Prototypes of user interfaces for mobile applications for patients with diabetes

We live in a heavily technologized global society. It is therefore not surprising that efforts are being made to integrate current information technology into the treatment of diabetes mellitus. This paper is dedicated to improving the treatment of this disease through the use of well-designed mobile applications. Our analysis of relevant literature sources and existing solutions has revealed that the current state of mobile applications for diabetics is unsatisfactory. These limitations relate both to the content and the Graphical User Interface (GUI) of existing applications. Following the analysis of relevant studies, there are four key elements that a diabetes mobile application should contain. These elements are: (1) blood glucose levels monitoring; (2) effective treatment; (3) proper eating habits; and (4) physical activity. As the next step in this study, three prototypes of new mobile applications were designed. Each of the prototypes represents one group of applications according to a set of given rules. The most optimal solution based on the users’ preferences was determined by using a questionnaire survey conducted with a sample of 30 respondents participating in a questionnaire after providing their informed consent. The age of participants was from 15 until 30 years old, where gender was split to 13 males and 17 females. As a result of this study, the specifications of the proposed application were identified, which aims to respond to the findings discovered in the analytical part of the study, and to eliminate the limitations of the current solutions. All of the respondents expressed preference for an application that includes not only the key functions, but a number of additional functions, namely synchronization with one of the external devices for measuring blood glucose levels, while five-sixths of them found suggested additional functions as being sufficient

Conceptualization And Measurement Of Team Workload: A Critical Need

Given the ramifications of difficulties related to externalizing behavior problems, the present study examined the relationships among adolescents\u27 externalizing behavior problems, characteristics of adolescents\u27 families, their perceived neighborhood support, and their acculturation. As part of this study, a culturally diverse sample of adolescents who were in the Sixth through Eighth Grades completed measures assessing these variables. Results suggested that variables such as maternal warmth, overall parental emotional support, and overall neighborhood support are important predictors of externalizing behavior problems. Further regression analyses revealed that, in addition to adolescents\u27 perceived social acceptance and global self-worth, parental and neighborhood characteristics are significant predictors of adolescents\u27 externalizing behavior problems. These findings suggested that, when identifying adolescents who are at risk for the development of externalizing behavior problems, an ecological conceptualization encompassing culture, community, and home characteristics can be helpful. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Guidelines For Training Adaptive Expertise

People operating in today\u27s society frequently encounter complex, dynamic, and ambiguous situations; thus, people must possess mental agility and the ability to adjust quickly yet accurately. Therefore, there is a need to train adaptive expertise to performance successfully. To that end, the purpose of this paper is to provide researchers and practitioners with a review of the literature pertinent to developing training targeting adaptive expertise. This review is presented in the form of guidelines for designing and implementing training interventions specifically focusing on adaptive expertise. Copyright 2010 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc. All rights reserved

The Mediating Effect of Perceived Task Complexity on Perceived Team Sharedness and Performance

An empirical study was conducted to observe macro-cognition and interpersonal interactions between team members during a collaborative resource management task. Teams consisting of three members each were instructed to work together to complete scenario objectives in a simulated military task environment. The task scenarios were manipulated to vary the complexity of the scenario objectives. An exploratory analysis of the results revealed a mediating effect of perceived complexity on the relationship between perceived sharedness and performance. Additionally a partial mediating effect for perceived complexity on the relationship between perceived sharedness team knowledge building was found. Results indicate that perceived complexity of a collaborative task may play a greater role in the relationship between team level factors and performance than previously thought. Implications for these results are provided alongside suggestions for future research. Specifically we call for research to determine the mechanism through which perceptions of task complexity influence collective performance. Copyright 2011 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc. All rights reserved