Tochukwu Ikwunne | Trinity College Dublin (original) (raw)

Papers by Tochukwu Ikwunne

Objective: Despite the fact that user engagement is critical to the efficacy of mobile health (mH... more Objective: Despite the fact that user engagement is critical to the efficacy of mobile health (mHealth) interventions in the Global South, many of these interventions lack user engagement features. This is because sociotechnical aspects of such initiatives are frequently ignored during the design, development, and implementation stages. This research highlighted the importance of considering sociotechnical factors when developing mHealth apps. The intended users for the mHealth technologies in this study are care professionals. Materials and Methods: Five semi-structured interviews and a pilot interview were conducted to identify user engagement facilitators and barriers. The interview data were analysed using NVivo. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model is then used to map the facilitators and barriers to mHealth app engagement, allowing researchers to better understand how users engage/disengage with mHealth apps. Results and Discussion: Capability facilitators included features that assist users in learning more about the app (e.g. a user manual and statistical data) as well as features that assist users in developing a routine. The lack of app skills and cognitive overload limit capability. While social connectedness and offline functionality were identified as facilitators of user engagement, non-user-friendly design and cultural dimensions were identified as barriers. Early user engagement and rewards were identified as motivational facilitators that influence user engagement. Furthermore, perceived non-utility and a lack of encouragement were identified as motivational barriers to engagement. Conclusion: Several factors were discovered across all COMB model components that could be used to develop more engaging mHealth apps. Adopting a techno-centric approach that ignores sociotechnical factors can reduce user engagement. The design process engagement enhancement system (DECENT) framework was proposed based on the findings.

International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 2021

Recently, the need for online collaborative learning in educational systems have increased greatl... more Recently, the need for online collaborative learning in educational systems have increased greatly because of COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has provided an opportunity for introducing online collaboration and learning among instructors and students in Nigeria. Currently, several schools, colleges, universities in Nigeria have discontinued face to face teaching and learning. Many schools resorted to ineffective alternatives such as the use of televisions and radio programmes to carry out distance education (DE). These alternatives have challenges such as lack of monitoring and evaluation of students' learning. Collaborative Learning Management System (CLMS) is a research project that aims to assist instructors in achieving their pedagogical goals, organizing course content, collaborating, monitoring, and supporting students' online learning. It is an interactive, online based as well as android based system that has been designed, implemented, tested. The system demonstrates that it is robust, interactive, and achieves the predefined goals. As a Software Development Approach, it was created using the Rapid Application Development (RAD) Methodology. It also provides a secured and reliable platform for the schools, colleges, and universities to implement an online learning system.

International journal of computer & organization trends, Jun 25, 2021

Mobile technology has seen a tremendous growth in power and importance in recent years. Today, ev... more Mobile technology has seen a tremendous growth in power and importance in recent years. Today, even a low-cost smart phone can provide functions such as Internet access and video conferencing. Undoubtedly, the sheer power and ease of access to these devices have paved the way for numerous opportunities for their use, including educational purposes. In particular, the use of mobile technology as an enabler for collaborative learning has recently been envisioned as the next step to improving the effectiveness of the education system. Under this vision, it expected that mobile collaborative tools, such as WhatsApp or Google group chat, can be used by students to improve their overall learning outcomes. Moreover, the vast penetration of mobile phones into poorer regions of the globe, such as Africa, means that a collaborative learning approach is still feasible even in countries with limited funding towards Education: In this paper we investigate the effectiveness of a collaborative learning approach in a third-level institution based in Nigeria. In particular, this research aims to study the relationships between the perceived satisfaction of collaborative knowledge construction using mobile applications to improve the learning outcomes of students. We conduct a quantitative design-based study comprising a total of 45 Students studying computer science at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo in Nigeria. Our research indicates that there is a positive relationship on how university students perceive mobile learning for collaborative knowledge and their satisfaction while engaged in the study.

International Journal of Control and Automation, Aug 31, 2017

Waiting for public healthcare services in Nigerian hospitals have increased considerably as a res... more Waiting for public healthcare services in Nigerian hospitals have increased considerably as a result of the economic crisis. This has resulted to congestion of patients' and delays for medical services particularly at the outpatient department of these hospitals. The World Health Organization has a target for doctors to population ratio. However, the rate at which patients wait for medical services at the Outpatients Department (OPD) of Nigerian hospitals makes congestion a recurring decimal. In this paper, we sought to determine the minimum waiting costs for patients' to receive a medical attention and service costs of the hospitals by determining the required number of doctors. Thenceforth, time specific system is introduced in order to reduce patients' congestion. This was achieved by using multi-server queuing model to study and analyse the queuing characteristics of two hospitals in Nigeria. Production and operations management, quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the study. In addition, object oriented analysis and design methodology (OOADM) was employed in developing an application for this work. The results of the study demonstrated that congestion can be minimized by providing time-specific system and reducing the overutilization of doctors at the hospitals at a minimum costs as against their present state.

Nutrition & food science international journal, Apr 26, 2017

This study aims to investigate how to process and persuade the intake of a new dietary. Persuasiv... more This study aims to investigate how to process and persuade the intake of a new dietary. Persuasive messages were sent to 30 diabetic patients to remind them of the need of taking the new dietary regime regularly. We produced flour from tiger nuts and blended it with yellow cassava flour at different levels of substitution. The flour blends were analyzed for their functional, proximate, anti-nutritional and microbial properties using standard analytical methods for ten weeks. For patients to maintain regular dietary intake, sensory properties of the new diet produced from the different flour blends were also determined by the patients.

Review of computer engineering research, 2020

This work highlights the use of an algorithm in evaluating and verifying a complex Boolean expres... more This work highlights the use of an algorithm in evaluating and verifying a complex Boolean expression that are used in fabricating digital decoder systems. Digital decoders are built by human beings and, unfortunately, humans make mistakes. Both design errors and faulty implementation may lead both the hardware and software components of systems to behave in unexpected ways, which in turn may lead to business losses and even risky situations. Karnough maps, Boolean algebra theorems and laws are some of the techniques that can be used to simplify and reduce complex Boolean algebra expressions and truth table can be used to confirm that the reduced Boolean algebra expression is the same as the original, complex Boolean algebra expression. However, generating the truth table manually is tedious, especially when the Boolean algebra equation or expression has many Boolean variables. Therefore, this work presents novel algorithms to verify and evaluate complex Boolean expression from the fabricated decoder circuit. Contribution/Originality: This study documents the importance of using an algorithmic approach in checking and evaluating the equality of a complex Boolean expression and its simplified form from the fabricated decoder circuit. This is to ensure that the hardware and software systems are designed with reduced or no errors.

International Journal of Modern Education and Computer Science, Apr 8, 2016

Queuing by patients in the outpatients department to access hospital services in Nigeria teaching... more Queuing by patients in the outpatients department to access hospital services in Nigeria teaching hospitals is a teething concern to most healthcare providers. This causes inconvenience to patients and economic costs to the hospitals. Patients waiting for minutes, hours, days or months to receive medical services could result in waiting costs to them. Providing too much service could result in excessive costs. Also not providing adequate services could result in excessive waiting and costs. This study sought to determine an optimal server level and at a minimum total cost which include waiting and service costs in homogenous servers in order to reduce patients' congestions in the hospital as low as reasonably practicable. The queuing characteristics in all the twenty-three (23) teaching hospitals in Nigeria were analysed using a Multi-server Queuing Model and the waiting and service costs determined with a view to ascertaining the optimal service level. The data for this study were collected through observations and interviews. The data was analysed using Quantitative Methods, Production and Operations Management (POM QM) and Queuing Theory Calculator Software as well as using descriptive analysis. The results of the analysis demonstrated that average queue length, waiting time of patients as well as over utilization of specialist doctors at the teaching hospitals could be reduced at an optimal server level and at a minimum total cost as against their present server level with high total cost which include waiting and service costs. Therefore, this call for refocusing so as to improve the overall patient care in our cultural context and meet the patient needs in our environment.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), May 31, 2023

This study examines the impact and significance of occupational health and safety policies on wor... more This study examines the impact and significance of occupational health and safety policies on workers' performance in the workplace, using the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Enugu Depot as a case study. The objective of this research is to explore how the implementation of health and safety policies influences the overall performance and well-being of employees in the organization. The effects of the specific objectives such as occupational health programmes, industrial safety and health and lastly the safety challenges were examined on job performance of workers in NNPC, Enugu Depot. The study employs a survey research design using qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with workers and management personnel. The data collected is analyzed to identify the key factors that contribute to the effectiveness of occupational health and safety policies and their impact on workers' performance. The findings reveal that the implementation of robust health and safety policies has a positive impact on workers' performance. It not only improves the physical well-being of employees but also enhances their motivation, job satisfaction, and overall productivity. Furthermore, the study highlights the significance of employee involvement in the planning process, fostering a quality culture, and encouraging active participation in hazard identification, which leads to opportunities for creativity and innovation. The research also emphasizes the importance of regular safety audits and continuous education and training programs to ensure the sustained effectiveness of occupational health and safety policies. The study provides insights into the specific challenges faced by the NNPC Enugu Depot and offers recommendations for enhancing the implementation of health and safety practices in the organization. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence on the impact and significance of occupational health and safety policies on workers' performance. It offers practical insights for organizations in the downstream sector, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing employee wellbeing and safety as a means to enhance overall performance and productivity in the workplace.

In this paper, we highlight our experiences of co-designing e-health technology solutions with th... more In this paper, we highlight our experiences of co-designing e-health technology solutions with the Himba people of northern Namibia. Using a user-centered and participatory design approach, we found out that there are various health information challenges faced by the people, many of which can be attributed to misconception and myths. We report on the design process used to develop a prototype of a HopScotch Game to help in passing correct information and dispelling myths and misconceptions. We also discuss the problems we faced in the process as well as the methodology used and give recommendations for future interventions

Long waiting time required before a patient sees a doctor is one of the major problems faced by m... more Long waiting time required before a patient sees a doctor is one of the major problems faced by many hospitals especially those in the developing countries. According to recent study, 97% of patients are frustrated by wait times at the doctor's office. However, patient's perceived wait times is often longer than the actual wait times because idle time tends to feel longer. As a result, it has been shown that perceptions regarding waiting time predicts overall patient satisfaction, but actual waiting times do not. Therefore, this paper discusses how persuasive technology can be used to reduce the overall dissatisfaction often associated with long wait times to see a doctor by reducing patient's perceived wait times. We present a persuasive messaging system based on the fingerprint technology and mobile phones. The persuasive messaging system is based on three persuasion principles aimed at reducing perceived waiting time, reducing overall dissatisfaction, and persuading patients against leaving the hospital without seeing a doctor: (1) Set a clear expectation; (2) Explain the wait time; and (3) Provide regular updates. Decreased perceived waiting times should ultimately lead to increased patient satisfaction and better patient.

Sage, 2023

Objective: Despite the fact that user engagement is critical to the efficacy of mobile health (mH... more Objective: Despite the fact that user engagement is critical to the efficacy of mobile health (mHealth) interventions in the Global South, many of these interventions lack user engagement features. This is because sociotechnical aspects of such initiatives are frequently ignored during the design, development, and implementation stages. This research highlighted the importance of considering sociotechnical factors when developing mHealth apps. The intended users for the mHealth technologies in this study are care professionals. Materials and Methods: Five semi-structured interviews and a pilot interview were conducted to identify user engagement facilitators and barriers. The interview data were analysed using NVivo. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model is then used to map the facilitators and barriers to mHealth app engagement, allowing researchers to better understand how users engage/disengage with mHealth apps. Results and Discussion: Capability facilitators included features that assist users in learning more about the app (e.g. a user manual and statistical data) as well as features that assist users in developing a routine. The lack of app skills and cognitive overload limit capability. While social connectedness and offline functionality were identified as facilitators of user engagement, non-user-friendly design and cultural dimensions were identified as barriers. Early user engagement and rewards were identified as motivational facilitators that influence user engagement. Furthermore, perceived non-utility and a lack of encouragement were identified as motivational barriers to engagement. Conclusion: Several factors were discovered across all COMB model components that could be used to develop more engaging mHealth apps. Adopting a techno-centric approach that ignores sociotechnical factors can reduce user engagement. The design process engagement enhancement system (DECENT) framework was proposed based on the findings.

Lecture notes in networks and systems, Oct 14, 2022

Springer, 2022

Despite the importance of user engagement in mHealth system efficacy, many such interventions fai... more Despite the importance of user engagement in mHealth system efficacy, many such interventions fail to engage their users effectively. This paper provides a systematic review of 10 years of research (32 articles) on mHealth design interventions conducted between 2011 and 2020. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) model was used for this review with the IEEE, Medline EBSCO Host, ACM, and Springer databases searched for English language papers with the published range. The goal of this review was to find out which design process improves user engagement with mHealth in order to guide the development of future mHealth interventions. We discovered that the following six analytical themes influence user engagement: design goal, design target population, design method, design approach, sociotechnical aspects, and design evaluation. These six analytical themes, as well as 16 other specific implementations derived from the reviewed articles, were included in a checklist designed to make designing, developing, and implementing mHealth systems easier. This study closes a gap in the literature by identifying a lack of consideration of socio-cultural contexts in the design of mHealth interventions and recommends that such socio-cultural contexts be considered and addressed in a systematic manner by identifying a design process for engaging users in mHealth interventions. Based on this, our systematic literature review recommends that a framework that captures the socio-cultural context of any mHealth implementation be refined or developed to support user engagement for mHealth.

CEUR Workshop Proceedings, 2022

Globally, there has been an increase in digital health interventions over the last decade. These ... more Globally, there has been an increase in digital health interventions over the last decade. These interventions aim to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and treatment adherence, as well as HIV/AIDS education and prevention, immunization rates, and communicable disease prevention. The creation of digital health services that incorporated users' dynamic, multi-level, and complexities are crucial to the advancement of digital healthcare. These services are, at best, co-created by developers, community health workers, and government representatives. However, due to the presence of multiple stakeholders, the co-creation of digital health services is a complex process. The paper presents a case study of the digital health co-creation process, to understand and describe the activities taken by different stakeholders during a co-creation process. Additionally, the use of activity theory and a communicative ecology framework as analytical lenses to identify contradictions, as well as to gain insight into the co-creation of digital health services, are both presented in this paper.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2020

User engagement is often associated with successful information systems implementation, with this... more User engagement is often associated with successful information systems implementation, with this being particularly true in developing countries in the Global South. However, the term remains poorly understood with many seemingly conflicting definitions and the term “user engagement” has come to mean a variety of things in the literature. Also, it is unclear at what stage(s) of the design, development, implementation and use phase(s) that user engagement should apply to. This research examines the meaning of user engagement with the objective of bringing some level of clarity to suit the information communication technology for development (ICT4D) context. To this end, we propose an expanded definition of the term user engagement. The research also suggests what stages of the design, development, implementation and use phase of the technology this expanded definition of user engagement most usefully applies to by drawing lessons on user engagement in a variety of mobile health projects from the Global South. Qualitative methods of data analysis were used in collecting data which show that user engagement as applied to a specific phase of each of the projects was essential for the ongoing success of each project.

International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications

Recently, the need for online collaborative learning in educational systems have increased greatl... more Recently, the need for online collaborative learning in educational systems have increased greatly because of COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has provided an opportunity for introducing online collaboration and learning among instructors and students in Nigeria. Currently, several schools, colleges, universities in Nigeria have discontinued face to face teaching and learning. Many schools resorted to ineffective alternatives such as the use of televisions and radio programmes to carry out distance education (DE). These alternatives have challenges such as lack of monitoring and evaluation of students' learning. Collaborative Learning Management System (CLMS) is a research project that aims to assist instructors in achieving their pedagogical goals, organizing course content, collaborating, monitoring, and supporting students' online learning. It is an interactive, online based as well as android based system that has been designed, implemented, tested. The system demonstrates that it is robust, interactive, and achieves the predefined goals. As a Software Development Approach, it was created using the Rapid Application Development (RAD) Methodology. It also provides a secured and reliable platform for the schools, colleges, and universities to implement an online learning system.

Review of Computer Engineering Research

This work highlights the use of an algorithm in evaluating and verifying a complex Boolean expres... more This work highlights the use of an algorithm in evaluating and verifying a complex Boolean expression that are used in fabricating digital decoder systems. Digital decoders are built by human beings and, unfortunately, humans make mistakes. Both design errors and faulty implementation may lead both the hardware and software components of systems to behave in unexpected ways, which in turn may lead to business losses and even risky situations. Karnough maps, Boolean algebra theorems and laws are some of the techniques that can be used to simplify and reduce complex Boolean algebra expressions and truth table can be used to confirm that the reduced Boolean algebra expression is the same as the original, complex Boolean algebra expression. However, generating the truth table manually is tedious, especially when the Boolean algebra equation or expression has many Boolean variables. Therefore, this work presents novel algorithms to verify and evaluate complex Boolean expression from the fabricated decoder circuit. Contribution/Originality: This study documents the importance of using an algorithmic approach in checking and evaluating the equality of a complex Boolean expression and its simplified form from the fabricated decoder circuit. This is to ensure that the hardware and software systems are designed with reduced or no errors.

International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications

Despite the importance of user engagement in mHealth system efficacy, many such interventions fai... more Despite the importance of user engagement in mHealth system efficacy, many such interventions fail to engage their users effectively. This paper provides a systematic review of 10 years of research (32 articles) on mHealth design interventions conducted between 2011 and 2020. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) model was used for this review with the IEEE, Medline EBSCO Host, ACM, and Springer databases searched for English language papers with the published range. The goal of this review was to find out which design process improves user engagement with mHealth in order to guide the development of future mHealth interventions. We discovered that the following six analytical themes influence user engagement: design goal, design target population, design method, design approach, sociotechnical aspects, and design evaluation. These six analytical themes, as well as 16 other specific implementations derived from the reviewed articles, were included in a checklist designed to make designing, developing, and implementing mHealth systems easier. This study closes a gap in the literature by identifying a lack of consideration of socio-cultural contexts in the design of mHealth interventions and recommends that such socio-cultural contexts be considered and addressed in a systematic manner by identifying a design process for engaging users in mHealth interventions. Based on this, our systematic literature review recommends that a framework that captures the socio-cultural context of any mHealth implementation be refined or developed to support user engagement for mHealth.

Objective: Despite the fact that user engagement is critical to the efficacy of mobile health (mH... more Objective: Despite the fact that user engagement is critical to the efficacy of mobile health (mHealth) interventions in the Global South, many of these interventions lack user engagement features. This is because sociotechnical aspects of such initiatives are frequently ignored during the design, development, and implementation stages. This research highlighted the importance of considering sociotechnical factors when developing mHealth apps. The intended users for the mHealth technologies in this study are care professionals. Materials and Methods: Five semi-structured interviews and a pilot interview were conducted to identify user engagement facilitators and barriers. The interview data were analysed using NVivo. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model is then used to map the facilitators and barriers to mHealth app engagement, allowing researchers to better understand how users engage/disengage with mHealth apps. Results and Discussion: Capability facilitators included features that assist users in learning more about the app (e.g. a user manual and statistical data) as well as features that assist users in developing a routine. The lack of app skills and cognitive overload limit capability. While social connectedness and offline functionality were identified as facilitators of user engagement, non-user-friendly design and cultural dimensions were identified as barriers. Early user engagement and rewards were identified as motivational facilitators that influence user engagement. Furthermore, perceived non-utility and a lack of encouragement were identified as motivational barriers to engagement. Conclusion: Several factors were discovered across all COMB model components that could be used to develop more engaging mHealth apps. Adopting a techno-centric approach that ignores sociotechnical factors can reduce user engagement. The design process engagement enhancement system (DECENT) framework was proposed based on the findings.

International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 2021

Recently, the need for online collaborative learning in educational systems have increased greatl... more Recently, the need for online collaborative learning in educational systems have increased greatly because of COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has provided an opportunity for introducing online collaboration and learning among instructors and students in Nigeria. Currently, several schools, colleges, universities in Nigeria have discontinued face to face teaching and learning. Many schools resorted to ineffective alternatives such as the use of televisions and radio programmes to carry out distance education (DE). These alternatives have challenges such as lack of monitoring and evaluation of students' learning. Collaborative Learning Management System (CLMS) is a research project that aims to assist instructors in achieving their pedagogical goals, organizing course content, collaborating, monitoring, and supporting students' online learning. It is an interactive, online based as well as android based system that has been designed, implemented, tested. The system demonstrates that it is robust, interactive, and achieves the predefined goals. As a Software Development Approach, it was created using the Rapid Application Development (RAD) Methodology. It also provides a secured and reliable platform for the schools, colleges, and universities to implement an online learning system.

International journal of computer & organization trends, Jun 25, 2021

Mobile technology has seen a tremendous growth in power and importance in recent years. Today, ev... more Mobile technology has seen a tremendous growth in power and importance in recent years. Today, even a low-cost smart phone can provide functions such as Internet access and video conferencing. Undoubtedly, the sheer power and ease of access to these devices have paved the way for numerous opportunities for their use, including educational purposes. In particular, the use of mobile technology as an enabler for collaborative learning has recently been envisioned as the next step to improving the effectiveness of the education system. Under this vision, it expected that mobile collaborative tools, such as WhatsApp or Google group chat, can be used by students to improve their overall learning outcomes. Moreover, the vast penetration of mobile phones into poorer regions of the globe, such as Africa, means that a collaborative learning approach is still feasible even in countries with limited funding towards Education: In this paper we investigate the effectiveness of a collaborative learning approach in a third-level institution based in Nigeria. In particular, this research aims to study the relationships between the perceived satisfaction of collaborative knowledge construction using mobile applications to improve the learning outcomes of students. We conduct a quantitative design-based study comprising a total of 45 Students studying computer science at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo in Nigeria. Our research indicates that there is a positive relationship on how university students perceive mobile learning for collaborative knowledge and their satisfaction while engaged in the study.

International Journal of Control and Automation, Aug 31, 2017

Waiting for public healthcare services in Nigerian hospitals have increased considerably as a res... more Waiting for public healthcare services in Nigerian hospitals have increased considerably as a result of the economic crisis. This has resulted to congestion of patients' and delays for medical services particularly at the outpatient department of these hospitals. The World Health Organization has a target for doctors to population ratio. However, the rate at which patients wait for medical services at the Outpatients Department (OPD) of Nigerian hospitals makes congestion a recurring decimal. In this paper, we sought to determine the minimum waiting costs for patients' to receive a medical attention and service costs of the hospitals by determining the required number of doctors. Thenceforth, time specific system is introduced in order to reduce patients' congestion. This was achieved by using multi-server queuing model to study and analyse the queuing characteristics of two hospitals in Nigeria. Production and operations management, quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the study. In addition, object oriented analysis and design methodology (OOADM) was employed in developing an application for this work. The results of the study demonstrated that congestion can be minimized by providing time-specific system and reducing the overutilization of doctors at the hospitals at a minimum costs as against their present state.

Nutrition & food science international journal, Apr 26, 2017

This study aims to investigate how to process and persuade the intake of a new dietary. Persuasiv... more This study aims to investigate how to process and persuade the intake of a new dietary. Persuasive messages were sent to 30 diabetic patients to remind them of the need of taking the new dietary regime regularly. We produced flour from tiger nuts and blended it with yellow cassava flour at different levels of substitution. The flour blends were analyzed for their functional, proximate, anti-nutritional and microbial properties using standard analytical methods for ten weeks. For patients to maintain regular dietary intake, sensory properties of the new diet produced from the different flour blends were also determined by the patients.

Review of computer engineering research, 2020

This work highlights the use of an algorithm in evaluating and verifying a complex Boolean expres... more This work highlights the use of an algorithm in evaluating and verifying a complex Boolean expression that are used in fabricating digital decoder systems. Digital decoders are built by human beings and, unfortunately, humans make mistakes. Both design errors and faulty implementation may lead both the hardware and software components of systems to behave in unexpected ways, which in turn may lead to business losses and even risky situations. Karnough maps, Boolean algebra theorems and laws are some of the techniques that can be used to simplify and reduce complex Boolean algebra expressions and truth table can be used to confirm that the reduced Boolean algebra expression is the same as the original, complex Boolean algebra expression. However, generating the truth table manually is tedious, especially when the Boolean algebra equation or expression has many Boolean variables. Therefore, this work presents novel algorithms to verify and evaluate complex Boolean expression from the fabricated decoder circuit. Contribution/Originality: This study documents the importance of using an algorithmic approach in checking and evaluating the equality of a complex Boolean expression and its simplified form from the fabricated decoder circuit. This is to ensure that the hardware and software systems are designed with reduced or no errors.

International Journal of Modern Education and Computer Science, Apr 8, 2016

Queuing by patients in the outpatients department to access hospital services in Nigeria teaching... more Queuing by patients in the outpatients department to access hospital services in Nigeria teaching hospitals is a teething concern to most healthcare providers. This causes inconvenience to patients and economic costs to the hospitals. Patients waiting for minutes, hours, days or months to receive medical services could result in waiting costs to them. Providing too much service could result in excessive costs. Also not providing adequate services could result in excessive waiting and costs. This study sought to determine an optimal server level and at a minimum total cost which include waiting and service costs in homogenous servers in order to reduce patients' congestions in the hospital as low as reasonably practicable. The queuing characteristics in all the twenty-three (23) teaching hospitals in Nigeria were analysed using a Multi-server Queuing Model and the waiting and service costs determined with a view to ascertaining the optimal service level. The data for this study were collected through observations and interviews. The data was analysed using Quantitative Methods, Production and Operations Management (POM QM) and Queuing Theory Calculator Software as well as using descriptive analysis. The results of the analysis demonstrated that average queue length, waiting time of patients as well as over utilization of specialist doctors at the teaching hospitals could be reduced at an optimal server level and at a minimum total cost as against their present server level with high total cost which include waiting and service costs. Therefore, this call for refocusing so as to improve the overall patient care in our cultural context and meet the patient needs in our environment.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), May 31, 2023

This study examines the impact and significance of occupational health and safety policies on wor... more This study examines the impact and significance of occupational health and safety policies on workers' performance in the workplace, using the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Enugu Depot as a case study. The objective of this research is to explore how the implementation of health and safety policies influences the overall performance and well-being of employees in the organization. The effects of the specific objectives such as occupational health programmes, industrial safety and health and lastly the safety challenges were examined on job performance of workers in NNPC, Enugu Depot. The study employs a survey research design using qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with workers and management personnel. The data collected is analyzed to identify the key factors that contribute to the effectiveness of occupational health and safety policies and their impact on workers' performance. The findings reveal that the implementation of robust health and safety policies has a positive impact on workers' performance. It not only improves the physical well-being of employees but also enhances their motivation, job satisfaction, and overall productivity. Furthermore, the study highlights the significance of employee involvement in the planning process, fostering a quality culture, and encouraging active participation in hazard identification, which leads to opportunities for creativity and innovation. The research also emphasizes the importance of regular safety audits and continuous education and training programs to ensure the sustained effectiveness of occupational health and safety policies. The study provides insights into the specific challenges faced by the NNPC Enugu Depot and offers recommendations for enhancing the implementation of health and safety practices in the organization. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence on the impact and significance of occupational health and safety policies on workers' performance. It offers practical insights for organizations in the downstream sector, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing employee wellbeing and safety as a means to enhance overall performance and productivity in the workplace.

In this paper, we highlight our experiences of co-designing e-health technology solutions with th... more In this paper, we highlight our experiences of co-designing e-health technology solutions with the Himba people of northern Namibia. Using a user-centered and participatory design approach, we found out that there are various health information challenges faced by the people, many of which can be attributed to misconception and myths. We report on the design process used to develop a prototype of a HopScotch Game to help in passing correct information and dispelling myths and misconceptions. We also discuss the problems we faced in the process as well as the methodology used and give recommendations for future interventions

Long waiting time required before a patient sees a doctor is one of the major problems faced by m... more Long waiting time required before a patient sees a doctor is one of the major problems faced by many hospitals especially those in the developing countries. According to recent study, 97% of patients are frustrated by wait times at the doctor's office. However, patient's perceived wait times is often longer than the actual wait times because idle time tends to feel longer. As a result, it has been shown that perceptions regarding waiting time predicts overall patient satisfaction, but actual waiting times do not. Therefore, this paper discusses how persuasive technology can be used to reduce the overall dissatisfaction often associated with long wait times to see a doctor by reducing patient's perceived wait times. We present a persuasive messaging system based on the fingerprint technology and mobile phones. The persuasive messaging system is based on three persuasion principles aimed at reducing perceived waiting time, reducing overall dissatisfaction, and persuading patients against leaving the hospital without seeing a doctor: (1) Set a clear expectation; (2) Explain the wait time; and (3) Provide regular updates. Decreased perceived waiting times should ultimately lead to increased patient satisfaction and better patient.

Sage, 2023

Objective: Despite the fact that user engagement is critical to the efficacy of mobile health (mH... more Objective: Despite the fact that user engagement is critical to the efficacy of mobile health (mHealth) interventions in the Global South, many of these interventions lack user engagement features. This is because sociotechnical aspects of such initiatives are frequently ignored during the design, development, and implementation stages. This research highlighted the importance of considering sociotechnical factors when developing mHealth apps. The intended users for the mHealth technologies in this study are care professionals. Materials and Methods: Five semi-structured interviews and a pilot interview were conducted to identify user engagement facilitators and barriers. The interview data were analysed using NVivo. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model is then used to map the facilitators and barriers to mHealth app engagement, allowing researchers to better understand how users engage/disengage with mHealth apps. Results and Discussion: Capability facilitators included features that assist users in learning more about the app (e.g. a user manual and statistical data) as well as features that assist users in developing a routine. The lack of app skills and cognitive overload limit capability. While social connectedness and offline functionality were identified as facilitators of user engagement, non-user-friendly design and cultural dimensions were identified as barriers. Early user engagement and rewards were identified as motivational facilitators that influence user engagement. Furthermore, perceived non-utility and a lack of encouragement were identified as motivational barriers to engagement. Conclusion: Several factors were discovered across all COMB model components that could be used to develop more engaging mHealth apps. Adopting a techno-centric approach that ignores sociotechnical factors can reduce user engagement. The design process engagement enhancement system (DECENT) framework was proposed based on the findings.

Lecture notes in networks and systems, Oct 14, 2022

Springer, 2022

Despite the importance of user engagement in mHealth system efficacy, many such interventions fai... more Despite the importance of user engagement in mHealth system efficacy, many such interventions fail to engage their users effectively. This paper provides a systematic review of 10 years of research (32 articles) on mHealth design interventions conducted between 2011 and 2020. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) model was used for this review with the IEEE, Medline EBSCO Host, ACM, and Springer databases searched for English language papers with the published range. The goal of this review was to find out which design process improves user engagement with mHealth in order to guide the development of future mHealth interventions. We discovered that the following six analytical themes influence user engagement: design goal, design target population, design method, design approach, sociotechnical aspects, and design evaluation. These six analytical themes, as well as 16 other specific implementations derived from the reviewed articles, were included in a checklist designed to make designing, developing, and implementing mHealth systems easier. This study closes a gap in the literature by identifying a lack of consideration of socio-cultural contexts in the design of mHealth interventions and recommends that such socio-cultural contexts be considered and addressed in a systematic manner by identifying a design process for engaging users in mHealth interventions. Based on this, our systematic literature review recommends that a framework that captures the socio-cultural context of any mHealth implementation be refined or developed to support user engagement for mHealth.

CEUR Workshop Proceedings, 2022

Globally, there has been an increase in digital health interventions over the last decade. These ... more Globally, there has been an increase in digital health interventions over the last decade. These interventions aim to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and treatment adherence, as well as HIV/AIDS education and prevention, immunization rates, and communicable disease prevention. The creation of digital health services that incorporated users' dynamic, multi-level, and complexities are crucial to the advancement of digital healthcare. These services are, at best, co-created by developers, community health workers, and government representatives. However, due to the presence of multiple stakeholders, the co-creation of digital health services is a complex process. The paper presents a case study of the digital health co-creation process, to understand and describe the activities taken by different stakeholders during a co-creation process. Additionally, the use of activity theory and a communicative ecology framework as analytical lenses to identify contradictions, as well as to gain insight into the co-creation of digital health services, are both presented in this paper.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2020

User engagement is often associated with successful information systems implementation, with this... more User engagement is often associated with successful information systems implementation, with this being particularly true in developing countries in the Global South. However, the term remains poorly understood with many seemingly conflicting definitions and the term “user engagement” has come to mean a variety of things in the literature. Also, it is unclear at what stage(s) of the design, development, implementation and use phase(s) that user engagement should apply to. This research examines the meaning of user engagement with the objective of bringing some level of clarity to suit the information communication technology for development (ICT4D) context. To this end, we propose an expanded definition of the term user engagement. The research also suggests what stages of the design, development, implementation and use phase of the technology this expanded definition of user engagement most usefully applies to by drawing lessons on user engagement in a variety of mobile health projects from the Global South. Qualitative methods of data analysis were used in collecting data which show that user engagement as applied to a specific phase of each of the projects was essential for the ongoing success of each project.

International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications

Recently, the need for online collaborative learning in educational systems have increased greatl... more Recently, the need for online collaborative learning in educational systems have increased greatly because of COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has provided an opportunity for introducing online collaboration and learning among instructors and students in Nigeria. Currently, several schools, colleges, universities in Nigeria have discontinued face to face teaching and learning. Many schools resorted to ineffective alternatives such as the use of televisions and radio programmes to carry out distance education (DE). These alternatives have challenges such as lack of monitoring and evaluation of students' learning. Collaborative Learning Management System (CLMS) is a research project that aims to assist instructors in achieving their pedagogical goals, organizing course content, collaborating, monitoring, and supporting students' online learning. It is an interactive, online based as well as android based system that has been designed, implemented, tested. The system demonstrates that it is robust, interactive, and achieves the predefined goals. As a Software Development Approach, it was created using the Rapid Application Development (RAD) Methodology. It also provides a secured and reliable platform for the schools, colleges, and universities to implement an online learning system.

Review of Computer Engineering Research

This work highlights the use of an algorithm in evaluating and verifying a complex Boolean expres... more This work highlights the use of an algorithm in evaluating and verifying a complex Boolean expression that are used in fabricating digital decoder systems. Digital decoders are built by human beings and, unfortunately, humans make mistakes. Both design errors and faulty implementation may lead both the hardware and software components of systems to behave in unexpected ways, which in turn may lead to business losses and even risky situations. Karnough maps, Boolean algebra theorems and laws are some of the techniques that can be used to simplify and reduce complex Boolean algebra expressions and truth table can be used to confirm that the reduced Boolean algebra expression is the same as the original, complex Boolean algebra expression. However, generating the truth table manually is tedious, especially when the Boolean algebra equation or expression has many Boolean variables. Therefore, this work presents novel algorithms to verify and evaluate complex Boolean expression from the fabricated decoder circuit. Contribution/Originality: This study documents the importance of using an algorithmic approach in checking and evaluating the equality of a complex Boolean expression and its simplified form from the fabricated decoder circuit. This is to ensure that the hardware and software systems are designed with reduced or no errors.

International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications

Despite the importance of user engagement in mHealth system efficacy, many such interventions fai... more Despite the importance of user engagement in mHealth system efficacy, many such interventions fail to engage their users effectively. This paper provides a systematic review of 10 years of research (32 articles) on mHealth design interventions conducted between 2011 and 2020. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) model was used for this review with the IEEE, Medline EBSCO Host, ACM, and Springer databases searched for English language papers with the published range. The goal of this review was to find out which design process improves user engagement with mHealth in order to guide the development of future mHealth interventions. We discovered that the following six analytical themes influence user engagement: design goal, design target population, design method, design approach, sociotechnical aspects, and design evaluation. These six analytical themes, as well as 16 other specific implementations derived from the reviewed articles, were included in a checklist designed to make designing, developing, and implementing mHealth systems easier. This study closes a gap in the literature by identifying a lack of consideration of socio-cultural contexts in the design of mHealth interventions and recommends that such socio-cultural contexts be considered and addressed in a systematic manner by identifying a design process for engaging users in mHealth interventions. Based on this, our systematic literature review recommends that a framework that captures the socio-cultural context of any mHealth implementation be refined or developed to support user engagement for mHealth.

DIS '24: Proceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference, 2024

Crowdsourced data collection is a scalable approach to collecting mobile broadband performance da... more Crowdsourced data collection is a scalable approach to collecting mobile broadband performance data across space. However, existing platforms for crowdsourced mobile broadband measurements are not designed to engage workers over time or space, which can lead to spatial misrepresentation and stale data. With the insight that games and play ofer naturally engaging frameworks for users, we held fve iterative, participatory design sessions with 11 participants to co-design a catalog of 11 game concepts that could be used to create more spatially representative mobile broadband data sets. Importantly, we found that while games varied substantially with respect to theme, all used a few common game mechanics to incorporate mobile broadband data collection into play. This indicates that a designed prototype might focus on ofering a customizable gaming structure that would allow communities and individuals to This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs International 4.0 License.

Springer, 2021

Environmental change has become an important issue in many African countries with much recent dis... more Environmental change has become an important issue in many African countries with much recent discussion focusing on the harmful health and environmental impact resulting from human activities such as fossil fuel, oil spillages and others in the Global South. Many efforts are being carried out to deal with the issue of climate change and environmental degradation. One effort is the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) as an instrument for environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources. ICT can be leveraged to tackle harmful environmental change. This chapter offers an overview of how ICTs can be used to benefit the environment in Nigeria. Guidance on how to leverage technology for the good of the environment in Nigeria is provided.