Usability Based Rating Scale (UBRS) for Evaluation of Mobile Health (mHealth) Applications

Mobile Health (mHealth) applications provide information on public health

care supported by mobile devices, including patient monitoring devices and other

wireless devices. There is no quality assessment tool for the rating of mHealth

applications based on important usability parameters. The primary objective of this

chapter is to present a reliable, multipurpose, comprehensive scale for classifying and

rating the quality of mHealth applications. The newly defined rating scale is primarily

based on the usability parameters extracted from ISO standards, usability guidelines,

and empirical study of literature. Initially, the usability of existing mHealth

applications is evaluated, and their usability barriers are explored. In this study, the

participants were divided into three equal groups, and each group was assigned three

mHealth applications to perform a predefined set of tasks. The applications were

evaluated by using existing five-star rating scale criteria. The user's study reported

mismatched behavior where task performance and efficiency were not aligned with the

application's rating criteria. In this chapter, the taxonomy of usability parameters is

defined and distributed in five different classes. A questionnaire for rating mHealth

applications was also designed, and an overall user rating was calculated by assigning

weight to each question. Other three groups were involved in a second session to

evaluate different mHealth applications using the newly developed usability-based

rating scale (UBRS). It was found that UBRS was compatible with user effectiveness,

efficiency, and satisfaction.

Keywords: Design, eHealth, HCI, Health applications, Interaction design, Interfaces, Mobile applications, mHealth, Rating criteria, Rating scale, Usability, Usability barriers, Usability experience, Usability framework, Usability guidelines, Usability Metrics, Usability parameters, Usability questionnaire, Usability taxonomy, User experience.

Cite as

Current Chinese Computer Science

Journal of Fuzzy Logic and Modeling in Engineering

Recent Patents on Computer Science

The Chinese Journal of Artificial Intelligence

International Journal of Sensors, Wireless Communications and Control

Recent Advances in Computer Science and Communications

Computational Intelligence For Data Analysis

Machine Learning and Its Application: A Quick Guide for Beginners

Applied Machine Learning and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making in Healthcare

A First Course in Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence: Models, Algorithms and Applications

Advanced Computing Techniques: Implementation, Informatics and Emerging Technologies

Handbook of Mobile Application Development: A Guide to Selecting the Right Engineering and Quality Features

Ad Hoc and Sensor Wireless Networks: Architectures, Algorithms and Protocols

Applications of Modern High Performance Networks

Arduino Meets Matlab: Interfacing, Programs and Simulink

Human-Computer Interaction and Beyond: Advances Towards Smart and Interconnected Environments Part II