Evaluation of the Features and Usability of Diabetes Apps

1. Evaluation of the Features and Usability of Diabetes Apps By: Hayden Karr School: Brentwood High School Mentor: Laurie Novak, PhD, MHSA Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center Funding provided by the VUMC Department of Biomedical Informatics

2. Background • 30.2 million people are estimated to suffer from diabetes in the U.S.1 • Prevalence of diabetes is projected to reach 28% of American population by 2050.2 • Diabetes increasingly affects younger people. 193,000 Americans under the age of 20 years old are estimated to be diagnosed with diabetes.1 • Percent of people with a smart phone is 95%.3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes statistics report, 2017. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2017. Boyle JP, Thompson TJ, Gregg EW, Barker LE, Williamson DF. Projection of the year 2050 burden of diabetes in the US adult population: dynamic modeling of incidence, mortality, and prediabetes prevalence. Population health metrics. 2010 Dec;8(1):29. Pew Research Center. Mobile fact sheet. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. 2017 Jan 12.

3. Research Questions • What mobile applications are available to assist people in the everyday management of diabetes? • What are the key features available in the applications? • How do diabetes apps address standard usability heuristics?

4. Research Questions 1 & 2: Methods • Searched both Google Play Store and Fnd1, using the search term “diabetes” • Documented features and ratings of 365 apps • Removed apps that were non-English and designed for non-human diabetes (e.g. pets) • Gestational diabetes apps were included 1. Fnd.io is a website that enables searching the Apple App Store from a computer.

5. Key Features

6. Feature-rich diabetes apps

7. Observations • When a social networking feature was present, it was typically the app’s only feature (5% - 18 apps) • Gamification was not commonly used (1.3% - 5 apps) • Very little market segmentation – majority of apps were targeted to all people with insulin-treated diabetes • Small number of apps facilitated access to specific physician offices • Three apps (0.82%) were FDA approved • In just two weeks 10 apps of the 365 total apps were removed from their respective app store

8. Research Question 3: Heuristic Analysis • Visibility of system status • Match between system and real world • User control and freedom • Consistency and standards • Error prevention • Recognition rather than recall • Flexibility and efficiency of use • Aesthetic and minimalist design • Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors • Help and documentation Nielsen, Jakob. "10 usability heuristics for user interface design." Nielsen Norman Group 1.1 (1995).

9. Heuristic Analysis E = Excellent, A = Adequate, P = Poor

10. Conclusion • There are many mobile applications for people with diabetes to choose from in the app stores • Key features focused on management of blood glucose data, dietary tracking and support, and insulin management • We conducted heuristic analysis on two feature-rich and commonly used apps and found excellent user interface features

11. Limitations • Used website called fnd.io for finding descriptions of the apple apps due to lack of access to the app store from a computer • Premium (paid) features were included in the total score • Limited to researcher’s interpretation of description from app store • Google Play Store and App store can fluctuate very quickly and may provide search results that are not inclusive of all diabetes related apps

12. Acknowledgments Vanderbilt Department of Biomedical Informatics • Dr. Laurie Novak Vanderbilt Center for Research and Innovation in Systems Safety • Dr. Shilo Anders • Carrie Reale • Russ Beebe Funding provided by the VUMC Department of Biomedical Informatics.