Usability Heuristics for Touchscreen-based Mobile Devices

Usability Heuristics for

Touchscreen-based

Mobile Devices

Usability Heuristics for

Touchscreen-based

Mobile Devices

Rodolfo Inostroza Carvajal

Advisor:

Rodolfo Inostroza Carvajal

Contents

•

Introduction

–

Problem definition

•

Research

–

Goals

–

Methodology

•

Mobile devices

•

Usability

•

Usability in touchscreen-based mobile devices

•

Usability heuristics proposal

•

Conclusions

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

•

Smartphones

Introduction

Processing Capabilities

Screen Size Screen Resolution Data Input/Output Methods Conectivity Context of Use

New

Usability?

Introduction

»

Problem Definition

•

Usability: Main attribute

–

IS Quality

–

IS Success

(Deloan & McLean, 2003)

•

Touchscreen-based Mobile Devices

–

Smartphones  very popular

–

Large amount of functionalities

RESEARCH

RESEARCH

Research

»

Goals

• General Goal

– To establish a set of usability evaluation heuristics for touchscreen-based mobile devices.

• Specific Goals

– To analyze the characteristics, taxonomy, and elements of touchscreen-based mobile devices.

– To analyze usability attributes, rules, principles and evaluation methods.

– To propose a set of usability evaluation heuristics for touchscreen-based mobile devices.

– To validate the proposed set of usability evaluation heuristics for touchscreen-based mobile devices, through the use of heuristic evaluations and usability tests.

Research

»

Methodology

•

Methodology Proposal

–

“A methodology to establish usability heuristics”,

C. Rusu, S. Roncagliolo, V. Rusu and C. Collazos,

ACHI, pages 59–62, 2011

MOBILE DEVICES

MOBILE DEVICES

Mobile Devices

»

Classification

•

According to Schiefer y Decker (2008), which

considers the following criteria:

1.

Size and weight

2.

Input modes

3.

Output modes

4.

Performance

5.

Kind of usage

6.

Communication capabilities

7.

Type of operating system

Mobile Devices

»

Classification

•

Mobile Standard PC

•

Mobile Internet Devices

•

Handhelds/PDA

•

Smartphones

•

Feature Phones

•

Simple Phones

•

Special Terminals

USABILITY

USABILITY

Usability

»

ISO 9241

•

ISO defines usability as

"The extent to which a

product can be used by specified users

to achieve specified goals with

effectiveness, efficiency,

and satisfaction in a

Usability

»

Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics

Visibility of system status Minimize the user's memory load Match between system and the real world Flexibility and efficiency of use

User control and freedom Aesthetic and minimalist design Consistency and standards Help users recognize, diagnose, and

recover from errors Error prevention Help and documentation

USABILITY IN

TOUCHSCREEN-BASED

MOBILE DEVICES

USABILITY IN

TOUCHSCREEN-BASED

MOBILE DEVICES

Usability in Touchscreen-based Mobile Devices

•

Jakob Nielsen (1994)

–

«Usability Engineering»

•

Ketola & Röykkee (2001)

–

User Interface Division

•

7 áreas

•

Ham et al. (2009)

–

A framework for evaluating the usability of mobile

phones based on multi-level, hierarchical model of

usability factors.

•

Zhang & Adipat (2005)

–

Challenges, Methodologies, and Issues in the Usability

Testing of Mobile Applications

USABILITY HEURISTICS PROPOSAL

USABILITY HEURISTICS PROPOSAL

Proposal

»

First Iteration

•

Guided Inspection

Nokia X6

Samsung Galaxy S

Proposal

»

First Iteration

•

A set of

11 Heuristics

was proposed

–

Positive and negative aspects.

Proposal

»

First Iteration Validation

•

2 Experiments

–

Ecuador:

•

4 evaluators - similar experience.

– 2 use Nielsen’s heuristics

– 2 use Proposed heuristics

–

Chile:

•

6 evaluators – beginners with a more

experienced leader.

– 3 use Nielsen’s heuristics

– 3 use Proposed heuristics

Blackberry Storm

Proposal

»

First Iteration Validation

57%

43%

Issues - 1st Experiment

Proposal (3,19)

Nielsen's (2,33)

Proposal

»

First Iteration Validation

53%

47%

Issues – 2nd Experiment

Proposal (2,35)

Nielsen's (1,62)

Id Category Total Issues Severity Average

Experiment 1 2 1 2

P1 Problems identified by both

groups of evaluators

18

10

3,14

2,90

P2

Problems identified only by the group that used the set of

heuristics defined at first iteration

21

27

3,00

2,93

P3

Problems identified only by the group that used Nielsen’s

heuristics

14

23

2,68

2,39

Total

53

60

Proposal

»

First Iteration Validation

SECOND (FINAL) ITERATION

SECOND (FINAL) ITERATION

Proposal

»

Second Iteration

Touchscreen-based mobile devices heuristics

Id Definition

TMD1

Visibility of system status

TMD2

Match between system and the real world

TMD3

User control and freedom

TMD4

Consistency and standards

TMD5

Error prevention

TMD6

Minimize the user's memory load

TMD7

Customization and shortcuts

TMD8

Efficiency of use and performance

TMD9

Aesthetic and minimalist design

TMD10

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover

Proposal

»

Presentation

TMD

3 User control and freedom

• Allow undo & redo • "emergency exits"

• Options should be easy to find • No long dialog sequences

Proposal

»

Presentation

TMD

4 Consistency and standards

• Follow established conventions • The same in the same way

Proposal

»

Presentation

TMD

7 Customization and shortcuts

• The system should provide basic and advanced configuration options.

• The system should allow customization and set shortcuts.

• The system should allow sorting and creation of groups of elements.

Proposal

»

Presentation

TMD 12

Physical interaction and ergonomics

• The system should provide physical buttons or similar for main and/or recurrent functions.

• They should be placed in recognizable places, by the user.

• Device’s dimensions, shape, weight and position of buttons or similar should fit the normal posture of the user’s hand.

PROPOSAL VALIDATION

PROPOSAL VALIDATION

Proposal Validation

32%

11%

57%

Nielsen (1,75)

Both (0,47)

Proposal (2,67)

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK

Conclusions and Future Work

•

A methodology for developing usability heuristics

–

Success!

•

Physical aspects

affect

usability!

•

New techniques are required

–

New set of heuristics (feedback 

new iteration?

)

–

New usability testing techniques

•

How to design «

usable

» interfaces?

–

Design patterns

•

The development of a

Checklist

improved the

Problem Detection.

Questions?

Questions?

Thank you.

info

@

randomstudio

.

com

Thank you.

Really…

You can ask Questions

Really…

You can ask Questions

Thank you.

info

@

randomstudio

.

com

Thank you.

REFERENCES

REFERENCES

References

1. Morgan Stanley. The Mobile Internet Report. Disponible en: http://www.ms.com/techresearch, 2009.

2. Dongsong Zhang y Boonlit Adipat. Challenges, methodologies, and issues

in the usability testing of mobile applications. Int. J. Hum. Comput.

Interaction, 18(3):293–308, 2005.

3. Jakob Nielsen. Usability Engineering. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Francisco, California, October 1994.

4. Pekka Ketola Mika and Mika Röykkee. The three facets of usability in

mobile handsets. In Proceeding of CHI 2001, Workshop, Mobile

Communications: Understanding Users, Adoption & Design Sunday and Monday. ACM, 2001.

5. Dong-Han Ham, Jeongyun Heo, Sanghyun Park, Chiwon Song, and Wan Chul Yoon. A framework for evaluating the usability of mobile phones

based on multi-level, hierarchical model of usability factors. Interact.

References

6. A. Baz, I. Ferreira, M. Álvarez, and R. García. Dispositivos Móviles. Memoria de Título Profesional de Ingeniero de Telecomunicaciónes, Universidad de Oviedo., 2009.

7. Little Springs Design. A New Device Taxonomy. Disponible en:

http://www.littlespringsdesign.com/blog/2006/May/a-new-device-taxonomy/, 2006.

8. Gunther Schiefer and Michael Decker. Taxonomy for mobile terminals - a

selective classification scheme. In Joaquim Filipe, David A. Marca, Boris

Shishkov, and Marten van Sinderen, editors, ICE-B, pages 255–258. INSTICC Press, 2008.

9. Global Stats - Statcounter. Disponible en: http://gs.statcounter.com, revisado el 19/04/2011.

10. Jakob Nielsen. Ten Usability Heuristics. Disponible en: