Apps vs Devices: Can the usability of mobile apps be decoupled from the device?

In this paper we present a study using subjective measures to examine usability of mobile phone applications running on two different platforms, the OSX iPhone and an O2 Orbit running Windows Mobile operating system.The aim was to enhance the understanding of the influence of devices on mobile application usability.We gathered subjective measures using questionnaires to assess the satisfaction level while using mobile applications installed on two different devices.Results indicate that the device on which an application is installed strongly influence user satisfaction

Device Mediation And Online Behaviour

An examination into trust, confidence and online behaviour uncovered a shift in the web behaviours of users, which appeared to be altered depending on the device being used to access the web. A diary study-interview approach was used, the results of which indicated that next-generation users (the heaviest of web users, and those more accustomed to Web 2.0 and mobile devices) restricted their range of online activities, particularly when using smartphones – their most frequently used device. The results of the interview uncovered that usability was of paramount importance to the next-generation user and that the ‘mobile app’ coupled with smartphones has the potential capacity to provide a legitimate substitute to traditional modes of access, i.e. desktop PC’s, laptops, tablets

Surveillance: Are We Being Watched, Who By, And Does It Matter? A Study To Capture An Individual’s Digital Footprint Over A 24-Hour Period

We are living in exponential times: technology is ubiquitous, the boundaries of on-line off-line are becoming undistinguishable, and geographical distances no longer constrict our activities. What will be, and what are, the consequences of existing in a technologically saturated environment? From the moment of conception, the data trail begins, our personas recorded on databases, social networking sites and CCTV as we go about our everyday lives. What impact does such amassment of data have on society, communities and personal identities within the UK? The reality is that the personal totality of exposure to technology development is a significant research challenge to quantify. There is a critical need to capture these activities in some sort of holistic and interconnected manner. This research will provide an ethnographic snapshot of individual exposure to database and surveillance technologies over a 24-hour period, in the process establishing a repeatable methodology to enable quantification of an individual’s 21st century digital footprint

A metric-based evaluation model for applications on mobile phone

Research on HCI, specifically on mobile application has started more than a decade. Usability metrics have been used as guidelines to evaluate the quality of the system as well as mobile applications. However, the metrics used for evaluation method keep changing due to the new inventions on 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, we created a dynamic usability metrics model and test the model to ensure the model is reliable and effective.The model comprises usability goals, questions and metrics for evaluation of applications on mobile phone. This paper also reports the usability test results for applications installed on different mobile phone

Usability evaluation of SatNav application on mobile phone using mGQM

SatNav systems are becoming increasingly popular, enabling drivers to locate and drive to their desired destination.With high demand for the features SatNav provides, these applications are now also available in mobile phones.This gives rise to the question of whether the app is usable when installed in a mobile phone.This paper will examine the usability of SatNav apps inside the mobile phone.We employ a mobile Goal Question Metric model (mGQM) to evaluate the usability of such applications by implementing usability test for objective measures, and questionnaire and interviews to assess subjective measures.Results indicate that most usability problems on SatNav apps in mobile are influenced by unique features of the mobile phone

Digital Maturity and SMEs: evaluating the application of a digital maturity assessment tool

The challenges of undertaking digital transformation within Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are multiple. The constraints of limited resources and a lack of clear strategic purpose for the transformation are readily evident across many existing case studies. Underlying these evidenced challenges is the persistent issue of the digital maturity of an overall organisation and its people individually as key factors in the success or failure of these change projects. We examine the use of a digital maturity assessment tool within an established membership-based SME to understand these many challenges and the way they are revealed through tools of this kind. We utilise a reflective approach based on direct organisational observations to consider the veracity and value of these assessment tools in supporting the drive for positive organisational change. Our conclusions are loosely critical of the generalised nature of these tools but support their intended purpose through the benefits that they generate through a Hawthorne Effect

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 Empirical Investigation to Understand the Difficulties and Challenges of Software Modellers When Using Modelling Tools

Software modelling is a challenging and error-prone task. Existing Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) tools provide modellers with little aid, partly because tool providers have not investigated users' difficulties through empirical investigations such as field studies. This paper presents the results of a two-phase user study to identify the most prominent difficulties that users might face when developing UML Class and State-Machine diagrams using UML modelling tools. In the first phase, we identified the preliminary modelling challenges by analysing 30 Class and State-Machine models that were previously developed by students as a course assignment. The result of the first phase helped us design the second phase of our user study where we empirically investigated different aspects of using modelling tools: the tools' effectiveness, users' efficiency, users' satisfaction, the gap between users' expectation and experience, and users' cognitive difficulties. Our results suggest that users' greatest difficulties are in (1) remembering contextual information and (2) identifying and fixing errors and inconsistencies.NSERC CREATE, 465463-2015 || NSERC Discovery Grant, 155243-1