ActEarly: Redesign and Evaluation of an Android Mobile Application for Tracking Developmental Milestones

Faculty: 
Dr. Rosa Arriaga
Students: 
Laurel Warrell

About 1 in 7 U.S. children will be affected with a developmental disability including Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Early diagnosis of developmental delays ensures proper intervention and overall improved qualities of life. In this research, we investigate how parents of young children use an Android mobile application, ActEarly, to log their children's developmental progress through milestones tracking techniques. The app leverages information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Learn the Signs, Act Early" campaign to provide parents with information needed to identify signs of developmental disabilities, while empowering them to share their questions, doubts, and concerns with pediatricians. The goal this project is to evaluate the interactive ActEarly app and uncover users' method keeping needs, as we design a solution to help parents become more proactive about milestone tracking and create a useful health care tool for the public sector.

Lab: 

We are interested in ubiquitous computing and the research issues involved in building and evaluating ubicomp applications and services that impact our lives. Much of our work is situated in settings of everyday activity, such as the classroom, the office and the home. Our research focuses on several topics including, automated capture and access to live experiences, context-aware computing, applications and services in the home, natural interaction, software architecture, technology policy, security and privacy issues, and technology for individuals with special needs.