Pedro Hernandez – Connie Huanca
User study of
mobile applications for text messaging.
Interaction between
mobile devices and people has become richer with the upcoming use of
smartphones. These devices are designed to offer the user a more engaged
user experience than offered by the standard feature phone. In order to fully
benefit from all the technical features on these smart devices, the design
process of mobile applications has to be centered to the userÕs needs.
Feedback from the user is vital in this process and has to be exploited
in an iterative manner during the design process.
The purpose of this
thesis is to study and identify factors that affect the user experience of mobile
devices for text messaging. In order to do this we evaluated interfaces belonging
to two mobile applications for sending text messages via the Internet. We
refer to the definition of satisfaction defined in the standard of usability published
by the International Standardization Organization ISO 9214-11, 1998. Out
of the standard definition we identified six measurable parameters (experienced
control, ease to understand, appealing and pleasing use, fulfillment of
purpose, predictability and experienced efficiency). User tests are carried out
using a method called Óthink aloudÓ, followed by a series of short interviews.
The results from this
study show that the design of mobile applications for text messaging has yet to
be improved. Feedback via the interface has to be clearer in order to
give the user more control over the application. Since the context in
which mobile devices varies quickly over time, the interface has to support each
activity, such as in our case sending messages and finding information of
contacts, in an efficient way. The appearance of the interface has to be a complement
of the functionality of the application.
The conclusions and results of this study have been summarized in form of a recommendation for the design of interfaces for text messaging applications.