Modeling subjective metrics for mobile evaluation

There are several methods to evaluate mobile applications. The aim is to ensure that the applications are usable and satisfying users. Among the methods include lab test and field test.However, not many have focused on the quality characteristics should be used during the test.This study aims to develop subjective metrics for evaluation of mobile application using Goal Question Metric (GQM).To ensure the metrics we develop are reliable and useful, we conduct usability study that used the metrics we developed using GQM approach.The result indicates that the metrics can be used to evaluate mobile application in term of user satisfaction.Four test cases with different platforms employed in this study shows that the metrics are reliable to be used in mobile evaluation

An evaluation framework and selection tool for education apps usability, with a case study from health education apps

Mobile apps for health education are commonly utilised to support different users. The development of these apps is increasing rapidly. A critical evaluation framework is needed to ensure the usability and reliability of Mobile Health Education Applications (MHEAs) to save time and effort for stakeholders. This project aims to assist the evaluation of MHEAs through development of an evaluation framework, which includes suitable metrics, an efficient hybrid utilizing Heuristic Evaluation (HE) and Usability Evaluation (UE). This framework determines the usefulness and usability of MHEAs, in order to improve the software engineering to create more effective ways to evaluate such software. In this framework, the Medical Apps Selection Tool (MAST) has been developed in which performance helps to select suitable MHEAs, assisting stakeholders to choose MHEAs that meet their requirements.The thesis employs two methods to make the evaluation framework capable of performing qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The first is a qualitative method, involving interviews based on proposed selected hybrid metrics from HE and UE, with three kinds of stakeholders: Patients, Health Professionals and Software Developers, to identify specific relevant selected hybrid metrics to measure usability in MHEAs. These metrics are deployed to measure usability in different MHEAs based on ranking these apps within the evaluation framework. These metrics were converted into an evaluation questionnaire, which has been applied to several MHEAs. The second method is the translation of the outcomes form the first method to measure the usability of MHEAs and determine what stakeholders require from using MHEAs. For this purpose, it categorises stakeholders with different needs from MHEAs; this reflected in the MAST, based on matching different stakeholders with different MHEAs.The findings of the study indicate that the evaluation framework is able to evaluate MHEAs and record usability problems. Furthermore, this evaluation framework leads to selection of the most appropriate apps by developing the MAST for stakeholders. The framework is expected to be applicable to other domains and platforms

A metric-based evaluation model for applications on mobile phones

A number of methods and measures have been used by researchers in software evaluation. Usability metrics is one of the approaches that has been used as a guideline to evaluate the quality of the system in many mobile applications.However, the metrics used for evaluation method keep changing due to new inventions of mobile phones.Thus, there is a need to create a dynamic model for evaluation that can grow together with new inventions and technology.In this paper, a dynamic usability metrics model for evaluation of mobile applications was designed.The model comprises usability goals, questions and metrics for evaluation of applications on mobile phones. To ensure that the model is reliable and effective, a usability study was conducted on two applications installed in different mobile phones.This model proves to be applicable for evaluation of mobile phone applications whereby its questions and metrics can be dynamically changed accordingly to comply with the requirements of the evaluators

Mobile Application Usability Evaluation : A Study Based on Demography

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Conceptual model for usable multi-modal mobile assistance during Umrah

Performing Umrah is very demanding and to be performed in very crowded environments. In response to that, many efforts have been initiated to overcome the difficulties faced by pilgrims. However, those efforts focus on acquiring initial perspective and background knowledge before going to Mecca. Findings of preliminary study show that those efforts do not support multi-modality for user interaction. Nowadays the computational capabilities in mobile phones enable it to serve people in various aspects of daily life. Consequently, the mobile phone penetration has increased dramatically in the last decade. Hence, this study aims to propose a comprehensive conceptual model for usable multimodal mobile assistance during Umrah called Multi-model Mobile Assistance during Umrah (MMA-U). Thus, four (4) supporting objectives are formulated, and the Design Science Research Methodology has been adopted. For the usability of MMA-U, Systematic Literature Review (SLR) indicates ten (10) attributes: usefulness, errors rate, simplicity, reliability, ease of use, safety, flexibility, accessibility, attitude, and acceptability. Meanwhile, the content and comparative analysis result in five (5) components that construct the conceptual model of MMA-U: structural, content composition, design principles, development approach, technology, and the design and usability theories. Then, the MMA-U has been reviewed and well-accepted by 15 experts. Later, the MMA-U was incorporated into a prototype called Personal Digital Mutawwif (PDM). The PDM was developed for the purpose of user test in the field. The findings indicate that PDM facilitates the execution of Umrah and successfully meet pilgrims’ needs and expectations. Also, the pilgrims were satisfied and felt that they need to have PDM. In fact, they would recommend PDM to their friends, which mean that use of PDM is safe and suitable while performing Umrah. As a conclusion, the theoretical contribution; the conceptual model of MMA-U; provides guidelines for developing multimodal content mobile applications during Umrah

CON-INFO: A Context-based Methodology for Designing and Assessing the Quality of Adaptable MUIs in Healthcare Applications

Mobile technology is an integral part of the modern healthcare environment. The mobile user interface (MUI) serves as the bridge between the application and healthcare professionals. It is important that the physician be able to easily express his needs on the MUI and correctly interpret the information displayed. However, there are many challenges that face the designer in designing and developing context-sensitive MUIs in this environment. The adaptability of the MUI is considered to be one of the most important issues to address. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), MUI adaptability is a major problem in the healthcare context. For the designer, the hope is that new technologies will be developed, such as mobile devices adaptable to different environments, to enable customization of the application to the user’s context. In this thesis, we propose a new methodology for designing a context-based adaptable MUI for healthcare applications. This methodology offers a new approach to automated MUI context adaptation, and provides a solution for both the provider (designer) of the healthcare application and the consumer (physician). New techniques for adapting MUIs offer new opportunities for the MUI designer to maximize the benefits of mobile health technology by providing the best possible way for healthcare professionals to perform their tasks efficiently and effectively. The proposed methodology is based on research contributions in four areas: (1) a new quality-in-use measurement model for validation purposes; (2) user stereotype modeling with a set of context descriptors, which formalize the domain expertise of the users; (3) context information modeling; and (4) use of the decision table technique to adapt the MUI features based on the context and the user stereotypes. The proposed quality-in-use model is inspired by the ISO/IEC 25010 and ISO/IEC 25022 international standards and adapted to healthcare applications. The first contribution is used in validating the quality-in-use of a software product developed according to the CON-INFO methodology, and the last three contributions are linked to form a methodology for development. The MUI features adapted to the needs of healthcare professionals have been implemented on the iPhone™ for validation purposes. An example of software for medical application is the Phoenix Health Information System (PHIS), which is in use at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH). PHIS2 is an updated desktop version developed based on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) principles. A new mobile-based version of PHIS2 (PHIS2-M) has since been introduced, to make PHIS accessible from a mobile-based platform. The proposed context-based and rule-based approach for MUI feature adaptability resulted in a new version of PHIS2-M – PHIS2-MA (MA stands for mobile adaptation). This thesis validates the proposed methodology and clearly demonstrates its usefulness, providing details of the four empirical studies conducted with the end-users (physicians) in a real environment at the KAUH. The results of the formal studies reveal that our CON-INFO methodology for designing an adaptable MUI led to improvements to the current application and allowed researchers to test successive versions of the ‘final’ application

Usability evaluation model for mobile e-book applications

Evaluation for mobile e-book applications are limited and did not address all the important usability measurements. Hence, this study aimed to identify the characteristics that affect user satisfaction on the usability of mobile e-book applications. Five characteristics that have a significant effect on the user satisfaction of mobile e-book applications have been identified namely readability, effectiveness, accessibility, efficiency, and navigation. A usability evaluation was conducted on three mobile e-book applications namely Adobe Acrobat Reader, Ebook Reader, and Amazon Kindle. 30 students from Universiti Utara Malaysia evaluated the mobile e-book applications and their satisfaction was measured using questionnaire. The outcomes discovered that the five characteristics (i.e., readability, effectiveness, accessibility, efficiency, and navigation) have a significant positive relationship with user satisfaction. This provides insights into the main characteristics that increase user satisfaction. It also designed a task scenario and a satisfaction questionnaire which help in evaluating mobile e-book applications

A persona-based modelling for contextual requirements

[Context & Motivation] Personas are a technique used to guide developing products accommodating people diversity. They are archetypes reflecting common combinations of users’ characteristics, needs and goals. Persons can add a human-centred facet to requirements engineering practice which is often revolving around the concept of business roles. [Question/Problem] Goal modelling is an example of mainstream requirements engineering approach driven by business roles and their responsibilities and needs represented as goals. Personnel in the system are expected to act according to this prescriptive specification. Personnel diversity is often seen as a customization and design issue. [Principal idea/Results]. In this paper we propose to consider such diversity as a conditional context in requirements modelling and, as an approach, augment Contextual Goal Model (CGM) with personas as a new contextual dimension. Additionally, we propose an algorithm to analyse the achievability of CGM goals in the presence of the personas contexts variation. We evaluate our approach using a Mobile Personal Emergency Response System (MPERS) implemented as a prototype. [Contribution] Our persona-based modelling approach paves the way to augment requirements with a consideration of people diversity and enrich the business perspective with a more user-centred design facet

Evaluation model for usability practitioners: a mobile application for low vision users

Many people depend on mobile applications to perform daily activities. However, people with low vision that unable to fully correct their vision with glasses require usable applications that match their abilities. Unfortunately, existing usability evaluation models use generalized measurements that are ineffective to evaluate mobile applications to ensure their suitability for low vision people. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to develop a mobile application usability evaluation model for low vision users. The first and second phases of this study were to identify the usability requirements and measures of mobile application for low vision users. The methods used were analysing literature content using Systematic Literature Review method and interviewing ten low vision mobile application users. A qualitative analysis software was used to analyse semi-structured interview data. In the third phase, a new model was developed using the Quality in Use Integrated Measurement method. The proposed model was then reviewed using the expert review approach by six knowledge and practitioners for improvements in the final model. Finally, the developed model was evaluated in a focus group session with six practitioners, and also usability testing with nine low vision users which was analysed by using descriptive statistical. This study has developed a model that includes six usability dimensions, fifteen usability criteria and fifty-six usability metrics. The model is able to identify low vision users’ difficulties and suggest a solution to improvise the mobile application design. The model may enrich the body of knowledge in the Human-Computer Interaction area, especially in the field of usability evaluation. It helps usability practitioners to discover mobile application usage problems faced by low vision users, which are difficult to discover by previous models and suggest a solution to improvise the design. This ensures convenience and privacy for low vision users when using a mobile application

Persuading users into verifying online fake news

Abstract. Checking authenticity of fake news before sharing online can reduce spread of misinformation. But fact-checking requires cognitive and psychological effort, which people are often not willing to give. Some fact-checking methods might even be counterproductive, entrenching people into their deeply held beliefs. Numerous online fact-checking services have emerged recently which verify false claims to address the issue. While these services are quite efficient technologically, they seriously overlook human behavioral factors associated with fake news. Persuasive systems have been proven successful in attitudinal and behavioral changes, which could be applied here as behavioral interventions for fact-checking. A review of current fact-checking services showed that they significantly lack persuasive features, resulting in a passive and linear user experience. Findings from cognitive science and persuasion literature paved way for development of a fact-checking mobile application that would encourage users into regular fact-checking. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the artifact showed promise of persuasion in combating fake news. Social support persuasive features were found most effective, followed by tunnelling and self-monitoring. Implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed