✨Avicenna May Update: Getting Warmer

Mojtaba Javan -

Hello Avicenna Community,

We don't say we're perfect. But we're definitely steady. While improving our workflow, we could achieve some of the features we told you about before. Some other important features need more testing because we want you to have the most stable changes. You'll (probably) see them next month. See the "What's Next?" section at the end. Now, let's go over what we achieved in May. We're getting warmer.

🌟 Logs for changes in participant device state

Avicenna now utilizes the participant device state changes to offer insights into different states and settings of a device, ranging from battery life to connectivity. Researchers can use such logs to detect possible issues affecting participant compliance. This feature is part of the groundwork for one of our upcoming features, Audit Trail v2. For detailed information, visit Device State Index in Kibana on the Avicenna Learn website.

🌟 Logs for changes in participant application state

Related to the previous feature, now, Avicenna utilizes the participant application state changes to offer insights into different states and settings of Android and iOS applications. Researchers can use such logs to detect possible issues affecting participant compliance. This feature is also part of the groundwork for one of our upcoming features, Audit Trail v2. For detailed information, visit Application State Index in Kibana on the Avicenna Learn website.

🌟 WHOOP integration

Now, you can use WHOOP wearables in your study to easily gather data on health and performance, including workout, sleep, and recovery. We integrated Garmin and Fitbit wearables before. With these options, you have a wide range of choices to support your research. For detailed information, visit WHOOP on the Avicenna Learn website.

🚀 User Experience Improvements

  • Skipping permissions for wearable data sources
    We enhanced the platform to allow participants to skip the required permissions for wearable data sources (e.g. Fitbit or Garmin) by indicating that they do not have such a device. You can read more about it here.
  • Multi-study custom participant apps
    Now, custom participant apps (Android and iOS) can allow participants to join more than one study. Previously, participants were restricted to a single study when using such apps. If your study has a custom app in Avicenna and you want to remove this restriction, you can contact our sales team at sales@avicennaresearch.com. Learn more about this here.
  • Fancy email notifications
    Now, notifications sent from Avicenna, such as export readiness and upcoming study data wipes (for trial studies), have been updated with a more visually appealing design. In future releases, we will extend this improved design to notifications sent from study notification templates as well.
  • Web app packages upgrade
    We upgraded to Node.js 20 for improved performance, security, and compatibility with newer versions of third-party packages like ANTLR (the package we use for our criteria grammar). This update ensures that our platform remains robust and future-proof, allowing us to leverage the latest advancements in technology for a seamless user experience.
  • Skipping the first question of the eligibility survey
    We resolved an issue that was causing the first question in an eligibility survey to be skipped when the participant opened it using the web app. Last month, this issue was fixed for regular surveys.
  • Study reload optimization
    We addressed an issue causing two study reloads to run after the iOS app received a reload request from the server. This optimization ensures smoother performance and reduces unnecessary data fetching, enhancing the overall user experience.
  • RTL layout direction
    We improved right-to-left (RTL) support across various iOS app sections, including Account Information and My Studies pages. We fixed the same issue for surveys last month. With this enhancement, users will experience better alignment and readability, especially in languages that read from right to left (like Farsi).
  • App crash for studies with chat
    We addressed the Android application crash when loading studies with the Chat (Televisit) enabled. This fix resolves a critical issue, ensuring uninterrupted access to the study and the communication features.
  • In-app notifications with placeholders
    We resolved a rare issue where the app was killed in the background and an in-app notification triggered, the placeholders in the notification’s body would not be replaced with the proper value. This fix ensures accurate and personalized notifications.
  • In-app notification title in the new language
    We fixed an issue where changing the Android app’s language would cause the in-app notification’s title to remain in the old language. This fix ensures a consistent user experience across languages.
  • Displaying chat history
    We fixed an issue where the history section of chat rooms was hidden on the Chat page of the researcher’s dashboard.
  • Broken public surveys
    We resolved an issue where respondents encountered an error message when trying to open a public survey by accessing its link.
  • Hidden activity groups’ titles on study homepage
    We fixed an issue on the participant web app where the titles of Auto-Triggered Activities and Participant-Triggered Activities were hidden on the homepage of the study. Now, the app displays those titles according to the study settings.

🔍 Reflecting on the Impact

Your experience with Avicenna is crucial to our growth. Each update aims to streamline your research, focusing on usability and efficiency. We strive to support your research effectively.

📣 We Value Your Feedback – And Your Stories

Have the updates improved your research? We encourage sharing your experiences on our Community Forum or via email. Your feedback helps shape our future updates and motivates the Avicenna community.

🌟 What's Next?

We remain dedicated to improving Avicenna. New features are in the pipeline, aiming to further enhance your research workflow. To name a few upcoming features, we're introducing:

  • New Enhanced Version of Our Authentication: We are improving our security measures to better safeguard your research data. It's in its final test phase.
  • Recording Televisit Calls: Wouldn't it be useful to record calls? In our upcoming release, you can just do that. This feature is in its final test phase.
  • Understanding Empty Responses in Surveys: Ever wonder why some survey questions are unanswered? You will see the reason behind each missing question response soon.
  • New Data Sources: We integrated WHOOP last month. Now, get ready to integrate data from Polar sensors into your research projects.
  • Duplicating Study Protocol: In our next updates, with a few clicks you'll be able to duplicate your study protocol/schema.
  • Gamification: Wanna make your study more fun for the participants? We'll have a rewarding system in our next updates.
  • And More: Stay tuned for additional features and improvements, as we continue our mission to optimize your research experience.

Avicenna is about to get even better, and we're excited to reveal all the improvements to you.

Let's keep pushing the boundaries of research together.