Introduction: Despite the importance of the “Laboratory Fundamentals” course, there is a lack of suitable digital educational tools for it. The growing use of mobile applications presents a valuable opportunity to address this gap and enhance the quality of education. This study aimed to design a mobile-based educational application for the “Laboratory Fundamentals” course and evaluate its usability among students of laboratory science.
Methods: First, the educational content related to the course was extracted. The application was then developed using the "Appto" platform after designing the required components. The effectiveness and usability of the app were evaluated using a 24-item questionnaire covering four main domains: user-friendliness, ease of use, security and reliability, and motivational and educational impact. Responses from 80 laboratory science students at the School of Paramedical Sciences, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, were collected and analyzed.
Results: More than 80% of students rated the app highly in various aspects, particularly in terms of security, reliability, and motivational and educational impact. The domains of user-friendliness and ease of use also received positive feedback, although some students rated the ease of use as moderate. Overall, more than 60% of the students considered the app a valuable tool for learning and improving practical skills.
Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the “Laboratory Fundamentals” app effectively supported students in the learning process and had a positive impact on their motivation and education. This mobile application can serve as a complementary tool alongside traditional teaching methods, enhancing the learning experience in similar medical science courses. Furthermore, the results of this study can inform the development of mobile-based educational tools in other academic disciplines.

Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the Department of Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedical and Rehabilitation, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, for its support. This study was conducted as part of a project approved by the Student Research and Technology Committee of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (Project No. 4020904). The authors also gratefully acknowledge the Student Research and Technology Committee and the Vice-Chancellery for Research and Technology of the university.

Availability of data and materials: The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

Consent for publication: All authors fully consent to the publication of the article.

Ethical approval and consent to participate: This research has received ethics approval with ID: IR.MUMS.REC.1402.268, issued by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. The participants were informed that their participation in the study was voluntary. The participants’ data were analyzed and reported anonymously and confidentially. The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.

Funding: No funding to declare.

Authors’ Contributions: Alireza Nashani: Methodology, Software design, and content selection; Amir Mohammad Riahi Samani: Questionnaire and data analysis; Ilia Masihabadi: Data review and verification; Mohammad Ali Karimi: Data collection and software; Mahdi Hosseini Bafghi (Corresponding Author): Project management, Writing-review & Editing, Supervision, Conceptualization, and Validation. All the authors have read and approved the manuscript.

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