Exploring User Experience and Usability of mHealth applications for people with diabetes: An Evaluation Study Using UEQ and HE4EH Checklist

Maria Elanne M. Rodrigues; Karla Haryanna S. Moura; Karina Castelo Branco; Valéria Lelli; Windson Viana; Rossana M. C. Andrade; Ismayle S. Santos

doi:10.5753/jis.2023.3226

Authors

Maria Elanne M. Rodrigues Federal University of Ceará https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9132-4179
Karla Haryanna S. Moura Federal University of Ceará https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0177-3385
Karina Castelo Branco Federal University of Ceará https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4752-2653
Valéria Lelli Federal University of Ceará https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1210-7935
Windson Viana Federal University of Ceará https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8627-0823
Rossana M. C. Andrade Federal University of Ceará https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0186-2994
Ismayle S. Santos State University of Ceará https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5580-643X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5753/jis.2023.3226

Keywords:

Healthcare mobile applications, User experience (UX), Diabetes

Abstract

Diabetes affects 10% of adults aged 20 to 79 globally, caused by insufficient insulin production. Mobile apps are effective in managing this chronic condition. This study aimed to investigate the experience of using mobile applications for healthcare patients with diabetes in their daily activities. Ten participants diagnosed with diabetes were invited to evaluate five Android mobile applications using a predefined protocol. We used the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) to assess the usability and user experience of the apps. In addition, the Heuristic Evaluations for mHealth (HE4EH) checklist was used by three domain experts to assess the apps. The results showed that one of the five apps had issues with the stimulus and novelty aspects of user experience. Among all the apps, the novelty had the lowest Likert scale value. While most apps had creative designs and attractive interfaces, the heuristic assessment revealed many violations and concerns about instruction and suitability due to a lack of crucial information for monitoring user routines.

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