Challenges in designing and distributing a not for profit first aid app worldwide

First aid apps can assist people in preparing for emergencies, and they can help citizens to bridge the gap between the emergence of a disaster and the time when professional rescuers arrive on the scene. In this paper, we discuss key requirements and factors influencing the uptake, acceptance, and use of first aid apps from an end-user's as well as a distributor's perspective. Based upon theoretical considerations as well as practical experiences from a multinational first aid app program, best practices for the adaptation of a first aid app to the local user context are identified, recommendations for successful market introduction are formulated, and the capabilities and limitations of first aid apps are discussed. Results presented are based on semi-structured interviews with 29 experts from eight countries, as well as a secondary analysis of Google Analytics data.