Empirical Studies on Usability of mHealth Apps: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The release of smartphones and tablets, which offer more advanced communication and computing capabilities, has led to the strong emergence of mHealth on the market. mHealth systems are being used to improve patients' lives and their health, in addition to facilitating communication between doctors and patients. Researchers are now proposing mHealth applications for many health conditions such as dementia, autism, dysarthria, Parkinson's disease, and so on. Usability becomes a key factor in the adoption of these applications, which are often used by people who have problems when using mobile devices and who have a limited experience of technology. The aim of this paper is to investigate the empirical usability evaluation processes described in a total of 22 selected studies related to mHealth applications by means of a Systematic Literature Review. Our results show that the empirical evaluation methods employed as regards usability could be improved by the adoption of automated mechanisms. The evaluation processes should also be revised to combine more than one method. This paper will help researchers and developers to create more usable applications. Our study demonstrates the importance of adapting health applications to users' need.

Administering Cognitive Tests Through Touch Screen Tablet Devices: Potential Issues

“…Data gathered and disseminated through these means can be used to augment diagnosis and monitoring processes [7]. In addition to their use in physical conditions [8], mHealth may also be applied to the management of cognitive health [9]. However, although research examining the use of various health-related apps by older adults is helping to indicate what factors affect the use of such apps by this population [2,[8][9][10], there is a paucity of research investigating the use of touch screen tablets in assessing information or cognitive processing in older adults.…”

Evaluating the Internal and External Usability Attributes of E-Learning Websites in Saudi Arabia

“…Evaluations of the usability of websites have been the subject of numerous research projects, with researchers focusing on topics such as e-learning (e.g., [10,11]), e-government (e.g., [12,13]), ecommerce (e.g., [14][15][16][17][18]), mobile website interfaces (e.g., [19,20]), m-commerce (e.g., [21,22]), and virtual and augmented reality (e.g., [23,24]). …”

Are We There Yet? Human Factors Knowledge and Health Information Technology – the Challenges of Implementation and Impact

“…Matthew-Maich et al [65] have produced a scoping review investigating mobile health technologies for managing chronic conditions in older adults: they reported that most applications target specific conditions, are designed primarily for use by patients and care providers, and that evidence-based guidance on how to ensure acceptability and usability of mHealth innovations continues to be limited. Zapata et al [66] also explored mobile health technologies through a systematic review to investigate usability evaluation processes. They highlighted the importance of usability for adoption and use of mHealth by patients, many of them having limited experience and/or problems using mobile applications.…”