Health Tech Hatch Partners with HealthFinder for Mobile App Challenge serving as an user testing platform and crowdfunding resource
Health Tech Hatch (Hatch), a crowdfunding and development resource for entrepreneurs creating innovative health and wellness products and companies, today announced it will operate as the user testing platform for the healthfinder.gov Mobile App Challenge. Hatch’s platform already supports health care innovators by providing crowdfunding, clinical and usability testing, and rating of concepts and prototypes, along with mentoring and marketing support to help entrepreneurs succeed in growing their businesses. The healthfinder.gov Mobile App Challenge will debut Hatch’s testing capability, which allows developers the opportunity to interact with end users to improve usability. healthfinder.gov is a reliable prevention and wellness website that provides information about preventive services covered under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as an advisor, challenges teams of developers and health professionals and health consumers to co-design a mobile app that will be used by the public to access customized decision support for preventive services and wellness information from healthfinder.gov. The ideal application (“app”) will help make healthfinder.gov content customizable and easy to use, reaching users where they are. Developers can register and complete entry requirements at the Health 2.0 Developer Challenge site.
Hatch’s platform combines crowdfunding with the power of social media to raise funds not only from family and friends but from anyone who may be interested in the project. A computer or mobile device, and an interest in supporting health care innovation, are all that are needed to get involved.
Submissions for phase one of the challenge, accepted until January 25, 2013, will be reviewed based on several criteria including usability and design; health literacy principles; connection to clinical preventive services and wellness information; evidence of co-design with end user, innovation in design, functionality and accuracy, and healthfinder.gov branding.
