18 November 2011
Helping Australians to be SunSmart
Dr Sandy Ng, Lecturer in Marketing, is researching the effectiveness of a SunSmart app.
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RMIT University researcher, Dr Sandy Ng, is conducting a study into the effectiveness of a preventative healthcare app developed by SunSmart.
The SunSmart app was launched in 2010 and is designed to help Australians make better decisions on sun protection and sun exposure strategies.
It lets you know when you do and don't need sun protection, making it easier to be smart about your sun exposure all year round.
Depending on where you’re located, the app will deliver ultraviolet (UV) and weather information.
This information will tell you if you should use sun protection or whether you can safely expose yourself to the sun in order to get some vitamin D.
Dr Ng, who is in the School of Economics, Finance and Marketing, believes that the only way that people will continue using this type of app is if they can see the value in it.
“With so many preventative healthcare apps on the market, it is easy for people to download one based on novelty or curiosity, use it for a while and then discard it,” she said.
“My research seeks to find out if users think these apps are a valuable tool and whether they will continue to use and recommend the SunSmart app to other people.”
To evaluate the features of the app Dr Ng is conducting a web-based survey which includes questions about convenience, usability, and functionality.
“The results of this study will help determine whether the current SunSmart app is well-designed and whether there are ways it can be improved,” she said.
The survey is now open and will close on 18 December. Participants will automatically go in the draw to win $1,000 of Coles Myer vouchers.
To download the free SunSmart app and complete the survey, click here.
