Mobile Apps for Foot Measurement in Pedorthic Practice : Scoping Review
of these apps to track measurements of different foot areas over time , either manually or using in-built measurement techniques .
Aesthetics
The current market is dominated by hundreds of thousands of apps that are competing in similar categories with similar functions and outcomes , but are only preferred based on more visually appealing features . Visual appeal is just as important to the success of a commercial product as its core functionality and performance . A proper layout and organization of an app ’ s user interface elements can sometimes be the difference between an app ’ s success and its downfall . This trend is also seen in modern foot scanning apps , which are assessed according to their visual appearance and organization of their layout . Therefore , the key element of a good interface design is to make it clear and simple for users [ 24 ]. For measuring the aesthetic properties of an app , the raters considered three factors : ( 1 ) the quality of user interface elements in apps , specifically the resolution of images and icons ; ( 2 ) the overall look and feel of the app ’ s color sets and theme ; and ( 3 ) the complexity of the contents of the individual screens in the apps .
General Features
Although providing options for as many measurement dimensions as possible is important for a foot measurement app , there are general features that the app must also provide , such as the ability to share and export data to other apps and in various data formats . This feature was selected as a rating item because if it is possible to share data , users are less likely to waste time sharing their foot size information on other platforms , which may be a benefit . An authentication feature is also considered to be a good option . For example , when data are stored against a user ’ s credentials , the data are likely to be stored in the cloud , thus removing the user ’ s dependencies on that particular mobile device on which the app is installed . Over recent years , the importance of content customization and the amount of visual information shown in apps have been found to improve user value ; therefore , these features were also included for rating . Additionally , if the app provides subscription packages that may affect user experience in any way , these should also be considered . Negative weights were calculated for rating metrics if the apps had any of the following : faulty authentication system , faulty subscription pages , region restrictions , and technical issues in image scanning , as crucial app features . All of these points were considered during the rating of apps .
Performance and Efficiency
One of the most important factors contributing to the functionality of an app is its performance score , and how efficiently it can run and provide results on the user ’ s device . The argument is notched up by one point in importance due to the wide scale of customizability of performance components in mobile devices across various global mobile brands . Therefore , as the same foot measurement app may perform differently across different mobile devices with regards to CPU performance , total memory usage , total battery life impact , the possibility of device heating , and other device-specific features , this domain was included as a criterion for rating foot measurement apps , which are known to use significant processing power and complicated processing algorithms to output foot dimensions . To assess the memory usage and battery power
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