5. Usability and Accessibility Standards
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This section considers the design and development of the app, and whether it follows any recognized application design standards, such as WC3, WCAG 2.0 AA, WCAG 2.1 AA, ISO 9241, Apple HIG, or Android Application Quality Guidelines. The review also considers whether there was any user involvement during the development of the app, user involvement in testing, or if any features were based on user feedback.
| Criteria | Criteria Origin |
5a — Q1 | Is there a statement within the application outlining compliance with any currently recognized application design standards?
| MHCC |
5a — Q2 | Is there a statement about lived and living experience feedback during design/development? Guidance: This criterion is to determine if relevant feedback from those with lived and living experience had been considered in the design of the app, before or after the app was released. | ORCHA |
5a — Q3 | Was the app co-designed by one or more people with lived and living experience? | MHCC |
5a — Q4 | Is there a statement about lived and living experience feedback from a community organization/online community during design/development? Guidance: This criterion is to determine if relevant feedback from a community organization/online community from those with lived and living experience had been considered in the design of the app, before or after the app was released. This criterion follows 5a-Q2 to remove the risk of biased feedback and encourage developer’s to reach out to communities. | MHCC |
5a — Q5 | Is there any evidence of lived and living experience involvement in testing? | MHCC |
5a — Q6 | Was user testing carried out with the relevant population the product has been designed for? | MHCC |
5a — Q7 | Has any user testing considered a diverse range of participants, with regards to differing cultures and demographics? | MHCC |
5a — Q8 | Has user testing considered participant differences in language? | MHCC |
5a — Q9 | Has user testing considered participant differences in gender? | MHCC |
5a — Q10 | Has user testing considered participant differences in sexual orientation? | MHCC |
5a — Q11 | Has user testing considered participant differences in race? | MHCC |
5a — Q12 | Has user testing considered participant differences in ethnicity? | MHCC |
5a — Q13 | Has user testing considered participant differences in religion? | MHCC |
5a — Q14 | Has user testing considered participant differences in spirituality? | MHCC |
5a — Q15 | Is there evidence of continuing to work with or include people with lived and living experience in the product’s development? | MHCC |
5a — Q16 | Is the app continuously developed, supported, and maintained? | MHCC |
5a — Q17 | Has the developer detailed their approach to continuous development, including reviewing their feedback? | ORCHA |
5a — Q18 | Does the detailed approach include key evaluative measures and/or indicators? | MHCC |
5a — Q19 | Does the developer have a post-release schedule or indicate how frequently they look at the need for changes? | ORCHA |
5a — Q20 | Has the developer indicated their process for reviewing content to ensure that it is aligned with up-to-date clinical guidelines? | ORCHA |
Accessibility is important to consider, given that the application should be accessible to all users regardless of their specific needs. The review considers whether the application is customizable to suit certain needs, such as poor sight or hearing impairment. If the application uses any specialist or medical terms, these should be clearly explained to the user.
| Criteria | Criteria Origin |
5b — Q1 | Can the user change the font size in-app/does the application respond to device preferences? | ORCHA |
5b — Q2 | Does the application provide support for users with poor sight? | ORCHA |
5b — Q3 | Does the application provide support for users with hearing difficulty? | ORCHA |
5b — Q4 | Are there any components of the app which can be used to operate without Wi-Fi? | MHCC |
5b — Q5 | Is the app suitable for low-bandwidth connections? | MHCC |
Accessibility also relates to the usability of the app, including further customization options. The review identifies if the application has any functions to aid navigation, such as a home button, back button, help button, or search feature. If the application utilizes push or email notifications, the standards identify whether the user has options to manage these for their own preference or privacy, both at the application and device level. Finally, if there are any bugs identified, these will be flagged. If the application contains a forum, then we look for a statement to ensure that forum content is moderated.
| Criteria | Criteria Origin |
5c — Q1 | Can the user change the presentation theme such as language? | ORCHA |
5c — Q2 | Are any medical, specialist, or technical terms explained clearly to the user? | ORCHA |
5c — Q3 | Does the application send push notifications? | ORCHA |
5c — Q4 | Does the application send email notifications? | ORCHA |
5c — Q5 | Does the user have options to manage the notification settings (push/email) within the application for convenience/privacy? | ORCHA |
5c — Q6 | Does the application inform the user how to manage notification settings for convenience/privacy (to prevent information being shown if the device is locked but on show)? | ORCHA |
5c — Q7 | Was there any evidence of bugs during the review? | ORCHA |
Support is a key area, since it is important that users know how to contact the developer if they have any problems or questions with the application. The standards also identify what type of support is offered to users, and if there is a commitment from the developer to respond to any user queries. We would expect to see that the type of support offered is appropriate to the application complexity; that is, a higher complexity application would require a more sophisticated offer of user support.
| Criteria | Criteria Origin |
5d — Q1 | If there is a forum, is there a statement within the application that the forum content is moderated? | ORCHA |
5d — Q2 | Is there a statement about how to report technical issues to the developer? | ORCHA |
5d — Q3 | What kind of support is offered?
| ORCHA |
5d — Q4 | Can the user contact other users for peer support? | MHCC |
5d — Q5 | Does the application provide technical support, therapeutic support, or both? | MHCC |
5d — Q6 | If therapeutic support is provided, is the application transparent regarding who this is provided by? | MHCC |
5d — Q7 | If therapeutic support is provided, is there a commitment from the app developer in terms of a time scale for response? | MHCC |
5d — Q8 | Is there any statement within the application about the developer’s commitment to addressing problems reported to them (e.g., time scales to respond, commitment to eradicate reported bugs and faults)? | ORCHA |
5d — Q9 | Is there a help feature accessible from every page of the app (e.g., an information button)? | MHCC |
5d — Q10 | Is there a clear, universally recognized help icon such as a question mark? | MHCC |
5d – Q11 | Does the app collect user feedback through an appropriate channel? Guidance: An appropriate channel requires a formalized process (reviews from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store would not suffice). | MHCC |