Evaluating dietary apps from the perspective of universal design

Abstract

Our health is becoming more and more important over the years. Not because we are getting older, but because our lives are becoming more and more sedentary. Ways to improve our health are exercising, eating healthy, and maintaining healthy body weight. In this study, we evaluate three different dietary applications from the perspective of universal design using ten participants with diverse backgrounds. The study was conducted under the covid-19 pandemic in Oslo, and a different testing approach was used. The method that was used to evaluate the dietary applications was remote usability testing. The usability testing was split into three parts: pre-interview, usability testing task, and post-interview. The usability testing tried to figure out different issues and areas of improvement that the dietary applications had. Information about the participant’s experience with dietary applications, attitude towards dietary applications, and their feedback on the evaluated dietary was sampled. The result of the usability testing was that the dietary applications had two main issues in common. This was navigating to change “current weight” and check how many calories have been eaten. The participants suggested different areas to improve on each of the dietary applications. The result from the usability testing was used to make a prototype that showed how an improved dietary application could look. The age group of the participants was from 20 to 50 years old, and 50% of the participants had used a dietary application before. The study shows different dietary application issues and that the participants had a positive attitude towards dietary applications.