scholarly journals App Designs and Interactive Features to Increase mHealth Adoption: User Expectation Survey and Experiment (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison J Lazard ◽  
J Scott Babwah Brennen ◽  
Stephanie P Belina
Keyword(s):  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Preventive Health Behaviors ◽  
App Development ◽  
Signal Value ◽  
Beneficial Action ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Functional Features

BACKGROUND Despite the ubiquity of smartphones, there is little guidance for how to design mobile health apps to increase use. Specifically, knowing what features users expect, grab their attention, encourage use (via predicted use or through positive app evaluations), and signal beneficial action possibilities can guide and focus app development efforts. OBJECTIVE We investigated what features users expect and how the design (prototypicality) impacts app adoption. METHODS In a web-based survey, we elicited expectations, including presence and placement, for 12 app features. Thereafter, participants (n=462) viewed 2 health apps (high prototypicality similar to top downloaded apps vs low prototypicality similar to research interventions) and reported willingness to download, attention, and predicted use of app features. Participants rated both apps (high and low) for aesthetics, ease of use, usefulness, perceived affordances, and intentions to use. RESULTS Most participants (425/462, 92%) expected features for navigation or personal settings (eg, menu) in specific regions (eg, top corners). Features with summary graphs or statics were also expected by many (395-396 of 462, 86%), with a center placement expectation. A feature to “share with friends” was least expected among participants (203/462, 44%). Features fell into 4 unique categories based on attention and predicted use, including <i>essential features</i> with high (&gt;50% or &gt;231 of 462) predicted use and attention (eg, calorie trackers), <i>flashy features</i> with high attention but lower predicted use (eg, links to specific diets), <i>functional features</i> with modest attention and low use (eg, settings), and <i>mundane features</i> with low attention and use (eg, discover tabs). When given a choice, 347 of 462 (75%) participants would download the high-prototypicality app. High prototypicality apps (vs low) led to greater aesthetics, ease of use, usefulness, and intentions, (for all, <i>P</i>&lt;.001). Participants thought that high prototypicality apps had more perceived affordances. CONCLUSIONS Intervention designs that fail to meet a threshold of mHealth expectations will be dismissed as less usable or beneficial. Individuals who download health apps have shared expectations for features that should be there, as well as where these features should appear. Meeting these expectations can improve app evaluations and encourage use. Our typology should guide presence and placement of expected app features to signal value and increase use to impact preventive health behaviors. Features that will likely be used and are attention-worthy—essential, flashy, and functional—should be prioritized during app development.

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 Patient’s Intention to Use Mobile Health App

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tung Siaw Yee ◽  
Lim Chui Seong ◽  
Wong Siew Chin
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Health ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Subjective Norm ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Perceived Ease Of Use ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence the intention of patients to adopt mobile health apps. The factors selected to conduct this study are perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norm. The proposed research model was reviewed and validated using the PLS-SEM with a sample of 300 respondents. The results of this study showed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norm could positively affect the patient's intention to use the mobile health app. The results of this study have made it possible to fill the research gap and provide adequate statistical support to the future expansion of research in the field of mobile health app. For practical reasons, these results have also provided researchers, app developers and healthcare providers with valuable information on how to evaluate and develop effective mobile health apps from the users’ perspective.

scholarly journals Quality Assessment Criteria for Mobile Health Apps: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 745-759
Author(s):  
Wilasinee HONGSANUN ◽  
Suppachai INSUK
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Assessment Criteria ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

Summative evidences on the criteria for user assessment of health apps are still limited. In order to determine an assessment method for mobile health apps, rigorous and appropriate criteria must be chosen. The aim of this study is to review the existing quality assessment criteria that are being used to assess the quality of mobile health apps focusing on users’ perspectives. In addition, a procedure for the quality assessment of health apps is also presented. A systematic review was conducted utilizing 5 databases; PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, CENTRAL and IEEE Xplore from 2008 to 2017. Search terms were; “mHealth”, “Applications”, “iOS OR Android”, “smartphones”, “quality”, etc. Papers that assessed the quality of health apps by users were selected. The PRISMA guideline was followed to complete the list of final studies. Likewise, a data extraction form was based on the PICO framework. From 6,514 studies, 69 studies met the eligibility criteria. Four hundred and forty-one quality assessment criteria for users were classified into 15 domains: Ease of use, Usability, Aesthetics, Connectivity, Functionality, Information, User satisfaction, Acceptability, Error occurrence, Motivation, Engagement, Data management, Undesirable events, Credentials and Security and privacy. An “ease of use” domain was found common in the included studies. The 15 domains were suggested as criteria for further study of the quality assessment and development of mHealth apps. Moreover, five recommended steps were presented for future research of quality of mobile health apps.

scholarly journals Acceptance of Mobile Health Apps for Disease Management Among People With Multiple Sclerosis: Web-Based Survey Study

10.2196/11977 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. e11977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Apolinário-Hagen ◽  
Mireille Menzel ◽  
Severin Hennemann ◽  
Christel Salewski
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

scholarly journals Quality Evaluation of Mobile Applications for Fine dust Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
J B Lee ◽  
H K Woo
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Fine Dust ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
App Development ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Mhealth Apps

Abstract Background Recently, the use of fine dust management mobile applications has been on the rise in South Korea. The aim of this study is to describe the current status of fine dust and air pollution mhealth apps used in Korea and to make qualitative assessments of them. Methods App search contents analysis 400 apps were searched using PM2.5, PM10 and yellow dust, the main keywords related to fine dust, referring to the preceding reference from December 30, 2019 to January 2, 2020. Among the apps searched, apps that meet all six criteria, such as those with 1) user score ≥4.0, 2) n of review Top 50, 3) those that do not duplicated, 4) apps that are related to the topic, 5) apps set in Korean, and 6) apps that do not have errors, were selected for the study. App assessment The app evaluation of the study utilizes the MARS scale, an app assessment tool developed overseas. The assessment was conducted for a week from January 3, 2020 to January 10, 2020. Each of the apps averaged scores evaluated over a week for each category and averaged over five categories for an overall quality score. Results The standard deviation of the information and functionality of the 30 apps was similar, with 3.62 (SD 0.38) and 3.58 (SD 0.43), respectively. On the other hand, engagement was the lowest with an average of 3.1 (SD 0.44). The average of aesthetics was 3.4 (SD 0.64), indicating that deviations between apps were very large Conclusions It is deemed necessary to improve the user interface (UI) and configuration of the app to enhance the application's engagement and aesthetics in order to increase the use of fine dust apps by consumers and gain effect. Key messages This research provided information that consumers can reasonably use and select mobile health apps by evaluating and reviewing the contents of fine dust and air pollution mobile health apps. this study is important in that it can serve as a reference for app developers to consider in future app development.

Evaluating mobile phone applications for health behaviour change: A systematic review

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona H McKay ◽  
Christina Cheng ◽  
Annemarie Wright ◽  
Jane Shill ◽  
Hugh Stephens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Health Behaviour ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Health Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

Introduction Increasing smartphones access has allowed for increasing development and use of smart phone applications (apps). Mobile health interventions have previously relied on voice or text-based short message services (SMS), however, the increasing availability and ease of use of apps has allowed for significant growth of smartphone apps that can be used for health behaviour change. This review considers the current body of knowledge relating to the evaluation of apps for health behaviour change. The aim of this review is to investigate approaches to the evaluation of health apps to identify any current best practice approaches. Method A systematic review was conducted. Data were collected and analysed in September 2016. Thirty-eight articles were identified and have been included in this review. Results Articles were published between 2011– 2016, and 36 were reviews or evaluations of apps related to one or more health conditions, the remaining two reported on an investigation of the usability of health apps. Studies investigated apps relating to the following areas: alcohol, asthma, breastfeeding, cancer, depression, diabetes, general health and fitness, headaches, heart disease, HIV, hypertension, iron deficiency/anaemia, low vision, mindfulness, obesity, pain, physical activity, smoking, weight management and women’s health. Conclusion In order to harness the potential of mobile health apps for behaviour change and health, we need better ways to assess the quality and effectiveness of apps. This review is unable to suggest a single best practice approach to evaluate mobile health apps. Few measures identified in this review included sufficient information or evaluation, leading to potentially incomplete and inaccurate information for consumers seeking the best app for their situation. This is further complicated by a lack of regulation in health promotion generally.

Gender and Reasons for Preventive Health Behaviors

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruby R. Brougham ◽  
Daniel Yoo ◽  
Christopher Saunders ◽  
Josie Driscoll ◽  
Richard John
Keyword(s):  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
Preventive Health Behaviors

Assessment and Prediction of Privacy Concerns on Health Apps (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reham AlTamime ◽  
Vincent Marmion ◽  
Wendy Hall
Keyword(s):  
Data Sharing ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Retention Rate ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
And Control

BACKGROUND Mobile apps and IoT-enabled smartphones technologies facilitate collecting, sharing, and inferring from a vast amount of data about individuals’ location, health conditions, mobility status, and other factors. The use of such technology highlights the importance of understanding individuals’ privacy concerns to design applications that integrate their privacy expectations and requirements. OBJECTIVE This paper explores, assesses, and predicts individuals’ privacy concerns in relation to collecting and disclosing data on mobile health apps. METHODS We designed a questionnaire to identify participants’ privacy concerns pertaining to a set of 432 mobile apps’ data collection and sharing scenarios. Participants were presented with 27 scenarios that varied across three categorical factors: (1) type of data collected (e.g. health, demographic, behavioral, and location); (2) data sharing (e.g., whether it is shared, and for what purpose); and, (3) retention rate (e.g., forever, until the purpose is satisfied, unspecified, week, or year). RESULTS Our findings show that type of data, data sharing, and retention rate are all factors that affect individuals’ privacy concerns. However, specific factors such as collecting and disclosing health data to a third-party tracker play a larger role than other factors in triggering privacy concerns. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that it is possible to predict privacy concerns based on these three factors. We propose design approaches that can improve users’ awareness and control of their data on mobile applications

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