Investigating mobile graphic-based reminders to support compliance of tuberculosis treatment

The phenomenon of rapid increment of the mobile phones can be utilized through supporting patients, such as those who have tuberculosis, for treatment adherence. This utilization will enable these patients to directly communicate their needs and requirements or receive health information such as reminder messages from healthcare facilities. However, the current mobile interventions, such as text messaging and speech reminder systems have limited use for people with low literacy levels. To overcome these challenges, this study proposed that the mobile graphic-based reminders be used to support tuberculosis patients to improve compliance with treatment regimens, especially for semi-literate and illiterate patients. A review of the literature and initial investigation study were carried out. The findings from the review were useful in understanding both the current practice of tuberculosis treatment regimens and the patients' needs and requirements. These findings, in addition, were referred in the choices of the components of the mobile graphic-based reminders to be implemented. A visual aid for communication theory was applied to the design and development of graphic-based reminder prototypes. An application prototype was implemented for the Android platform. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of an application prototype in supporting tuberculosis treatment. To measure the effect, the recovery rate was measured based on the effect of: (1) the graphic-based reminder group versus the control group; and (2) the graphic-based reminder group versus the speech-based reminder group. Data was collected using application event logs, interviews, field notes and audio recordings. It was found that treatment adherence of patients in the graphic-based group was higher than in the speech-based or in the control groups. It was further noted that the number of reminder responses in the graphic-based group was higher than in the speech-based group. Additionally, it was observed that patients in the graphic-based group responded sooner after receiving reminder messages compared to those in the speech-based group. The qualitative feedback also indicated that most patients not only found graphic-based reminders more useful to supporting their treatment than speech-based reminders and traditional care but believed that the application met their needs. This study provides empirical evidence that graphic-based reminders, designed for and based on patients' needs and requirements, can support the treatment of tuberculosis for patients of all literacy levels

Writing for mobile media: The influences of text, digital design and psychological characteristics on the cognitive load of the mobile user

Text elements on the mobile smartphone interface make a significant contribution to the user’s interaction experience. In combination with other visual design features, these words curate the path of the mobile user on a journey through the information to satisfy a specific task. This study analyses the elements that influence the interpretation process and optimum presentation of information on mobile media. I argue that effective digital writing contributes to reducing the cognitive load experienced by the mobile user. The central discussion focuses on the writing of text for this medium, which I suggest forges an entirely unique narrative. The optimum writing approach is based on the multi-dimensional characteristics of hypertext, which allow the writer to facilitate the journey without the user losing control of the interpretation process. This study examines the relationship between the writer, the reader and the text, with a unique perspective on the mobile media writer, who is tasked with achieving balance between the functionality and humanity of digital interaction. To explore influences on the development of the relevant writing techniques, I present insights into the distinctive characteristics of the mobile smartphone device, with specific focus on the screen and keyboard. I also discuss the unique characteristics of the mobile user and show how the visual design of the interface is integral to the writing of text for this medium. Furthermore, this study explores the role, skills, and processes of the current and future digital writer, within the backdrop of incessant technological advancement and revolutionary changes in human-computer behaviour

Development of a Mobile Image-Based Reminder Application to Support Tuberculosis Treatment in Africa

This paper presents the design, development and evaluation of an application prototype developed to support tuberculosis (TB) patients’ treatment adherence. The system makes use of graphics and voice reminders as opposed to text messaging to encourage patients to follow their medication routine. To evaluate the effect of the prototype applications, participants were given mobile phones on which the reminder system was installed. Thirty-eight people, including TB health workers and patients from Zanzibar, Tanzania, participated in the evaluation exercises. The results indicate that the participants found the mobile image-based application is useful to support TB treatment. All participants understood and interpreted the intended meaning of every image correctly. The study findings revealed that the use of a mobile visual-based application may have potential benefit to support TB patients (both literate and illiterate) in their treatment processes

The Influence of Values on the Intention and Usage of Mobile Phone Technology:a Case of Tanzanian SMEs

Mobile phone technology has been relied upon in performing a number of activities in the SMEs. In less developed regions, computing infrastructures are very poor thereby depending highly on mobile phones. The improvement of technology in the mobile phones has seen more applications and services being accessed through them. This gives SMEs, especially in developing countries, a preferable alternative to desktop computing technology. However, to maximise the usability of mobile phone technology in SMEs context, key factors which influence users’ perception on its acceptance need to be explained clearly. This study explains the factors influencing employees’ intentions and use of mobile phone technology in SMEs, by extending the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with values. The analysis results show that the values of mobile phone technology in SMEs have an impact to the behaviour intention to use. This suggests that stakeholders specifically vendors, policy makers, managers and mobile network operators should take their part in handling the challenges and enforcing the benefits of mobile phones since they constitute to the overall intention and usage. This study uses SEM with 459 employees including managers and ordinary employees in different sectors which perform tourism activities in Tanzania. Data analysis was performed by using SEM through AMOS. Implications of the research and future studies are also highlighted in this pape

ENHANCING USERS’ EXPERIENCE WITH SMART MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

The aim of this thesis is to investigate mobile guides for use with smartphones. Mobile guides have been successfully used to provide information, personalisation and navigation for the user. The researcher also wanted to ascertain how and in what ways mobile guides can enhance users' experience. This research involved designing and developing web based applications to run on smartphones. Four studies were conducted, two of which involved testing of the particular application. The applications tested were a museum mobile guide application and a university mobile guide mapping application. Initial testing examined the prototype work for the ‘Chronology of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah’ application. The results were used to assess the potential of using similar mobile guides in Brunei Darussalam’s museums. The second study involved testing of the ‘Kent LiveMap’ application for use at the University of Kent. Students at the university tested this mapping application, which uses crowdsourcing of information to provide live data. The results were promising and indicate that users' experience was enhanced when using the application. Overall results from testing and using the two applications that were developed as part of this thesis show that mobile guides have the potential to be implemented in Brunei Darussalam’s museums and on campus at the University of Kent. However, modifications to both applications are required to fulfil their potential and take them beyond the prototype stage in order to be fully functioning and commercially viable

Semi-automated creation of converged iTV services: From macromedia director simulations to services ready for broadcast

While sound and video may capture viewers’ attention, interaction can captivate them. This has not been available prior to the advent of Digital Television. In fact, what lies at the heart of the Digital Television revolution is this new type of interactive content, offered in the form of interactive Television (iTV) services. On top of that, the new world of converged networks has created a demand for a new type of converged services on a range of mobile terminals (Tablet PCs, PDAs and mobile phones). This paper aims at presenting a new approach to service creation that allows for the semi-automatic translation of simulations and rapid prototypes created in the accessible desktop multimedia authoring package Macromedia Director into services ready for broadcast. This is achieved by a series of tools that de-skill and speed-up the process of creating digital TV user interfaces (UI) and applications for mobile terminals. The benefits of rapid prototyping are essential for the production of these new types of services, and are therefore discussed in the first section of this paper. In the following sections, an overview of the operation of content, service, creation and management sub-systems is presented, which illustrates why these tools compose an important and integral part of a system responsible of creating, delivering and managing converged broadcast and telecommunications services. The next section examines a number of metadata languages candidates for describing the iTV services user interface and the schema language adopted in this project. A detailed description of the operation of the two tools is provided to offer an insight of how they can be used to de-skill and speed-up the process of creating digital TV user interfaces and applications for mobile terminals. Finally, representative broadcast oriented and telecommunication oriented converged service components are also introduced, demonstrating how these tools have been used to generate different types of services

A Model of ICDT Internet flows on mobile devices for the travel and tourism consumer

Despite the increasing use of mobile devices and their applications in the travel and tourism arena, there is a lack of literature that considers how mobile device tourism applications could be evaluated. Built around a discussion of information attributes (a series of dimensions by which the delivery of information can be assessed) that have been specifically developed for the tourism sector and an examination of the specific characteristics of mobile devices, this theoretical article classifies different online tourism applications that can be accessed by mobile devices according to Angehrn's four virtual spaces (information, communication, distribution, and transaction). This is for the purpose of demonstrating that the majority of applications in the mobile tourism arena eventually fall within the realm of information provision and can thus be assessed according to how they perform in relation to information attributes. A model of ICDT Internet flows on mobile devices for the travel and tourism consumer is presented

Mobile solution for three-tier biofeedback data acquisition and processing

“Copyright © [2008] IEEE. Reprinted from Global Telecommunications Conference. (GLOBECOM 2008).IEEE ISBN:978-1-4244-2324-8. This material is posted here with permission of the IEEE. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution must be obtained from the IEEE by writing to [email protected]. By choosing to view this document, you agree to all provisions of the copyright laws protecting it.”Wireless sensor networks span from military applications into everyday life. Body sensor networks greatly benefit from wireless sensor networks to answer the biofeedback challenges in healthcare applications. In such applications, data is of fundamental importance, it must be reliable and within easy reach. However, most solutions rely on a personal computer to process and display sensor data. In this paper we propose a mobile solution that draws on three-tier body sensor networks to dramatically improve data accessibility, through the use of a Java and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. The mobile tool features data monitoring and presentation. This approach allows data visualization by the patient or medical staff without a portable computer or specific monitoring hardware. We hope to contribute to the adoption of biofeedback for early detection of health abnormalities and lower the budget that governments spend each year in healthcare

The Athabasca University Digital Reading Room: Library resources for mobile students

This project has been designed to test the boundaries of Mlearning and to begin to build a platform for AU to raise an effective m-library. Building on the research conducted in Canada and abroad, the researchers are investigating PDAs and learning objects in order to maximize the potential of Mlearning. What constitutes an effective Mlibrary? Within the limits of this research investigation, an effective Mlibrary must store the contents in a format accessible and configurable by a wide variety of devices and software applications. Special programming is required to implement optimal delivery on a variety of devices and software applications. What resources can be made available in the Mlibrary (content and resource development)? It seems that a wide variety of resource types can be made available on mobile devices subject to formatting limitations. With appropriate programming there are few if any limitations on text displays and only size-comfort limitations on graphics, sound, and video. What are the technical difficulties in implementing the DRR on mobile devices? Because of the difference in the operating systems and the pocket browsers in the PPC and the POS, the CSS stylesheet cannot be implementd in a generic manner. This causes difficulties in designing accessibily/usabilty features for the two different systems

Designing an architecture for secure sharing of personal health records : a case of developing countries

Includes bibliographical references.While there has been an increase in the design and development of Personal Health Record (PHR) systems in the developed world, little has been done to explore the utility of these systems in the developing world. Despite the usual problems of poor infrastructure, PHR systems designed for the developing world need to conform to users with different models of security and literacy than those designed for developed world. This study investigated a PHR system distributed across mobile devices with a security model and an interface that supports the usage and concerns of low literacy users in developing countries. The main question addressed in this study is: “Can personal health records be stored securely and usefully on mobile phones?” In this study, mobile phones were integrated into the PHR architecture that we/I designed because the literature reveals that the majority of the population in developing countries possess mobile phones. Additionally, mobile phones are very flexible and cost efficient devices that offer adequate storage and computing capabilities to users for typically communication operations. However, it is also worth noting that, mobile phones generally do not provide sufficient security mechanisms to protect the user data from unauthorized access