Response to “Development and Validation of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS)”

We read with interest the article, “Development and Validation of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS)," by Dr Stoyanov et al [1]. The authors report on the development and validation of the user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS). If applied appropriately, this scale has the potential to improve the quality and standardization of reporting, and assist in the progress of the scientific evidence base in mHealth research. The uMARS is based on the original ‘expert’ Mobile Application Rating scale (MARS), which consists of items identified from a literature search of web and mobile application (app) quality rating criteria, and that were tested for reliability using 60 wellbeing apps from the iTunes store [2]. The authors report on how the MARS was adapted into the uMARS for lay users by simplifying items and removing those that require professional or content expertise. Both scales are similar in structure, and include objective quality subscales: engagement, functionality, aesthetics and information quality, as well as a subjective quality subscale.