Designing a System to Empower Startup Businesses for Evaluating Digital Health Products

Given the emergence of startup businesses in digital health and the importance of their products for human well-being, there is a critical need for consistent and continuous evaluation of these products. Therefore, producing high-quality and standard products in the health sector helps maintain the competitive market both nationally and internationally. Due to the lack of an evidence-based system that provides comprehensive educational information and an empowerment platform in health fields, this study aimed to design a system for empowering startup businesses to evaluate digital health products.

This study was conducted in three phases: 1) descriptive, 2) development, and 3) evaluation. In the first phase, data elements and functional and non-functional requirements were identified through a literature review and validation by experts. In the second phase, the system was developed using SQL Server 2019, C# language, and an interface was created using ASP.NET Core in Visual Studio 2022, along with programming languages HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, and Java to design a database. In the evaluation phase, the designed system was assessed based on Nielsen’s questionnaire and usability indicators.

Twenty functional and eleven non-functional components were identified for the design of the system, which were confirmed by related experts. The system comprises main modules, including educational resources, empowerment, a network of startups, a discussion forum, experiences, and a library for evaluating digital health products. In the empowerment section, the modules of consultation, webinars, coaching programs, tools, indicators, and evaluation frameworks were developed and implemented. The highest average severity of issues was related to the error prevention section rather than reminders, while the lowest average severity of issues was associated with the consistency and standards principle.

The design of empowerment systems in startup businesses can provide a suitable platform for enhancing evidence-based evaluation for their companies.