Usability of mobile applications supporting training in diagnostic decision-making by radiologists

The objective of this study is to systematically review the usability of mobile applications currently available in radiology to support training in diagnostic decision-making. Two online stores with major market share (Google Play and iTunes) were searched. A multi-step review process was utilized by three usability investigators and five radiology experts to identify eligible applications and extract usability reviews. From 381 applications that were initially identified, user reviews of final 52 applications revealed 79 usability issues. Usability issues were categorized according to Nielsen’s heuristic usability evaluation principles (HE). The top three most frequent types of usability issues were: Naturalness (43), Simplicity (43), and Efficient Interactions (21). Examples of the most frequent usability issues were: lack of information, lack of labeling, and details about images. This study demonstrates the urgent need of usability test to provide evidence-based guidelines to help choose mobile applications that will yield educational and clinical benefits.