Open AccessUser-centered development of a smart phone mobile application delivering personalized real-time advice on sun protection
Author(s) -
David B. Buller,
Marianne Berwick,
James Shane,
Ilima Kane,
Bianca Adler,
Mary Klein Buller
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
translational behavioral medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1869-6716
pISSN - 1613-9860
DOI - 10.1007/s13142-013-0208-1
Subject(s) - usability , computer science , interoperability , multimedia , focus group , mobile phone , human–computer interaction , world wide web , telecommunications , marketing , business
Smart phones are changing health communication for Americans. User-centered production of a mobile application for sun protection is reported. Focus groups (n = 16 adults) provided input on the mobile application concept. Four rounds of usability testing were conducted with 22 adults to develop the interface. An iterative programming procedure moved from a specification document to the final mobile application, named Solar Cell. Adults desired a variety of sun protection advice, identified few barriers to use and were willing to input personal data. The Solar Cell prototype was improved from round 1 (seven of 12 tasks completed) to round 2 (11 of 12 task completed) of usability testing and was interoperable across handsets and networks. The fully produced version was revised during testing. Adults rated Solar Cell as highly user friendly (mean = 5.06). The user-centered process produced a mobile application that should help many adults manage sun safety.