Porting a Clinical Mobile Device Application from iPhone to Android using Online Collaboration
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This document describes porting the clinical mobile application NeuroMind from iPhone to Android using online collaboration. NeuroMind was originally developed for iPhone and provides medical information. The authors collaborated online to develop an Android version. They faced challenges with different development platforms and maintaining collaboration remotely. Future work includes improving the user interface for multiple platforms and integrating user-generated content and ratings.
Porting a Clinical Mobile Device Application from iPhone to Android using Online Collaboration
- 1. Porting a Clinical Mobile Device Application from iPhone to Android using Online Collaboration: a Case Study using NeuroMind Jonathan C. Lau, MEng, MD Candidate, Queen’s University Pieter Kubben, MD, PhD, Maastricht University
- 2. Objective • To present our experiences porting a clinical mobile device application, NeuroMind, from iPhone to Android – Successes we’ve obtained – Challenges of online collaboration
- 3. Outline • What is NeuroMind? • Our Collaboration • Why Android? • Project Planning • Project Development • Challenges • Future Work
- 4. Outline • What is NeuroMind? • Our Collaboration • Why Android? • Project Planning • Project Development • Challenges • Future Work
- 5. NeuroMind • A mobile device application developed originally for the iPhone by Dr. Kubben • Specifically designed as clinical resource for: 1. medical students 2. neurology / neurosurgery residents 3. neurologists / neurosurgeons • Available on the AppStore as free download • Details at: http://blog.digitalneurosurgeon.com
- 6. NeuroMind
- 7. NeuroMind • Has been downloaded more than 30,000X since its release • #1 ranked iPhone app for neurosurgery
- 8. Outline • What is NeuroMind? • Our Collaboration • Why Android? • Project Planning • Project Development • Challenges • Future Work
- 9. Collaboration • How does a medical student from Kingston, Ontario, Canada end up collaborating with a neurosurgery resident from Maastricht?
- 10. Collaboration • Social Media (Twitter)
- 11. Collaboration • After two readers emailed @DigNeurosurgeon about NeuroMind on Android, he broadcasted the following message on Twitter: • Link to his blog – Concluded that it was outside of his current priorities to port NeuroMind to Android – But should anyone be interested, to contact him
- 12. Collaboration • In touch by email that day • Agreed on initial plan: – To develop framework in Android SDK – Add same content as on iPhone (HTML) • Tentative deadline for working application: – Six months from our initial contact – (Time of Medicine 2.0 Congress)
- 13. Outline • What is NeuroMind? • Our Collaboration • Why Android? • Project Planning • Project Development • Challenges • Future Work
- 14. Why Android?
- 15. Why Android?
- 16. Why Android?
- 17. Outline • What is NeuroMind? • Our Collaboration • Why Android? • Project Planning • Project Development • Challenges • Future Work
- 18. Project Planning
- 19. Project Planning • Google Wave: Google stopped developing 2010/08.
- 20. Project Planning • 37signals Basecamp: www.basecamphq.com 30-day free trial then $49/month.
- 21. Project Planning • Email – July: • get Dictionary example working • experiment with changing content in example – August-September: expand example with 1. working database in background that is used for loading data 2. have the user go to a detail screen that displays the data (title, description, content) if the user clicks the item in the TableView – October: • Populate app with actual content and continue testing – November: prepare conference material and release – Nov-Dec: release and post about it
- 22. Project Planning • Obtaining an Android phone – Not absolutely necessary: well-documented software from Google for virtual device – Bought used HTC Magic online • Obtaining an “iProduct” to evaluate NeuroMind – Borrowed an iTouch from colleague
- 23. Outline • What is NeuroMind? • Our Collaboration • Why Android? • Project Planning • Project Development • Challenges • Future Work
- 24. Project Development • Software Development Environment – Original goal to try developing using Android SDK – Eclipse Platform: • Free open-source software • Designed for development of Java applications • Android SDK available with virtual device for testing mobile device applications
- 25. Project Development • Tutorials on Android (http://developer.android.com) – Hello World to Dictionary – ListView as UI candidate
- 26. Project Development • Enter Appcelerator Titanium Mobile 1.4 – Released July 26, 2010 • Open source platform for developing native mobile and desktop applications using web technologies • Support for multiple platforms: – iPhone and Android support since June 2009 – iPad support since April 2010 – Blackberry support in beta
- 27. Project Development • Significant progress with Appcelerator 1.4 release (September/October 2010) • Preliminary Android NeuroMind released: – October 23, 2010 (ahead of schedule!) • Coincided with release of Surgical Neurology International mobile application – see conference presentation by Kubben et al.
- 28. Project Development • Available on Android Market • 500-1000 downloads so far
- 29. Outline • What is NeuroMind? • Our Collaboration • Why Android? • Project Planning • Project Development • Challenges • Future Work
- 30. Challenges • In Medicine 2.0 context: – Selected Group of Stakeholders: • Neurosurgeons and neurologists • Neurosurgery and neurology residents • Medical students interested in clinical neuroscience – Collaboration: • Limited to specialized # of stakeholders who also had interest in mobile device application development • Likely did not take advantage of expertise of greater community as well as we could have
- 31. Challenges • Collaborator Idiosyncrasy – or “Compatibility” between collaborators – Different Platforms: • Lack of virtual device on non-Apple products for product development – Different Software Development Environments: • Eclipse Java environment • Appcelerator Titanium – Time: • Clinical duties, other research priorities, time difference
- 32. Challenges • Maintaining Collaboration We know Medicine 2.0 is useful for initiation of collaboration (intermediation/apomediation) but how do we maintain effective collaboration over time?
- 33. Challenges • Collaboration in Software Development – Tracking Project Milestones • Social Media: Twitter, Google Wave • 37signals Basecamp – Tracking Software Changes • Redmine: – web-based project management + bug-tracking tool • Trac • Appcelerator?
- 34. Challenges • Collaboration in Content • Tracking Content Changes (neurodss.com) – Currently using Google Docs – Alternatives: • Wiki
- 35. Outline • What is NeuroMind? • Our Collaboration • Why Android? • Project Planning • Project Development • Challenges • Future Work
- 36. Future Work • Design, Development, Maintenance, Testing – User Interface (iOS, Android, RIM, Windows 7) • Appcelerator has many advantages: – Content / Layout nuances decided by others – Software development largely outsourced – Can focus on content building • There are disadvantages too: – Dependence on support provided by company and their roadmap for development – Professional version $199/developer/month
- 37. Future Work • Collaboration in Content • Mobilize other stakeholders? – ?Authority to edit – ?Authority to edit from mobile device – Ability to rate entries – Ability to ask for new entries – Peer-review Aside: need to support multiple mobile platforms to ensure widest participation
- 38. Future Work • Multiple Versions of NeuroMind? – Decision support version for clinicians – Education version for medical students • Integration with Neurosurgery 2.0 framework?
- 39. Future Work
- 40. Future Work
- 41. Conclusions • While our software development deviated from our original design, a product was released ahead of schedule for Android • Online collaboration can be effective but the tools used are context dependent and depend also on project scale and direction • Having the opportunity to discuss in person at this meeting will greatly assist with facilitating our continued collaborations
- 42. Acknowledgements • Dr. Pieter L. Kubben (@DigNeurosurgeon) – Maastricht University • Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada – Dr. Richard Resnick • Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences for funding – Undergraduate Medical Education Office
- 43. Thank you for your attention! • Questions?