SalusChart: A Data Visualization Library for Mobile Health Apps
Authors
Sebin Hwang (Yonsei University), Seongjae Bae (Yonsei University), Jehu Ahn (Yonsei University), Zekai Shao (Fudan University), Eun Kyoung Choe (University of Maryland), Bongshin Lee (Yonsei University)
Presentation
- Session
- Tools of the Trade
- Time
- Thursday, Nov 12, 13:36 – 13:45 (US/Eastern) · session 13:00 – 14:30
- Location
- Hall Essex center
Keywords
Mobile data visualization, Visualization library, Mobile health, Personal health
Abstract
Data visualization is an essential component of mobile health (mHealth) apps for delivering users' personal health data. However, creating effective visualizations for mobile and wearable devices is challenging: screen space is limited, touch interaction is coarse, and developers may lack the visualization expertise needed to design for small screens and non-expert users. Existing general-purpose chart libraries compound this difficulty by ignoring health-specific contexts, leaving each developer to make independent design decisions about how health data should be presented. The result is inconsistent and often poorly designed visualizations across apps. We present SalusChart, an open-source Android visualization library built with Jetpack Compose, specifically designed for mHealth apps. Its reusable components encode visualization design principles and support the development of more consistent visualizations across mHealth apps on mobile and wearable devices.
For Practitioners
Mobile health app developers, Android developers, and UX/design practitioners would be interested in this paper. They can use SalusChart's reusable, health-specific chart components, including activity rings, range charts, sleep stage charts, and compact dashboard charts. SalusChart can be used to build common mHealth visualizations with less implementation effort than general-purpose charting libraries. Practitioners can also apply the paper's design goals and examples to create more consistent and readable health visualizations for mobile and wearable devices.