My partner and I have made some headway with our program, but it is true that we are very much in the preliminary stages of development. The PowerPoint has helped with guiding the transfer from draft to reality, but the programming aspect of this project is certainly the most challenging. Professor Laskin has been out of town for the past several weeks tending to a family member, something we needed to consider whilst attempting to contact him and establish meeting times.

Although meetings were sporadic and e-mail communication was not very frequent, my partner and I have been able to reach out for some extra materials we felt we needed. This included a copy of the preliminary research Professor Laskin conducted, the basis for our application creation. This would include several equations we required in order to establish a working fitness calculation.

Another aspect we sought out was the disability categories if you will. Each patient who will make use of our product must select a category or degree paralysis. This designation will allow for the program to account for this input information and tailor the fitness result to the patient. For example, someone who is paralyzed just below the waist may be able to exert greater force when conducting the fitness test than someone who is paralyzed just below the ribs.

Professor Laskin, despite his travels has been keeping in contact with my partner concerning these elements, and they have been critical in our development of the application.

Those in healthcare frequently complain of issues concerning patient records. My partner and I have deliberated whether we view our product as a home use program or one that can be used within a greater medical setting. This will dictate how the database of the program will be created. For instance, if one individual is using the app on his/her phone for self-monitoring and improvement, then a large database accessible by others through cloud technology or other servers may not be necessary. Yet if we believe that this app can be applied in a greater clinical setting, then a larger database is required. This step may not seem critical within the grand scheme of development, but in fact it is perhaps the most pivotal decision to make going forward. Establishing the database will dictate the workability of the application as well as determine several menu options that I have already integrated into several flow charts.

Let’s say a caretaker needs to view the results of a fitness test of patient A from three months ago. That data should be accessible to the professional for such cases. On top of that, he/she should be able to conduct such actions for his/her entire clientele. Where does our decision fall in this? If we don’t establish a compatible server, then we limit ourselves to the home-use of this application. It means that only one profile can be created within the application, and only one user will be able to view the history of his/her fitness progression.

As the semester looms and coursework finds its way back into our lives, we will be able to make more time to meet with Professor Laskin and Professor Cassens over the next several weeks to determine the best course of action. The programming aspect of the project is still the largest component to tackle, and we believe that comfort with the language will result in more advancement. This process has made it clear that although we have a design and layout, the usability of it may be determined by the simple decision to either use the application on a large scale, or bring the program to the individual devices of those who seek its services.

Personally, I hope to establish a larger usage for our product. I want it be something that healthcare providers, coaches, and individuals alike can use. But in order to have the greatest spectrum of audiences, it must be able to support just that.

On to the next semester.