating debug logs, user analytics, and downloading advertisements as needed. Finally, drawing upon our findings, we discuss the need for efficient mobile storage management, and propose an elastic storage design to reclaim storage space when unused. We further identify research challenges and quantify expected storage savings from such a design. We believe our findings will be valuable to the storage research community as well as mobile app developers.

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