Usability Evaluation And Correspondence Analysis Of Smartphone Operating Systems

User-centered smartphone interface design is important so that consumers can easily learn about and begin to use newly purchased smartphones. This study first evaluates the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction of smartphone interfaces in Taiwan in terms of two representational operating systems: Android and iPhone OS. The usability evaluation includes observational experiments, user questionnaires, and the Wilcoxon sign-rank test. This study then conducts the correspondence analysis to summarize positive/ negative evaluations of usage and specification for smartphone OS. In observational experiments, a total of 48 participants with no previous smartphone experience on using smartphone with Android and iPhone OS are asked to perform five common phone tasks. All experiments are recorded and observed. Results and observations are discussed to attain a closer match between user needs and the performance of smartphone OS

Cognitive vs Chronological Age as Barriers to Using Wearable Activity Monitors in Older Adults

Despite widespread availability, the use of smart devices is still very limited among seniors who could benefit from adopting these systems. This research-in-progress study draws on the theory of aging and subjective assessments of health, as well as information systems adoption literature to propose a theoretical model to explore the effects of older adults’ cognitive age on their disability perceptions which can influence their adoption of smart devices. The results will be achieved using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Potential contributions from this research to theory and practice are also outlined

Touch-screen tablet navigation and older adults: an investigation into the perceptions and opinions of baby boomers on long, scrolling home pages and the hamburger icon

How information and navigation are presented on a website can greatly impact one\u27s ability to successfully use the site. While this is an important consideration for all audiences, it is especially important for older adults. Decreases in visual acuity, working memory, and the ability to block out distractions can greatly impact the successful use of a website and, therefore, the overall user experience for older adults. Compounding these issues, it has been observed web designers often do not take into consideration the usability needs of older adults. This is unfortunate, since the world population is experiencing an unprecedented increase in the average age of the population. By 2017, roughly half of the population of the United States will be fifty years of age or older (Nielsen & BoomAgers, 2012). Baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, are the fastest growing cohort on the Internet today (Moran, 2013; Spiezle & Shambaugh, 2001; Wagner et al., 2014). Despite extensive research into website usability for older adults, data on website design and navigation guidelines--specifically for touch-screen tablets--is scarce. This is an area of opportunity and relevance, since the use of touch-screen tablets by older adults is rapidly expanding. To facilitate the creation touch-screen tablet experiences inclusive of older adults, this study examines what is known about aging, older adults, in general, and baby boomers, in particular, and website usability best practices. This study explores the perceptions and opinions for adults ages 50-68 on two popular navigation techniques frequently found on touch-screen devices--long, scrolling home pages and hiding the menu under a symbol commonly referred to as a hamburger icon. The ultimate goal of this research is to expand knowledge in this area and provide recommendations and directions for future research

An audio personal health library of clinic visit recordings for patients and their caregivers (HealthPAL): User-centered design approach

Background: Providing digital recordings of clinic visits to patients has emerged as a strategy to promote patient and family engagement in care. With advances in natural language processing, an opportunity exists to maximize the value of visit recordings for patients by automatically tagging key visit information (eg, medications, tests, and imaging) and linkages to trustworthy web-based resources curated in an audio-based personal health library. Objective: This study aims to report on the user-centered development of HealthPAL, an audio personal health library. Methods: Our user-centered design and usability evaluation approach incorporated iterative rounds of video-recorded sessions from 2016 to 2019. We recruited participants from a range of community settings to represent older patient and caregiver perspectives. In the first round, we used paper prototypes and focused on feature envisionment. We moved to low-fidelity and high-fidelity versions of the HealthPAL in later rounds, which focused on functionality and use; all sessions included a debriefing interview. Participants listened to a deidentified, standardized primary care visit recording before completing a series of tasks (eg, finding where a medication was discussed in the recording). In the final round, we recorded the patients\u27 primary care clinic visits for use in the session. Findings from each round informed the agile software development process. Task completion and critical incidents were recorded in each round, and the System Usability Scale was completed by participants using the digital prototype in later rounds. Results: We completed 5 rounds of usability sessions with 40 participants, of whom 25 (63%) were women with a median age of 68 years (range 23-89). Feedback from sessions resulted in color-coding and highlighting of information tags, a more prominent play button, clearer structure to move between one\u27s own recordings and others\u27 recordings, the ability to filter recording content by the topic discussed and descriptions, 10-second forward and rewind controls, and a help link and search bar. Perceived usability increased over the rounds, with a median System Usability Scale of 78.2 (range 20-100) in the final round. Participants were overwhelmingly positive about the concept of accessing a curated audio recording of a clinic visit. Some participants reported concerns about privacy and the computer-based skills necessary to access recordings. Conclusions: To our knowledge, HealthPAL is the first patient-centered app designed to allow patients and their caregivers to access easy-to-navigate recordings of clinic visits, with key concepts tagged and hyperlinks to further information provided. The HealthPAL user interface has been rigorously co-designed with older adult patients and their caregivers and is now ready for further field testing. The successful development and use of HealthPAL may help improve the ability of patients to manage their own care, especially older adult patients who have to navigate complex treatment plans

The Negative Impact of Excessive Screen Time on Language Development in Children Under 6-Years-Old: An Integrative Review with Screen Time Reduction Toolkit and Presentation for Outpatient Pediatric and Family Health Providers

Background. Increased amounts of recreational screen time, defined as time watching television and DVDs, playing videogames, and using computers, tablets, and cellular phones without academic purpose, and the lack of effective media use assessment and patient education being done by primary care providers is associated with increased risk of language developmental delays for young children under 6-years-old. Purpose. The purpose of this integrative review is to develop a toolkit that provides education for providers and families on the adverse effects of excessive screen time on language development in children younger than 6-years-old and evidence-based screen time reduction strategies that can be implemented in outpatient primary care clinics at all wellness visits. Toolkit and Presentation. An integrative review was conducted to describe the effects of excessive screen time on language development for children under age 6 and analyze interventions to decrease screen time. From these results, the Screen Time Reduction Toolkit was created. The toolkit includes the 2-Question Assessment for Screen Time (2-QAST), screen time reduction algorithm, provider and patient education on health risks associated with excessive screen time, screen time recommendations published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and evidence-based screen time reduction strategies, provider resources, and patient education handouts. The integrative review findings and toolkit were presented to a group of local pediatric providers, nurses, and medical technicians for education and implementation. Outcomes/Discussion. The pre-presentation survey was created after the Health Belief Model (HBM), which served as the framework for this educational intervention. Staff members had high perceived seriousness (83%), perceived susceptibility (83%), and perceived benefit (100%), demonstrating that staff members’ attitudes and beliefs about screen time for young children were in agreement with the principles of this project. Barriers identified included lack of knowledge about health risks from excessive screen time, potential for parental resistance to screen time reduction advice, and time constraints during wellness visits. Regarding cues to action, staff members requested visual aids, handouts, and more education about screen time. The toolkit and patient education resources reduce barriers and address cues to action identified by the staff members. The post-presentation evaluation revealed that 100% of staff members found the toolkit presentation informative and said it increased their knowledge and understanding of the topic. Conclusion. The toolkit provides the education that providers need to be knowledgeable as well as confident in their ability to discuss screen time with families. Being consistent about providing a few minutes of screen time education at every wellness visit from 2-months-old to 5-years-old sets a solid foundation for parents and children to create healthier screen time habits at home

Transmedia Storytelling for the Digital Generation: A Guide for Self-Publication with the Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite.

Despite educational reforms, the annual results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress continue to indicate that the majority of American fourth-graders struggle to master the crucial skill of reading. In the last decade, the percentage of students who read at or above a proficient level hovers around 30 percent, which draws attention to the fact that the academic institutions may not be fully to blame for the decline of reading competency (NAEP, 2011). The real reason for the incompetency could be attributed to the amount of time that children spend reading as average fourth-graders spend less than two hours a week reading (Juster, Ono, & Stafford, 2004, p. 11). This Digital Generation lives in a world full of distractions in which reading cannot compete. Although the American educational system is stressing reading instruction, children are not putting what they are learning into practice outside of school. Instead of reading, children immerse themselves into the world of interactive digital media and electronic devices. If children do not increase the time they spend reading, their proficiency will not improve. To revive reading within the Digital Generation, authors of children’s literature may need to reevaluate their role in the literacy problem because their traditional print-form content appears to be unsuccessful in reaching their young audience. To create reading material that children are eager to read, authors need to produce content in a format that will entice a response from the newest generation. One way children’s authors can accomplish this is by publishing transmedia storytelling ecosystems. By combining storytelling with digital media to meet the modern literary needs of today\u27s children reading proficiency should begin to improve, along with a renewed interest in literature. This research provides insight into today’s “digital children” and suggests a methodology for creating transmedia literature using the Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite