Analysis of the Usage Context of an mHealth Application for Equestrians.

Abstract

One possibility to support veterinarians in times of a vet shortage is by providing animal owners with a technical decision support for deciding whether their animal needs to be seen by a vet. As the first step in the user-centered development of such an mHealth application for equestrians, an analysis of the context of use was done. The analysis was carried out by reviewing existing literature and conducting an online survey with 100 participants. Characteristics of the user group and the usage context are presented using an adaptation of the four layers of diversity. Many equestrians are lacking health-related knowledge and competencies as well as social networks supporting them in decision making and gaining further information. This may apply to owners of other animal species in broad ranges as well. The results of the analysis provide information to software developers and researchers on mHealth applications for pet owners in general and equestrians in particular to focus their work on the users' needs and therefore provide efficient results/software.