Usability in bioinformatics mobile applications what we are working on Noura Chelbah, Sergio Díaz, Óscar Torreño, and myself Juan Falgueras
App name Performs Advantajes Dissatvantajes Link The problem Helps to do cloning experiments, in Up to the point, it helps with the details for CloningBench every detail based on tables for each Not updated since 2011 this kind of experiments. Free kind of enzimes, etc. View, run and annotate Promega protocols. Run timers directly from the Promega relevant steps, and when complete, Interesting tool for this lab users. Free Specific email the annotated protocols for printing, etc Just for iphone, not intuitive, does not hanlde Allows to syncronize own tree files using landscape, can't get to file selection. Low Phylogram Visualization of phylogenetic tree itunes from wherever interactivity. Difficult to zoom-handle-intertact even with small phylogenetic trees. Over a million apps for mobiles Biocatalogue EdgeBio SimAlign SimGene Browse the catalogue for services, Informational app, handles landscape and service providers. REST endpoints and portrait. Free SOAP Operations It allows access to all content from the Unifies all digital resources of EdgeBio blog. EdgeBio blog, website and their online Free.Interacts via scial networks communities ios touch application that interfaces with NCBI BLAST service to align a provided sequence or Accession. Interfaces with Simbiot, Ensembl, NCBI, etc, to retrieve annotation info for over 30-species, based on gene and symbol search Saves all queries allowing users to recall and resubmit searches. ios and Android ios and Android Oh BLAST It! Executes BLAST Simple. Free Is more like a web site. Information is minimal, no links. Unorganized, plain lists, non hierarchical nor contents organized. Quite difficult to browse or search through. app/cloningbench-byinvitrogen/id458617777? app/promega/id307546949? app/phylogram/ id399814043?&ls=1 app/biocatalogue/ id450120348?&ls=1 It is more a link to videos and on line resources app/edgebio/id515313935? than a tool or app. Not access from all countries &ls=1 It is not confortable to use, many dialogs for the only task it can do: NCBI blast. It depends on registered users. It is unable to handle files, you must copy-paste or type the entire app/simalign/id432818873? sequence in a small textbox. It is based on registering and not free accounts. Same user interface and uncomfortable handling as SimAlign. It is based on registering and not free accounts. app/simgene/id427772349? Only Android. It doesn't have a real graphical https://play.google.com/ user interface, but a kind of black screen where store/apps/details? everything is displayed and entering as id=com.bioinformaticsapp command lines This program uses the Needleman- Simple. Free. The sequences can be entered Only Android. It doesn't have a real graphical https://play.google.com/ Wunsch and Smith-Waterman in two different ways: string of characters or user interface, but a kind of black screen where Gene Aligner store/apps/details? algorithms for pairwise gene global NCBI accession number. The program can everything is displayed and entering as id=itd_gene.activities but on bio we have accounted only and local alignment, 20-30 respectively. also generate a dot plot barely for the alignment. command lines usable NEB Tools Enzyme finder for restriction enzyme Complete, well documented and organised. /New England finding information on any NEB Quite specific for this labs app/neb-tools/id350346827? Free Biolabs Inc enzyme Official mobile app of the RCSB PDB Amazing database, with molecular 3D RCSB PDB Depends on internet connection. Only querying app/rcsb-protein-data-bank/ (Protein data bank) rendering. id529153183?ls=1& because Interact Remotely with your ProFlex PCR system. product information on PCR Essentials Taq Polymerases, dntp, Gels and Smart interface, high quality app. Free Specific app/pcr-essentials/ stains, RT-PCR products, cdna id606990640? products and master mixes, etc. bad user interfaces DrugBankWP DNAApp Evolutionary Biology Gen Tutor Gene Link Nature ENCODE MyGenome/ Illumina, Inc Chemical, pharmacological and pharmaceutical database Open ab1 files Concept to teach evolutionary concepts ios student app for students taking a standard College level course in Genetics Quick short course in molecular genetics It helps to navigate through the 30 papers published in Nature, Genome Research and Genome Biology as the ENCODE Project not powerful or ambitious goals Human Genome MIQE qpcr Real-time PCR Explore real human genome Complete Open and visualise sequences from Dropbox (in ios). New versions save also in fasta format Simple Extensive and complete based on levels of knowledge. Free High quality material. Wide range and well organized number of topics. Tools for researchers. Free Amazing presentation of the state of the art in the most important papers published Graphic, health implications, educational, quite complete. Good graphics, a lot of information on genetic deseases. Cheap. Obtain graphical info between diseases Graphical, pedagogic, free and genes, syndromes or traits WindowsPhone only Simple. Not well adapted to common gestures in mobiles. http:// www.windowsphone.com/eses/store/app/drugbankwp/ 968f1dbe-0e67-4c2ab733-16bfcfd4f51c app/dnaapp/id854944694? More as web site than appication. Simple. It covers only quite a few topics in Bioinformatics, app/evolutionary-biology/ it's very simple and take no advantage of the id513464425?&ls= interactive capabilities of the device. Not free A tool for students, following a course Only tools for handling one sequence, simple ops Helps with technical support on particular qpcr experiments. Based Essentially useful. Kept updated, with active on characteristics, it offers articles and Quite specific, documentative. version supporting. Free depending on your problem, particular advise Clearly organised set of documentative Attractive, easy to use, a lot of information. resource on experiment preparation Update. Free and results interpretation on PCR By National Human Genome Research Institute, more than 250 common genetic terms pronounced and Talking Glossary explained in an easy-to-understand of Genetics way by leading scientists and professionals at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). For lab researchers. Offline access to Protocolpedia hundreds of complete protocols devices in these processes Access to bioinformatics and genomic BioTechLCD information A search and information tool for BioGene BioGenie Gene Lab biological search. A quick reference for any gene Multitask system to be used by biologist, scientist researchers, professors and students ios educative game on creating creatures based on their genes Specific, documentative Great pictures, explanations, comprehensive and balanced explanations on every genetic Heavy, only educational topic. Free Light, complete. Well organised and Not updated since 2011 supported by real users. Includes videos. Free Free Bioinformatic available mobile apps 2014-08 bad treatment of data and/or the role of the Really documentative. Well organised. Free Help using those services It permits to experiment essentially with the Mendel laws and mutation concept More than an app is an informative tool-a blog Specific for genes Specific Gene Pool Game. ios Amusement Simple concepts Simple concepts, only recreational app/gene-tutor/ id534062019? app/array-genetic-toolsfrom-gene/id399712676? app/nature-encode/ id553487333? app/mygenome/ id516405838? app/human-genome/ id576939342? app/miqe-qpcr/ id423650002? app/real-time-pcr/ id523157743? app/talking-glossary-ofgenetics/id428340581? app/protocolpedia/ id396334248? http://www.androidpit.de/ de/android/market/apps/ app/ com.globetech.biotechdaily/ biotech-daily https://itunes.apple.com/ app/biogene/id333180084? http://bio-genie.com/node? page=2 app/gene-lab/id320762232? app/gene-pool/ id330408920?
what we are doing First it was to develop native prototype apps Then tried to do it more universal and focused on easy modifying interface web based that app Then started to make it for the user: a user centred app; and kicked off a thoroughly user interface study on that app
the user evaluation process Then have made users use the app 1. We built a script for the user to follow. In that script we simply put a ordinary situation the user needed to solve 2. Recorded the interaction, and make the user fill in a questionnaire 3. Collect everything and in a spiral engineering methodology, after the changes are included, repeat the process
Important details The user must be a real external and independent person with that particular but common and easy to understand situation to solve with our app! The app and its services and tools, needs to be flexible so that it can follow every modification its real use demands This mechanism of asking for user feedback is to be kept throughout the life span of the app and be and important part part of the developing process