A Pilot Evaluation of mHealth App Accessibility for Three Top-Rated Weight Management Apps by People with Disabilities

Erin Radcliffe, Ben Lippincott, Raeda Anderson and Mike Jones
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Erin Radcliffe: Shepherd Center, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA
Ben Lippincott: Shepherd Center, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA
Raeda Anderson: Shepherd Center, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA
Mike Jones: Shepherd Center, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Growing evidence demonstrates that people with disabilities face more challenges in accessing healthcare and wellness resources, compared to non-disabled populations. As mobile applications focused on health and wellness (mHealth apps) become prevalent, it is important that people with disabilities can access and use mHealth apps. At present, there is no source of unified information about the accessibility and usability of mHealth apps for people with disabilities. We set out to create such a source, establishing a systematic approach for evaluating app accessibility. Our goal was to develop a simple, replicable app evaluation process to generate useful information for people with disabilities (to aid suitable app selection) and app developers (to improve app accessibility and usability). We collected data using two existing assessment instruments to test three top-rated weight management apps with nine users representing three disability groups: vision, dexterity, and cognitive impairment. Participants with visual impairments reported the lowest accessibility ratings, most challenges, and least tolerance for issues. Participants with dexterity impairments experienced significant accessibility-related difficulties. Participants with cognitive impairments experienced mild difficulties and higher tolerances for issues. Our pilot protocol will be applied to test mHealth apps and populate a “curation” website to assist consumers in selecting mHealth apps.

Keywords: mHealth; mobile applications; accessibility; usability; evaluation methods; user needs discovery; inclusive design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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