User-centered development of a smart phone mobile application delivering personalized real-time advice on sun protection.
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.
Klein Buendel, Inc, 1667 Cole Boulevard, Suite 225, Golden, CO 80401 USA.
David B
DB
Buller
Marianne
M
Berwick
James
J
Shane
Ilima
I
Kane
Kathleen
K
Lantz
Mary Klein
MK
Buller
Focus groups; Formative research; Smart phones; Sun safety; Usability testing; User-centered design