Identifying the content, functionalities, and features of a mobile application for contact lens wearers

BACKGROUND: Lack of attention to end-users' requirements and preferences may lead to the failure of health information technology (IT) interventions. Identifying users’ needs for designing a mobile application can lead to the development of an acceptable intervention. This study aimed to determine the requirements for designing a mobile application to educate and provide needed information to contact lens (CL) wearers. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted on 24 CL wearers and nine eye care practitioners from the three CL clinics in Iran. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the conventional content analysis proposed by Lundman and Graneheim. Lincoln and Guba's criteria were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. RESULTS: The three main categories that emerged from the interviews were mobile application content, mobile application functionalities, and mobile application features. Ten subcategories and 57 sub-subcategories were also identified. It was determined that mobile content should focus on advice and information for optimizing the CL wearing experience and training regarding the use of CLs. Entering information required for self-care, computational capability, interactivity, updates, and reminders were determined as needed functionalities. The participants recommended features for the structure and user interface of the mobile application and information presentation methods. CONCLUSION: This study identified the information needed to develop a mobile application for CL wearers. This also provides insights regarding required functionalities when applying IT interventions. These findings can be used by CL clinics, developers of health information systems, policymakers, and health planners to design better CL-related care and compliance interventions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12911-022-01910-w.