A team from CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) is developing an Anonymous Digital Simulator that allows easy and fast analysis of user interactions with mobile applications (mApp), namely in the health area.
Led by Ana Margarida Ferreira (in the photo), the AnyMApp exploratory project has a duration of 18 months and is funded by the FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology to the tune of 50 thousand euros.
The AnyMApp prototype will test mobile applications, in any of their development phases, using an anonymous, online platform where user interactions with the model application being tested will be collected.
According to the CINTESIS/FMUP researcher, “this project arose from needs that appeared in the execution of other projects, such as the lack of more effective means to test mobile applications in health, not only in terms of usability and recruitment of participants for studies of this kind but also in terms of adherence to this technology, which is essential in health, especially for chronically ill patients.
In fact, in the very first week of using mApps, it is estimated that 35% to 65% of users are lost. In the health area, “this is reflected in the lack of control or adherence to a given therapeutic plan and the lack of sharing of useful information and in real time with health professionals who follow the patient. The result of using these applications falls short of their potential.
As Ana Margarida Ferreira explains, “the success of an mApp depends a lot on its acceptance by its target users. Therefore, information about its use can help improve mApps, in order to better attract users, as well as promote their continued use”.
This project is of special interest in times of pandemic, as it will allow us to face and overcome some of the constraints raised by COVID-19, which limited the travel of participants to the physical spaces where studies were being conducted.
It is also expected that this platform will contribute to the dissemination and online recruitment while enabling innovation in areas such as usability, security and privacy, risk analysis, and detection of accessibility issues.