A novel approach for usability evaluation of mobile applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 437-441
Author(s):  
Junho Park ◽  
Maryam Zahabi
Keyword(s):  
Graphical User Interface ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Human Subject ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Usability Evaluation ◽  
Heuristic Evaluation ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Design Cycle ◽  
Level Model

Mobile applications (apps) have been massively developed and released in recent years. In this competitive market, the users’ adoption of the app or satisfaction greatly depends on its usability. Therefore, tech companies and app developers are looking for quick and easy approaches to evaluate the usability of their products early in the design cycle. The objective of this study was to introduce a novel approach combining the capabilities of the gesture-level model (GLM) and heuristic evaluation to assess the usability of mobile apps in early stages of the design cycle and without the need for costly and time-consuming user testing. The approach can be run on a graphical user interface and includes uncertainties regarding user skill level and distraction. Preliminary results suggested that this approach can be used for usability evaluation of mobile apps; however, its validity and generalizability to other domains need to be validated in the future with human-subject experiments.

scholarly journals Development and Usability Evaluation of a Facebook-Based Intervention Program for Childhood Cancer Patients: Mixed Methods Study

10.2196/18779 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. e18779
Author(s):  
Bu Kyung Park ◽  
Ji Yoon Kim ◽  
Valerie E Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Childhood Cancer ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Usability Evaluation ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Heuristic Evaluation ◽  
Childhood Cancers ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Final Version

Background Childhood cancers previously considered to be incurable now have 5-year survival rates up to 84%. Nevertheless, these patients remain at risk of morbidity and mortality from therapy-related complications. Thus, patient education and self-management strategies for promoting a healthy lifestyle are of tantamount importance for improving short- and long-term health outcomes. A Facebook-based “Healthy Teens for Soaam” (a Korean term for childhood cancers) program was developed to help improve knowledge and self-management practices of teens with cancer related to their disease and treatment. Objective The two-fold purpose of this usability study was (1) to describe the process of developing an 8-week Facebook-based intervention program for teens with cancer, and (2) to evaluate its usability to refine the program. Methods Multiple phases and methods were employed to develop and evaluate the usability of the program. Study phases included: (1) needs assessment through focus group interviews and qualitative content analysis, (2) development of module content, (3) expert review and feedback on module content, (4) Facebook-based program development, (5) usability evaluation by heuristic evaluation, (6) usability evaluation by targeted end-user testing, and (7) modification and final version of the program. Usability of the final version was confirmed through feedback loops of these phases. Results Based on 6 focus group discussion sessions, it was determined that teens with cancer were interested in seeing stories of successful childhood cancer cases and self-management after discharge, and preferred multimedia content over text. Therefore, each Facebook module was redesigned to include multimedia materials such as relevant video clips tailored for teens. Usability assessed by heuristic evaluation and user testing revealed several critical usability issues, which were then revised. Potential end users tested the final program and perceived it to be usable and useful for teens with cancer. Conclusions To our knowledge, “Healthy Teens for Soaam” is the first Facebook-based intervention program for teens with cancer. We actively worked with current childhood cancer patients and survivors to develop and improve this program, achieved good usability, and met the expressed needs and preferences of target end users. This 8-week Facebook-based educational program for teens with cancer, developed as the first step of an upcoming intervention study, will be useful for improving knowledge and self-management strategies of teens.

scholarly journals A Systematic Evaluation of Mobile Applications for Instant Messaging on iOS Devices

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Caro-Alvaro ◽  
Eva Garcia-Lopez ◽  
Antonio Garcia-Cabot ◽  
Luis de-Marcos ◽  
Jose-Maria Gutierrez-Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Personal Computers ◽  
Mobile Platform ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Heuristic Evaluation ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
The Future

Nowadays, instant messaging applications (apps) are one of the most popular applications for mobile devices with millions of active users. However, mobile devices present hardware and software characteristics and limitations compared with personal computers. Hence, to address the usability issues of mobile apps, a specific methodology must be conducted. This paper shows the findings from a systematic analysis of these applications on iOS mobile platform that was conducted to identify some usability issues in mobile applications for instant messaging. The overall process includes a Keystroke-Level Modeling and a Mobile Heuristic Evaluation. In the same trend, we propose a set of guidelines for improving the usability of these apps. Based on our findings, this analysis will help in the future to create more effective mobile applications for instant messaging.

scholarly journals Identifying Usability Issues in Instant Messaging Apps on iOS and Android Platforms

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Sergio Caro-Alvaro ◽  
Eva Garcia-Lopez ◽  
Antonio Garcia-Cabot ◽  
Luis de-Marcos ◽  
Jose-Javier Martinez-Herraiz
Keyword(s):  
Operating System ◽  
User Interface ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Heuristic Evaluation ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
The Status ◽  
Level Model

With the rise of mobile devices and the high number of instant messaging applications available in the stores, it is necessary to evaluate the usability of such applications to provide a more satisfying user experience. To this end, this paper presents a methodical usability evaluation of instant messaging applications both in iOS and Android platforms. A predefined evaluation was used, which was created to detect the main usability issues of mobile applications, regardless of the device used and the evaluated applications. Consequently, two methods were used: the keystroke level model and the mobile heuristic evaluation. Also, the results suggest that the main problems of this type of applications are difficulties in performing tasks (some of them were not agile nor easy to complete), lack of element cohesion (some icons and buttons did not follow the style of the operating system, bad translations, and too much information on the screen), problems with the user interface (pop-ups overlapping the status bar, clipped elements, sometimes the interface did not rotate, and, in other cases, the interface changed considerably when the device was rotated), and lack of information about privacy and security features. Finally, based on the results, we propose a set of recommendations that will be helpful for developers of this kind of applications.

scholarly journals A Systematic Mapping of Accessibility Problems Encountered on Websites and Mobile Apps: A Comparison Between Automated Tests, Manual Inspections and User Evaluations

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-171
Author(s):  
Delvani Antônio Mateus ◽  
Carlos Alberto Silva ◽  
Arthur F. B. A. De Oliveira ◽  
Heitor Costa ◽  
André Pimenta Freire
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Automated Evaluation ◽  
Adequate Coverage ◽  
Made In

The use of websites and mobile applications has become essential for numerous daily activities. However, not everyone can have full access to such services and content due to many websites and applications being inaccessible to people with disabilities, such as people with vision impairments. In this context, even though developers may demonstrate an effort to create more accessible content, there is limited information about the characteristics of different accessibility assessment methods applied to websites and mobile applications. Thus, the present study aimed to perform a meta-analysis of 38 types of accessibility problems on websites and mobile applications extracted from 38 studies in the literature from an initial search of 304 articles. Studies carried out automated assessments using tools, expert-based inspections and user testing involving disabled people. The results confirm other considerations made in the literature, showing that automated evaluation methods have significant limitations on an adequate coverage of accessibility problems, covering less than 40% of the types of problems found on websites and less than 20% on mobile apps. A significant percentage of problems both on mobile and web platforms were only encountered by studies involving users. Expert inspection showed a higher coverage of problems encountered by users, both on mobile apps and on websites, despite not covering all of them. Thus, the article concludes by showing a consolidation of literature data to reinforce that effective accessibility evaluations of web and mobile applications should count in expert-based inspections and user tests involving people with disabilities.

scholarly journals Development and Usability Evaluation of a Facebook-Based Intervention Program for Childhood Cancer Patients: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bu Kyung Park ◽  
Ji Yoon Kim ◽  
Valerie E Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Childhood Cancer ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Usability Evaluation ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Heuristic Evaluation ◽  
Childhood Cancers ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Final Version

BACKGROUND Childhood cancers previously considered to be incurable now have 5-year survival rates up to 84%. Nevertheless, these patients remain at risk of morbidity and mortality from therapy-related complications. Thus, patient education and self-management strategies for promoting a healthy lifestyle are of tantamount importance for improving short- and long-term health outcomes. A Facebook-based “Healthy Teens for Soaam” (a Korean term for childhood cancers) program was developed to help improve knowledge and self-management practices of teens with cancer related to their disease and treatment. OBJECTIVE The two-fold purpose of this usability study was (1) to describe the process of developing an 8-week Facebook-based intervention program for teens with cancer, and (2) to evaluate its usability to refine the program. METHODS Multiple phases and methods were employed to develop and evaluate the usability of the program. Study phases included: (1) needs assessment through focus group interviews and qualitative content analysis, (2) development of module content, (3) expert review and feedback on module content, (4) Facebook-based program development, (5) usability evaluation by heuristic evaluation, (6) usability evaluation by targeted end-user testing, and (7) modification and final version of the program. Usability of the final version was confirmed through feedback loops of these phases. RESULTS Based on 6 focus group discussion sessions, it was determined that teens with cancer were interested in seeing stories of successful childhood cancer cases and self-management after discharge, and preferred multimedia content over text. Therefore, each Facebook module was redesigned to include multimedia materials such as relevant video clips tailored for teens. Usability assessed by heuristic evaluation and user testing revealed several critical usability issues, which were then revised. Potential end users tested the final program and perceived it to be usable and useful for teens with cancer. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, “Healthy Teens for Soaam” is the first Facebook-based intervention program for teens with cancer. We actively worked with current childhood cancer patients and survivors to develop and improve this program, achieved good usability, and met the expressed needs and preferences of target end users. This 8-week Facebook-based educational program for teens with cancer, developed as the first step of an upcoming intervention study, will be useful for improving knowledge and self-management strategies of teens.

Usability Testing vs. Heuristic Evaluation: A Head-to-Head Comparison

1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Bailey ◽  
Robert W. Allan ◽  
P. Raiello
Keyword(s):  
User Interface ◽  
Graphical User Interface ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Usability Testing ◽  
Heuristic Evaluation ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
Usability Test ◽  
Ideal System ◽  
Experimental Group

The importance of user testing, heuristic evaluation and iterative design in the development of computer software programs was examined. In the first study, twenty-five subjects with limited computer experience, were randomly divided into five groups of five subjects each. All groups were asked to perform a telephone bill inquiry task using two character-based screens. After having one group perform, one change per screen was made before beginning the testing of the next group. The system was improved three times. A final experimental group completed the same task using an “ideal” system designed and presented by Molich and Nielsen (1990). Rather than the 29 changes originally suggested by Molich and Nielsen, our results showed that only one change to each of the original screens was necessary to achieve the same performance and preference levels as those demonstrated by their “ideal” system. The same task was repeated using a graphical user interface. A heuristic evaluation suggested up to 43 potential changes, whereas the usability test demonstrated that only two changes optimized performance. These findings demonstrate one of the major weaknesses of heuristic evaluations, and the importance of usability testing in the design and development of human interfaces.

Which is a Better Method of Web Evaluation? a Comparison of User Testing and Heuristic Evaluation

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (14) ◽  
pp. 1256-1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Siong Tan ◽  
R. R. Bishu
Keyword(s):  
Usability Evaluation ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Development Phase ◽  
Heuristic Evaluation ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Usability Problems ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Evaluation Techniques ◽  
Heuristic Analysis

Besides recognizing the importance of incorporating usability evaluation techniques in the design and development phase of any user interface (UI), it is also very important that designers recognize the benefits and limitations of the different usability inspection methods. This is because the quality of the usability evaluation is dependent on the method used. Two of the more popular usability evaluation techniques are user testing and heuristic analysis. The main objective of this study was to compare the efficiency and effectiveness between user testing and heuristic analysis in evaluating four different commercial websites. Comparing the proportion of usability problems and the type of problems addressed by these two methods both in the early and later stage of the design process does this. The results showed that both user testing and heuristic analysis addressed very different usability problems and with the exception compatibility and security and privacy problems, where heuristic analysis outperforms user testing, both methods are equally efficient and effective in addressing different categories of usability problems.

Mobile Applications for Health Management of Older Adults: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Asilah Ahmad ◽  
Shahrul Azman Mohd Noah ◽  
Arimi Fitri Mat Ludin ◽  
Suzana Shahar ◽  
Noorlaili Mohd Tohit
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Personalized Feedback ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
App Store ◽  
Evidenced Based ◽  
Google Play

BACKGROUND Currently, the use of smartphones to deliver health-related content has experienced a rapid growth, with more than 165,000 mobile health (mHealth) applications currently available in the digital marketplace such as iOS store and Google Play. Among these, there are several mobile applications (mobile apps) that offer tools for disease prevention and management among older generations. These mobile apps could potentially promote health behaviors which will reduce or delay the onset of disease. However, no review to date that has focused on the app marketplace specific for older adults and little is known regarding its evidence-based quality towards the health of older adults. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review was to characterize and critically appraise the content and functionality of mobile apps that focuses on health management and/or healthy lifestyle among older adults. METHODS An electronic search was conducted between May 2019 to December 2019 of the official app store for two major smartphone operating systems: iPhone operating system (iTunes App Store) and Android (Google Play Store). Stores were searched separately using predetermined search terms. Two authors screened apps based on information provided in the app description. Metadata from all included apps were abstracted into a standard assessment criteria form. Evidenced based strategies and health care expert involvement of included apps was assessed. Evidenced based strategies included: self-monitoring, goal setting, physical activity support, healthy eating support, weight and/or health assessment, personalized feedback, motivational strategies, cognitive training and social support. Two authors verified the data with reference to the apps and downloaded app themselves. RESULTS A total of 16 apps met the inclusion criteria. Six out of 16 (37.5%) apps were designed exclusively for the iOS platform while ten out of 16 (62.5%) were designed for Android platform exclusively. Physical activity component was the most common feature offered in all the apps (9/16, 56.3%) and followed by cognitive training (8/16, 50.0%). Diet/nutrition (0/16, 0%) feature, however, was not offered on all reviewed mobile apps. Of reviewed apps, 56.3% (9/16) provide education, 37.5% (6/16) provide self-monitoring features, 18.8% (3/16) provide goal setting features, 18.5% (3/16) provide personalized feedback, 6.3% (1/16) provide social support and none of the reviewed apps offers heart rate monitoring and reminder features to the users. CONCLUSIONS All reviewed mobile apps for older adults in managing health did not focused on diet/nutrition component, lack of functional components and lack of health care professional involvement in their development process. There is also a need to carry out scientific testing prior to the development of the app to ensure cost effective and its health benefits to older adults. Collaborative efforts between developers, researchers, health professionals and patients are needed in developing evidence-based, high quality mobile apps in managing health prior they are made available in the app store.

Assessment and Prediction of Privacy Concerns on Health Apps (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reham AlTamime ◽  
Vincent Marmion ◽  
Wendy Hall
Keyword(s):  
Data Sharing ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Retention Rate ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
And Control

BACKGROUND Mobile apps and IoT-enabled smartphones technologies facilitate collecting, sharing, and inferring from a vast amount of data about individuals’ location, health conditions, mobility status, and other factors. The use of such technology highlights the importance of understanding individuals’ privacy concerns to design applications that integrate their privacy expectations and requirements. OBJECTIVE This paper explores, assesses, and predicts individuals’ privacy concerns in relation to collecting and disclosing data on mobile health apps. METHODS We designed a questionnaire to identify participants’ privacy concerns pertaining to a set of 432 mobile apps’ data collection and sharing scenarios. Participants were presented with 27 scenarios that varied across three categorical factors: (1) type of data collected (e.g. health, demographic, behavioral, and location); (2) data sharing (e.g., whether it is shared, and for what purpose); and, (3) retention rate (e.g., forever, until the purpose is satisfied, unspecified, week, or year). RESULTS Our findings show that type of data, data sharing, and retention rate are all factors that affect individuals’ privacy concerns. However, specific factors such as collecting and disclosing health data to a third-party tracker play a larger role than other factors in triggering privacy concerns. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that it is possible to predict privacy concerns based on these three factors. We propose design approaches that can improve users’ awareness and control of their data on mobile applications

scholarly journals Leveraging Graphical User Interface Automation for Generic Robot Programming

Robotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Tudor B. Ionescu
Keyword(s):  
User Interface ◽  
Graphical User Interface ◽  
Programming Models ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Robot Programming ◽  
User Interactions ◽  
Programming Environments ◽  
Automated Generation ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Block Based

A novel approach to generic (or generalized) robot programming and a novel simplified, block-based programming environment, called “Assembly”, are introduced. The approach leverages the newest graphical user interface automation tools and techniques to generate programs in various proprietary robot programming environments by emulating user interactions in those environments. The “Assembly” tool is used to generate robot-independent intermediary program models, which are translated into robot-specific programs using a graphical user interface automation toolchain. The generalizability of the approach to list, tree, and block-based programming is assessed using three different robot programming environments, two of which are proprietary. The results of this evaluation suggest that the proposed approach is feasible for an entire range of programming models and thus enables the generation of programs in various proprietary robot programming environments. In educational settings, the automated generation of programs fosters learning different robot programming models by example. For experts, the proposed approach provides a means for generating program (or task) templates, which can be adjusted to the needs of the application at hand on the shop floor.

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