Jan 2, 2025
FindMyClinicalTrial’s Mobile App and Increasing Accessibility
FindMyClinicalTrial’s Mobile App and Increasing Accessibility
Kayla Cox
A study conducted by the Pew Research Center exhibits the digital divide present between socioeconomic classes in the U.S. According to this study, while only 24% of low-income Americans do not own a smartphone, it jumps to 41% when it comes to ownership of a desktop or laptop computer in this population. While the digital divide gap has improved over the past decade, there are still major issues in the optimization of many platforms for mobile use.
The majority of clinical trial search engines today are developed only to be adequately accessed through a desktop browser. This design makes it difficult for users to view and utilize sites on a mobile device. The Bureau of Internet Accessibility describes this issue as, “failing to consider mobile accessibility is failing to consider the needs of the people who require accessible mobile experiences”. Considering that the approximately 40% of low-income individuals mentioned earlier and 16% of middle class individuals do not have access to a desktop or laptop computer, FindMyClinicalTrial is committed to serving these communities and understand that it is critical to continue to bridge these gaps in accessibility.
FindMyClinicalTrial’s search engine is developed to be 100% accessible through mobile use. Our vision includes providing a streamlined way for patients, students, and family members to use our software to access clinical trials. This includes users having the opportunity to save and share trials that they find helpful and may want to revisit at a later time. In addition to the accessibility features of our mobile app, we also have developed the only AI chatbot that allows for direct communication with the search engine. The ability to save and share their conversations with the chat bot and any trials they find as a result will be available as well.
Overall, FindMyClinicalTrial’s mobile accessible search engine and mobile app aim to help bridge the gap of the digital divide in the health sphere and address concerns of accessing clinical trials. With our mobile-centered design and AI chatbot, searching and saving clinical trials will be efficient for all users, especially those without access to computers.
If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, you can use our clinical trial search engine at app.findmyclinicaltrial.org
Our mobile app is now live and you can find it on the App Store or the Google Play Store!
Sources:
Don't Overlook iOS and Android Testing for Accessibility
Digital divide persists even as Americans with lower incomes make gains in tech adoption