Rotterdam University students develop ‘Prik’ app for blood tests

Thirty computer science students spent the 2021/2022 academic year building a blood test app for Star-shl. The ‘Prik’ app is intended to inform patients and users about everything related to blood tests: where and when to go (nearest Star-shl location, opening hours) and relevant considerations, such as fasting or non-fasting blood tests and relevant COVID-19 measures. The app needs to make it as easy as possible to find the information that users need and to provide a pleasant user experience, so that the app is easily accessible, and users want to use it.

Star-shl gave the students an additional challenge: to take specific user groups into account, including children, people who are only semi-literate, and non-Dutch speakers. The students embraced the task with great enthusiasm, working in supervised groups to design and develop the requested features. This approach not only allows the students to learn the technical aspects of building an app, but it also brings them into direct contact with relevant practical and social issues. Here at Star-shl, we are happy to contribute to the learning process of these future professionals, and we see a lot of potential in the solutions that have been presented so far. We are very much looking forward to the final result in 2022.