scholarly journals Towards Accessibility and Inclusion of Native Mobile Applications Available for Ecuador in Google Play Store

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11237
Author(s):  
Patricia Acosta-Vargas ◽  
Sebastian Zarate-Estrella ◽  
Franccesca Mantilla-Vaca ◽  
Sylvia Novillo-Villegas ◽  
Christian Chimbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
Phase Method ◽  
Manual Method ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Automatic Tool ◽  
Google Play

This article aims to evaluate the level of compliance with the accessibility requirements of the most popular native Android mobile applications, for which a sample of 50 Google Play Store applications available in Ecuador was taken. A five-phase method using the Accessibility Scanner tool was used to evaluate the apps. The results revealed that 47.5% are related to problems with tactile orientation, followed by the labeling of elements with 28.2%, and text contrast with 9.2%. The highest number of barriers found in the evaluation of mobile applications corresponds to the principle of operability with 53.9%. This study reveals that, although social networks are widely used, they have 28.7% of accessibility problems. Basing accessibility analysis exclusively on an automatic tool is very limited since it neither detects all errors nor are the errors they detect accurate. However, we suggest complementing the automatic review evaluations with a manual method based on heuristics to ensure an adequate level of accessibility in mobile apps. In addition, we recommend using this study as a starting point to create a software tool using WCAG 2.1 based on artificial intelligence algorithms to help developers evaluate accessibility in mobile apps.

scholarly journals Algorithms of the Web

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 199-216
Author(s):  
Przemysław Szews
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Recommendation Systems ◽  
Information Distribution ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Future ◽  
E Mail ◽  
The Web

The article tackles the problem of the existence of algorithms in selected services and Internet websites. The interfacing of media is the starting point for this discourse, aimed at presenting the processes of automation in information distribution, the individualisation of messages and profiling in websites. The threats resulting from dynamically developing enterprises aimed at providing the website user with artificial intelligence – in terms of both social networks and mobile applications – are explicated in detail. The examples presented in the article refer to Internet recommendation systems, e-mail applications, voice assistants, and mechanisms responsible for the functioning of social networks. Speculations on algorithms omnipresent on the Web lead us to reflect on how the journalism will be redefined in the future, since it seems that the role of the journalist will be to moderate discussion and select the themes to be discussed; it is quite likely, though, that the themes selected will be compiled by specialised software.

Mobile Applications for Health Management of Older Adults: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Asilah Ahmad ◽  
Shahrul Azman Mohd Noah ◽  
Arimi Fitri Mat Ludin ◽  
Suzana Shahar ◽  
Noorlaili Mohd Tohit
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Personalized Feedback ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
App Store ◽  
Evidenced Based ◽  
Google Play

BACKGROUND Currently, the use of smartphones to deliver health-related content has experienced a rapid growth, with more than 165,000 mobile health (mHealth) applications currently available in the digital marketplace such as iOS store and Google Play. Among these, there are several mobile applications (mobile apps) that offer tools for disease prevention and management among older generations. These mobile apps could potentially promote health behaviors which will reduce or delay the onset of disease. However, no review to date that has focused on the app marketplace specific for older adults and little is known regarding its evidence-based quality towards the health of older adults. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review was to characterize and critically appraise the content and functionality of mobile apps that focuses on health management and/or healthy lifestyle among older adults. METHODS An electronic search was conducted between May 2019 to December 2019 of the official app store for two major smartphone operating systems: iPhone operating system (iTunes App Store) and Android (Google Play Store). Stores were searched separately using predetermined search terms. Two authors screened apps based on information provided in the app description. Metadata from all included apps were abstracted into a standard assessment criteria form. Evidenced based strategies and health care expert involvement of included apps was assessed. Evidenced based strategies included: self-monitoring, goal setting, physical activity support, healthy eating support, weight and/or health assessment, personalized feedback, motivational strategies, cognitive training and social support. Two authors verified the data with reference to the apps and downloaded app themselves. RESULTS A total of 16 apps met the inclusion criteria. Six out of 16 (37.5%) apps were designed exclusively for the iOS platform while ten out of 16 (62.5%) were designed for Android platform exclusively. Physical activity component was the most common feature offered in all the apps (9/16, 56.3%) and followed by cognitive training (8/16, 50.0%). Diet/nutrition (0/16, 0%) feature, however, was not offered on all reviewed mobile apps. Of reviewed apps, 56.3% (9/16) provide education, 37.5% (6/16) provide self-monitoring features, 18.8% (3/16) provide goal setting features, 18.5% (3/16) provide personalized feedback, 6.3% (1/16) provide social support and none of the reviewed apps offers heart rate monitoring and reminder features to the users. CONCLUSIONS All reviewed mobile apps for older adults in managing health did not focused on diet/nutrition component, lack of functional components and lack of health care professional involvement in their development process. There is also a need to carry out scientific testing prior to the development of the app to ensure cost effective and its health benefits to older adults. Collaborative efforts between developers, researchers, health professionals and patients are needed in developing evidence-based, high quality mobile apps in managing health prior they are made available in the app store.

scholarly journals Mobile Apps to Fight the COVID-19 Crisis

Data ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Chrisa Tsinaraki ◽  
Irena Mitton ◽  
Marco Minghini ◽  
Marina Micheli ◽  
Alexander Kotsev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Qualitative Information ◽  
Complementary Information ◽  
Manual Analysis ◽  
Status Information ◽  
Google Play

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a multi-faceted global crisis, which triggered the diverse and quickly emerging use of old and new digital tools. We have developed a multi-channel approach for the monitoring and analysis of a subset of such tools, the COVID-19 related mobile applications (apps). Our approach builds on the information available in the two most prominent app stores (i.e., Google Play for Android-powered devices and Apple’s App Store for iOS-powered devices), as well as on relevant tweets and digital media outlets. The dataset presented here is one of the outcomes of this approach, uses the content of the app stores and enriches it, providing aggregated information about 837 mobile apps published across the world to fight the COVID-19 crisis. This information includes: (a) information available in the mobile app stores between 20 April 2020 and 2 August 2020; (b) complementary information obtained from manual analysis performed until mid-September 2020; and (c) status information about app availability on 28 February 2021, when we last collected data from the mobile app stores. We highlight our findings with a series of descriptives, which depict both the activities in the app stores and the qualitative information that was revealed by the manual analysis.

scholarly journals A Research on Strategy Selling in Mobile Applications (With Special Reference to Instructional Applications)

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12S) ◽  
pp. 522-524
Keyword(s):  
Special Reference ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Building Block ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Area Unit ◽  
A Company ◽  
Google Play

The selling strategy may be a arrange developed for achieving the selling objectives of the organization. It provides a layout for attaining their selling objectives simply. The strategy is that the building block of a selling arrange. A selling strategy helps a company to arrange their scarce resources on the most effective opportunities so that they will increase their sales. Meantime mobile applications play an important role during this digital world. They increase the users by adapting the selling methods to extend their main objective (profit). During this study the training mobile apps area unit taken, to search out however these app developers area unit victimisation the MS to boost their business and increasing the numbers of users for these mobile apps. These applications area unit offered in google play store, apple store, black berry store to transfer the applications in their mobile. This study reveals that the developers victimisation totally different strategy to sustain their applications within the market

scholarly journals Considerations for Designing Context-Aware Mobile Apps for Mental Health Interventions

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 1197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Miralles ◽  
Carlos Granell
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Context Aware ◽  
Psychological Treatments ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Mental Health Interventions ◽  
Mobile Interventions

This work identifies major areas of knowledge and proposes a set of relevant dimensions by area that must be taken into account in the design and delivery of context-aware mobile applications for mental health interventions. We argue that much of the related research has focused only on a few dimensions, paying little or no attention to others and, most importantly, to potential relationships between them. Our belief is that the improvement of the effectiveness of mobile interventions to support mental health necessarily implies that developers and therapists comprehensively consider the interaction between the proposed dimensions. Taking as a starting point the three areas of knowledge (Technology, Context, and Mental Health), we re-examine each area to identify relevant dimensions, discuss the relationships between them and finally draw a series of considerations. The resulting considerations can help therapists and developers to devise, design, and generate custom mobile applications in a way that increases the motivation and engagement of patients and, therefore, the effectiveness of psychological treatments.

Mobile Applications for Allergic Rhinitis

2018 ◽  
Vol 127 (11) ◽  
pp. 836-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert H. Zhou ◽  
Varesh R. Patel ◽  
Soly Baredes ◽  
Jean Anderson Eloy ◽  
Wayne D. Hsueh
Keyword(s):  
Allergic Rhinitis ◽  
Operating Systems ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
App Store ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Pollen Forecast ◽  
Google Play

Objective: To study and review the currently available mobile applications relating to allergic rhinitis. Methods: The Apple and Google mobile app stores were queried with search terms relating to allergic rhinitis. Apps were assigned to categories and analyzed based on description and characteristics such as popularity, reviews, cost, platform, and physician involvement in development. Results: A total of 72 apps related to allergic rhinitis were identified. Fifty-four apps were unique, with 18 apps found on both operating systems. Forty (55.5%) apps were available in the Apple App store, and 32 (44.4%) apps were available in the Google Play app store. They were grouped into the following categories: patient education (18; 25%), journals (15; 20.8%), symptom tracking (14; 19.4%), clinical/private practice (13; 18.1%), pollen forecast (7; 9.7%), medical education (4; 5.6%), and other (1; 1.4%). The majority of apps were free of charge (67; 93.1%), with paid apps ranging from $1.47 to $4.99. Apps that were reviewed had an average rating of 3.9 out of 5. Physicians were involved in the development of 37 (51.4%) apps. Conclusions: The collection of mobile apps developed for allergic rhinitis includes those for both educational and clinical use. Mobile apps may have an increasing role in otolaryngic allergy and rhinology practices in the future. Thus, continued research is warranted to determine the best way to ensure the accuracy and quality of app content as well as the extent mobile apps can benefit allergic rhinitis patients.

scholarly journals Mobile Apps for Green Food Practices and the Role for Consumers: A Case Study on Dining Out Practices with Chinese and Dutch Young Consumers

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjuan Mu ◽  
Gert Spaargaren ◽  
Alfons Oude Lansink
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Sustainability Transitions ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Food Practices ◽  
Green Food ◽  
Starting Point

Mobile applications (apps) have become popular among consumers to facilitate their existing food practices like cooking, shopping, and dining out. However, the feasibility of using mobile apps to facilitate sustainability transitions in food consumption is not well researched. In this study, we, therefore, propose a conceptual framework to illustrate how mobile apps can be developed in linking everyday food practices with sustainability transitions. Through the case study of dining out and with the help of focus group discussions, we seek to illustrate that practice theory might serve as a useful starting point for understanding the dynamics of food practices, their relevant sustainability dimensions, and the ways in which mobile apps can be used for changing current food practices into more sustainable ones. Among our main results are the findings that consumers prefer the sustainability food app to be integrated with dominant or mainstream apps, which are already used by consumers in the context of dining out. Besides being simple, functional, flexible, and rewarding, the information provided by the app should be reliable and trustworthy. Moreover, both science-based and practice-based information is necessary to provide sufficient guidance to consumers on how changes in food practice can be operationalized and implemented.

scholarly journals Improving User Choice Through Better Mobile Apps Transparency and Permissions Analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Liccardi ◽  
Joseph Pato ◽  
Daniel J. Weitzner
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Quantitative Measure ◽  
User Choice ◽  
Individual Control ◽  
Sensitivity Score ◽  
Google Play

Our personal information, habits, likes and dislikes can be all deduced from our mobile devices. Safeguarding mobile privacy is therefore of great concern. Transparency and individual control are bedrock principles of privacy but making informed choices about which mobile apps to use has been shown to be difficult. In order to understand the dynamics of information collection in mobile apps and to demonstrate the value of transparent access to the details of mobile applications information access permissions, we have gathered information about 528,433 apps on Google Play, and analyzed the permissions requested by each app. We develop a quantitative measure of the risk posed by apps by devising a ‘sensitivity score’ to represent the number of occurrences of permissions that read personal information about users where network communication is possible. We found that 54% of apps do not access any personal data. The remaining 46% collect between 1 to 20 sensitive permissions and have the ability to transmit it outside the phone. The sensitivity of apps differs greatly between free and paid apps as well as between categories and content rating. Sensitive permissions are often mixed with a large amount of low-risk permissions and hence are difficult to identify. Easily available sensitivity scores could help users making more informed decision about choosing an app that could pose less risk in collecting personal information. Even though an app is “self-described” to be suitable for a certain subset of users (i.e children) it might contain content ratings and permission requests that are not appropriate or expected. Our experience in doing this research shows that it is difficult to obtain information about how personal data collected from apps is used or analyzed. In fact only 0.37% (1,991) of the collected apps show to have declared a “privacy policy”. Therefore, in order to make real control available to mobile users, apps distribution platforms should provide more detailed information about how their data if accessed is used. To achieve greater transparency and individual control, apps distribution platforms which do not currently make raw permission description accessible for analysis could change their design and operating policies to make this data available prior to installation.

scholarly journals Analysis of Mobile Applications to Support Family Caregivers of People with Neurocognitive Disorders in Managing Disruptive Behaviors: A Qualitative Study with Users Embedded in a Scoping Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie Desormeaux-Moreau ◽  
Charlie-Maude Michel ◽  
Mélanie Vallières ◽  
Maryse Racine ◽  
Myriame Poulin-Paquet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Disruptive Behaviors ◽  
Neurocognitive Disorders ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Burden Of Care ◽  
Google Play ◽  
Support Family

BACKGROUND People with neurocognitive disorders (NCD) often display disruptive behaviors (eg, aggression, wandering and restlessness), which increase family caregivers’ burden of care. However, there are few tools currently available to help these caregivers manage disruptive behaviors. Mobile applications (apps) could meet this need but to date little is known about them. OBJECTIVE 1) Identify existing mobile apps designed to support family caregivers of people with NCD in managing disruptive behaviors; 2) Explore whether family caregivers view these mobile apps as relevant to meeting their needs and useful in managing disruptive behaviors; and 3) Document the types of mobile apps that appeal to and interest the most family caregivers (with regard to format, ergonomics, and clarity). METHODS A review of mobile apps initially conducted in February 2018 was updated in March 2019, using two platforms (App Store and Google Play). The selected apps were first analyzed independently by three raters (two students and one researcher) for each of the platforms. Then a focus group discussion was held with family caregivers to explore their perceptions of the apps according to their needs and interests. The content of the discussion was analyzed. RESULTS Seven of 118 apps initially identified met the inclusion criteria. An 8th app, recommended by one of the knowledge users, was added later. Four family caregivers (women aged between 58 and 78 years) participated in the discussion. Participants expressed a preference for easy-to-understand apps that provide concrete intervention strategies. They reported being most inclined to use two apps, Dementia Advisor and DTA Behaviours. CONCLUSIONS Few mobile apps on the market meet the needs of family caregivers in terms of content and usability. Our results could help to address this gap by identifying what family caregivers deem relevant in a mobile app to help them manage disruptive behaviors.

Determinants for Value Creation in Mobile Apps Within the Tourist Experience

2020 ◽  
pp. 212-230
Author(s):  
Ana Margarida Martins ◽  
Beatriz Casais
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
The North ◽  
Tourist Experience ◽  
Access Information ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The City

This study focuses on the use of mobile applications in tourism context (m-tourism). A survey was applied to a hotel in the city of Guimarães, in the north of Portugal, with a sample of 98 tourists. 94 reported to use these devices in tourism context to access information and share experiences in social networks, taking photos and videos, and using GPS. Users have a preference for free applications and look for the creation of itineraries. The use of the app in offline mode is the most valued feature, as well as the availability of updated and useful information. Only 13,7% of the inquired tourists referred the use of the app of the destination Guimarães, where they were staying. This shows that besides the features, it is crucial the promotion of mobile touristic apps, and the establishment of partnerships and rewards to incentivize its use.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document