Smartphones are becoming increasingly widespread around the globe and are ever more accessible to everyone, including older adults, who are traditionally seen as experiencing difficulties in interacting with information and communication technologies. While these devices are increasingly being used to cover health needs, there are not sufficient studies addressing usability of smartphone user interfaces for older adults. This paper describes the design and evaluation process of the user interface of a smartphone application designed to promote exercise and prevent falls amongst older adults. Iteratively, three successive versions of the user interfaces were tested with different groups of older adults. The results and findings from three rounds of usability tests led to recommendations regarding inclusive design and designing for older adults that may be a useful contribution to the broader community when designing interfaces for smartphones

The treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) with levodopa is very effective. However, over time, motor complications (MCs) appear, restricting the patient from leading a normal life. One of the most disabling MCs is ON-OFF fluctuations. Gathering accurate information about the clinical status of the patient is essential for planning treatment and assessing its effect. Systems such as the REMPARK system, capable of accurately and reliably monitoring ON-OFF fluctuations, are of great interest. To analyze the ability of the REMPARK System to detect ON-OFF fluctuations. Forty-one patients with moderate to severe idiopathic PD were recruited according to the UK Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank criteria. Patients with motor fluctuations, freezing of gait and/or dyskinesia and who were able to walk unassisted in the OFF phase, were included in the study. Patients wore the REMPARK System for 3days and completed a diary of their motor state once every hour. The record obtained by the REMPARK System, compared with patient-completed diaries, demonstrated 97% sensitivity in detecting OFF states and 88% specificity (i.e., accuracy in detecting ON states). The REMPARK System detects an accurate evaluation of ON-OFF fluctuations in PD; this technology paves the way for an optimisation of the symptomatic control of PD motor symptoms as well as an accurate assessment of medication efficacy.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a highly prevalent and disabling condition, requiring frequent medication adjustments. In parallel, non-adherence to medical treatment might lead to severe consequences. Therefore, a solution to monitor PD symptoms, allowing neurologists to make informed decisions about medication adjustments, and one which could promote medical treatment adherence would be beneficial for both the patient and the medical doctor. In this paper we present the rationale and user-centred process for the design of four smartphone applications for the self-management of PD. We present the methods for evaluation and the results of usability tests. The results show that user-centred methods were efficient and that people with PD were able to achieve high task completion rates on usability tests with three of the applications for PD self-management. Future work should focus on detailed improvement of touch screen sensitivity to optimize error prevention

Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) typically involves pharmacological methods and adjunct behavioural modifications, focused on changing diet and physical activity (PA) behaviours. Changing diet and physical activity behaviours is complex and any behavioural intervention in T2D, to be successful, must use an appropriate suite of behaviour change techniques (BCTs). In this study, we sought to understand the perceived barriers and facilitators to diet and PA behaviour change in persons with T2D, with a view to creating artefacts to facilitate the required behaviour changes. The Design Probe was chosen as the most appropriate design research instrument to capture the required data, as it enabled participants to reflect and self-document, over an extended period of time, on their daily lived experiences and, following this reflection, to identify their barriers and facilitators to diet and PA behaviour change. Design Probes were sent to 21 participants and 13 were fully completed. A reflective thematic analysis was carried out on the data, which identified themes of food environment, mental health, work schedule, planning, social support, cravings, economic circumstances and energy associated with diet behaviour. Similar themes were identified for PA as well as themes of physical health, weather, motivation and the physical environment.