Usability Analysis of Instant Messaging Platforms in a Mobile Phone Environment Using Heuristics Evaluation
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 10, Issue 7, July-2019 ISSN 2229-5518 135 Usability Analysis of Instant Messaging Platforms in a Mobile Phone Environment using Heuristics Evaluation Mr. Abid Rafiq Muhammad Muaz Naeem Department of CS & IT Department of CS & IT University of Sargodha University of Sargodha Sargodha, Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan [email protected] [email protected] Abstract—Today, the mobile phone has become popular for usability of applications, create user-friendly apps and everybody. It is playing an important role in social and develop the new interface. political interaction. The fast evolution and adoption of mobile phones, the chance of developing an application and user interface are also increasing. Most of the applications are the II. LITERATURE REVIEW complex and sophisticated user interface. It’s necessary to take Usability evaluation provides the ease of function to be the usability test of mobile applications. There are several used and how strong they empower the user to play out their methods to determine the usability level of an interactive errands effectively [6]. system, but heuristic evaluation is one of the methods most broadly used to evaluate UIs. The main objective of this study A. Usability is to identify usability problems in the design of instant messaging applications. Usability is the key to create a user-friendly product. Usability procedure, present rules and principles to guide that Keywords—usability, usability engineering, usability help developer in designing and developing the interface for analysis, heuristics evaluation, heuristics, usability evaluation, their applications [7]. The term usability describes as “the usability evaluation methods, human computer interaction, capability of an output of a product to be understood, mobile app usability learned, operated and be attractive to clients or use when used to achieve certain objectives with effectiveness and I. INTRODUCTION efficiency in specific situations” [8]. But basic definitions of usability that is proposed by the ISO/IEC 9241: “the extent Over the last few years, cell phones are playing a very to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve important role in our daily lives. Market increasingly calls specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction for better mobile applications, but most of them are in a specified context of use” [9]. The term product describes becoming more complex and sophisticated user interface. as any software application, website or any device used by While dealing with the IJSERapplications, a high degree of the user. The important aspect of usability is to make a usability is desired in the user interface. Usability is mainly successful product and it indicates you, the user’s feedback concerned to provide valuable information to the designer to to the various product through usability testing. improve interaction with the system. But user experience takes a whole association with products and in addition, the B. Usability Evaluation Methods consideration, feeling and recognition that outcome form that collaboration [1]. Usability evaluation assesses the ease of Evaluation is the process of examining a program for use of function and how strong they empower a user to play identifying problems. Usability evaluation is the process to out their assignments proficiently [2]. Usability guideline, determine the usability problems and improve the design of standard and ethics to guide and help developers in designing the product. Evaluations are normally divided into two and developing the interface for their applications [3]. categories. Reference [4] has presented the usability evaluation methods. • Formative evaluation They defined different usability evaluation strategies have been developed and can be defined into three types. Usability • Summative evaluation testing, inquiry and inspection. Heuristic evaluation is an inspection method in light of assessment over a real-time C. Formative Evaluation framework or model led by specialists [5]. The aim of this In formative evaluation, it is helpful to make a better study is to find out the usability problems within the user design and identifying the problems in the activities that are interface design of instant messaging applications and in progress. This evaluation is used in any phase of the discover new facts and ideas to make user-friendly ADDIE process. Formative evaluation is basically done to applications. We selected six different android instant immediately improve the design of the product and refine the messaging apps to conduct this study. These apps include development specifications. Heuristic evaluation, cognitive IMO, Facebook Messenger, Kik, Nimbuzz, WeChat and walkthrough, pluralistic usability walkthrough, thinking- Soma. In order to achieve the objectives of this work, we aloud testing and user interface inspections are some used the approach of usability evaluation using a heuristic methods that can be used for formative evaluation. evaluation. Through this technique, we can enhance the IJSER © 2019 http://www.ijser.org International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 10, Issue 7, July-2019 ISSN 2229-5518 136 D. Summative Evaluation IV. EVALUATION CRITERIA In summative evaluation the assessment of the program at the end of the activities or at the end of an operating cycle. A. Heuristic Evaluation Guideline Questionnaires, surveys, interviews, observation and testing Heuristic evaluation is a usability inspection method that are some methods that can be used for summative evaluation. helps to identify UI problems. It specifically involves evaluators examining the interface and used the principles E. Heuristic Evaluation ‘the heuristics’ to recognized usability problems (see Table 1). Heuristic evaluation is used at all stages of product It is a method for finding the usability of software, development at early stages, released products and product initially created by Nielsen and Molich and later refined by review. Nielsen [10][11]. It is also called the ‘inspection’ method. Heuristic evaluation helps to recognize usability issues in the user interface (UI) design. HE method is easy to implement. B. The Participant It is hard for an individual to recognize the usability issues in The participants of the questionnaire varied in age from an interface. Therefore, it is possible to enhance the 18 to 52 years. From the sixty-one participants used in this effectiveness of the method by including multiple evaluators survey. In which 42.5% are females and 57.5% are males applying a set of rules called heuristics as they review a who have filled the questionnaires. given application. TABLE I. NIELSEN USABILITY HEURISTICS 1 Visibility of system status III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Description: The system should always keep users informed about what Research is an intelligent and deliberate path for is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. gathering helpful data on a specific theme. It is an approach 2 Match between the system and the real world to explore and discover the arrangements towards logical and Description: The system should speak the user’s language, with words, social issues through the target and precise investigation. A phrases and understandable to the user. few research zones are dynamic, arduous and efficient to 3 User control and freedom find, clear up realities and overhaul certainties, occasions, Description: Users control the system and they can exit the system at practices and hypotheses. Researchers arrange their any time even when they have made mistakes. Support undo and redo. examination by detailing and characterizing an exploration 4 Consistency & standards issue. This causes them to center the exploratory procedure Description: Users should not have to wonder whether different words, will the goal that they can make inferences mirroring this situations or actions mean the same thing. present reality in the most ideal way. Research methodology 5 Error Prevention is a science of studying how the research is to be carried out. Description: Even better than good error message is a careful design Basically, it contains information about procedures, methods which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. and tools that used to extract, describe and predict the 6 Recognition rather than recall information [12]. Description: Minimize the user’s memory load by making objects, actions and options visible. IJSER7 Flexibility & efficiency of use Description: Make the system flexible that the user can easily understand the system and learn the system with efficiency without any help of the expert person. 8 Aesthetic & minimalist design Description: Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility. 9 Help users recognize, diagnose & recover from errors Description: Error messages should be expressed in simple language, also show the issues and suggest a solution. 10 Help & documentation Description: Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be important to give help and documentation. C. Survey Evaluations Among End-Users In the questionnaires, you can get the data from a large number of people. Questionnaires are the best way to improve the product interface design. We designed a questionnaire on Nielsen’s