Universal design with mobile app development: Bridging the Gap for the forgotten populations

摘要

In the last decades, the world has witnessed a record in the use of mobile technologies where there is almost as many mobile subscriptions as people in the world. In addition, almost two-thirds of smartphone users access the internet through their phones. The progression in mobile communications has spurred high interest in developing applications for this crucial market. Everyday millions of applications are developed and made available through the different appstores, i.e., Google Play, Apple store, BlackBerry World, etc. With 91% of Americans owning one or more cellphones, this is a crucial market to tap into for application developers. Due to progress in the health sciences and people awareness of the importance of following a healthier lifestyle, people are living longer leading to a demographic change where more and more nations have rapidly growing aging population. Thus, there will be a shortage of doctors to care for this fast growing aging population. Moreover, as the population ages managing multiple chronic diseases becomes a daily challenge. Also, given the size of the population, many more people will be diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Hence, proper measures are needed to encourage this population to act and think independently while taking advantage of what current technologies are offering. This paper will focus on developing mobile applications targeted for assisting select underserved audiences with affordable emerging technologies on Android and iOS platforms. These mobile apps address areas such as medical, social, and practical needs of the consumers, as well as their caregivers. Additionally, college computing students need to learn to create applications that are universally designed for all ages in terms of fonts, colors, buttons, etc.