The Design and Development of a Mobile Technology Solution to Self-Monitor Hypertension (HTN) And Improve Health and Fitness Levels Among Saudi Adults

Hypertension (HTN) is a major health problem, especially in Saudi Arabia due to widespread lifestyle changes. There is a strong relationship between lifestyle factors and HTN. There is a relationship between hypertension and various factors such as obesity, healthy food, physical activity, and heart rate. To control this disease, a mobile application should be created with the cooperation of medical experts. It is important to consider the usability of the application throughout the application development. Building an application with the cooperation of medical experts that considers the environment of this disease and the usability of the app will help patients to control and self-manage this disease. The aim of this paper is to improve the quality and effectiveness of a mobile hypertension app to help the Saudi hypertensive adults to improve their health and fitness levels. It has three objectives:

1. To identify the measurable characteristics/features that will motivate the hypertensive adult population to use the apps so that they can self-monitor their condition;
2. To determine the usability attributes and factors that should be considered when developing the hypertension apps so that users can feel comfortable with the apps; and
3. To determine the factors of Saudi culture that affect hypertensive Saudi adults and should therefore be incorporated in the research/app.

This study proposes an innovative Arabic hypertension app that is designed with usability characteristics and factors in mind as well as motivational features, evidence-based hypertension treatment, and social and cultural factors. The PACMAD usability model will be used to test all of the attributes of the final product as well as the user experience (UX) for designing this application.