Purpose The study aim was to develop a mobile application (app) supported by user preferences to optimise self-management of arm and shoulder exercises for upper-limb dysfunction (ULD) after breast cancer treatment. Methods Focus groups with breast cancer patients were held to identify user needs and requirements. Behaviour change techniques were explored by researchers and discussed during the focus groups. Concepts for content were identified by thematic analysis. A rapid review was conducted to inform the exercise programme. Preliminary testing was carried out to obtain user feedback from breast cancer patients who used the app for 8 weeks post surgery. Results Breast cancer patients' experiences with ULD and exercise advice and routines varied widely. They identified and prioritised several app features: tailored information, video demonstrations of the exercises, push notifications, and tracking and progress features. An evidence-based programme was developed with a physiotherapist with progressive exercises for passive and active mobilisation, stretching and strengthening. The exercise demonstration videos were filmed with a breast cancer patient. Early user testing demonstrated ease of use, and clear and motivating app content. Conclusions bWell, a novel app for arm and shoulder exercises , was developed by breast cancer patients, health care professionals and academics. Further research is warranted to confirm its clinical effectiveness. Implications for cancer survivors Mobile health has great potential to provide patients with information specific to their needs. bWell is a promising way to support breast cancer patients with exercise routines after treatment and may improve future self-management of clinical care.

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Providing a usable domestic brain-computer interface (BCI) for persons with disabilities requires that the development team ensure ease of interaction for all the potential users. To do this for individuals with complex needs often requires that an approach is tailored to a specific user. However, in developing a domestic BCI it is necessary to consider the provision of an application which hides the complexity of the underlying science from the user whilst delivering acceptable levels of interaction for many. This is not an unusual circumstance in the realm of assistive technology. We present a cohesive test suite which allows the development team to assess what constitutes an acceptable level of accuracy in a four-way command interface using steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP). It also facilitates a uniform assessment of the level of accuracy achieved by a specific user operating a BCI and provides a means of contrasting and selecting performance parameters in order to enhance user performance.

This paper is concerned with enhancing aspects of project‐management techniques in relation to maintenance in commercial object‐oriented software. Maintenance forms a significant proportion of the lifecycle of a product and consequently its costs. Techniques such as lean production attempt to reduce cost by focusing team effort and to pre‐empt issues by the use of early detection and resolution strategies. This study involves a commercial application written in C++ and its evolution over a one‐year period. Software product measures are used in conjunction with Pareto analysis to determine effective predictive class targeting in a release cycle. We assess the capability of the measures and consider how the results can be used by the project team. The study extends the work of others in this field in three ways. First, other studies have analysed procedural code, whereas we use an object‐oriented code base. Second, most studies assess the predictive capability of measures against the number of software issues; we examine these factors, but uniquely test for change density using density modified measures and we also test for revision volume. Finally, we examine the implications of these results and offer a cohesive framework of recommendations placed within the lean management philosophy. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Purpose -This paper describes the research underpinning the development and evaluation of a brain computer interface (BCI) system designed to be suitable for domestic use by people with acquired brain injury in order to facilitate control of their home environment. The purpose of the research is to develop a robust and user-friendly BCI system which was customisable in terms of user ability, preferences and functionality. Specifically the human interface was designed to provide consistent visual metaphors in usage, while applications change, for example, from environmental control to entertainment and communications.Design/methodology/approach -The research took a user centred design approach involving representative end-users throughout the design and evaluation process. A qualitative study adopting user interviews alongside interactive workshops highlighted the issues that needed to be addressed in the development of a user interface for such a system. User validation then underpinned prototype development.Findings -The findings of the research indicate that while there are still significant challenges in translating working BCI systems from the research laboratories to the homes of individuals with acquired brain injuries, participants are keen to be involved in the deign and development of such systems. In its current stage of development BCI is multi-facetted and uses complex software, which poses a significant usability challenge. This work also found that the performance of the BCI paradigm chosen was considerably better for those users with no disability than for those with acquired brain injury. Further work is required to identify how and whether this performance gap can be addressed.Research limitations/implications -The research had significant challenges in terms of managing the complexity of the hardware and software set-up and transferring the working systems to be tested by participants in their home. Furthermore, the authors believe that the development of assistive technologies for the disabled user requires a significant additional level of personalisation and intensive support to the level normally required for non-disabled users. Coupled with the inherent complexity of BCI, this leads to technology that does not easily offer a solution to both disabled and non-disabled users.Originality/value -The research contributes additional findings relating to the usability of BCI systems. The value of the work is to highlight the practical issues involved in translating such systems to participants where the acquired brain injury can impact on the ability of the participant to use the BCI system.