A study of the interface usability issues of mobile learning applications for smart phones from the users perspective
This work addresses usability problems for users of mobile learning applications, but it is incremental as it builds on existing guidelines and compares to a specific existing system.
The study tackled usability issues in mobile learning applications by developing a conceptual framework and a prototype for smartphones, which was compared to a Blackboard-based application via a survey at Western University. Results showed participants found the proposed framework's user interface more user-friendly.
A conceptual framework for measuring the usability characteristics of mobile learning (m-Learning) application has been developed. Furthermore, a software prototype for smartphones to assess usability issues of m-Learning applications has also been designed and implemented. This prototype has been developed, using Java language and the Android Software Development Kit, based on the recommended guidelines of the proposed conceptual framework. The usability of the proposed model was compared to a generally available similar mobile application (based on the Blackboard) by conducting a questionnairebased survey at Western University. The two models were evaluated in terms of ease of use, user satisfaction, attractiveness, and learnability. The results of the questionnaire showed that the participants considered the user interface based on our proposed framework more user-friendly as compared to the Blackboard-based user interface.