Visual and Interaction Design Themes in Mobile Healthcare

The opening-up of mobile application development has enabled the launches of successful “app stores” for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and others, from which innovative mobile applications are available. The healthcare realm is not left out; scores of health and wellness-related apps are available, though most (but not all) are simplistic, highly derivative or not overly compelling from graphical, creative, or usability points of view. In this paper we take a broader look at mobile platforms, enablers, and example healthcare applications that are noteworthy or representative in one way or another – these include some of the authors own research. We look at a series of exemplary and topical real-world examples to help us identify and support several overarching themes salient to mobile healthcare services. These themes include: the use of novel interaction techniques, the use of human-computer interface to encourage and mitigate movement and activity, and the use of graphics to improve the representation and understanding of medical, wellness, and life information. This paper, then, serves as a brief survey of existing health-related applications as well as an introduction to a few thought-provoking applications that “are not here yet” but promise to have an impact on mobile healthcare.