SEKE 2012 Proceedings - Knowledge Systems Institute

Using the Results from a Systematic Mapping Extension to Define a
Usability Inspection Method for Web Applications
Luis Rivero and Tayana Conte
Instituto de Computação, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM)
Manaus, AM - Brazil
{luisrivero,tayana}@icomp.ufam.edu.br
Abstract— Usability is one of the most crucial factors in Web
applications, allowing the successful usage of such systems. Many
Usability Inspection Methods (UIMs) have been proposed to
guarantee that Web applications provide a friendly, direct and
easy to understand interface to their users. Nevertheless, some of
these methods are not being used due to the lack of information
about them. In this paper we describe the actual state of UIMs
for Web applications through the extension of a systematic
mapping study about Usability Evaluation Methods. Besides
providing background knowledge to UIMs, our results showed
that in order to meet the actual needs of the software
development industry, emerging UIMs should: (a) find problems
in early stages of the development process; (b) find specific
problems and suggest solutions; and (c) provide automation.
Using these features and usability criteria from other UIMs, we
developed the Web Design Usability Evaluation (Web DUE)
technique. The Web DUE aims to improve the quality of Web
applications by allowing the usability evaluation of paper based
prototypes by using pieces of Web pages called Web page zones.
We have provided a proof of concept of the Web DUE by
evaluating a paper based mock-up of a real Web application.
Keywords-Usability Inspection Methods; Web Applications;
Systematic Mapping Extension
I. INTRODUCTION
In recent years, Web applications development demand has
grown considerably [1]. These applications are currently the
backbone of business and information exchange, and are being
used to present products and services to potential customers
[2]. According to Matera et al . [6], the acceptability of such
applications is determined by their degree of usability. If a
Web application possesses poor usability, it will be quickly
replaced by a mo re usable one as soon as its existence
becomes known to the target audience [7].
Usability Inspection Methods (UIMs) have emerged as a
cost-effective way to improve the usability of such systems
[14]. According to Matera et al. [6], the software development
industry has been investing in the development of a variety of
UIMs to address Web usability issues. Nevertheless,
companies are not using these methods [4]. This lack of usage
can be the cause of low quality regarding the usability aspect
within Web applications [9].
In [12], we extended a systematic mapping study on
usability evaluation methods for Web applications by selecting
and thoroughly analyzing the papers that addressed new
UIMs. This systematic mapping extension allowed us to
identify the state of art of UIMs for Web applications and to
provide researchers and practitioners with a knowledge
background for choosing a determined UIM.
In this paper, we have used the findings presented in [12]
to suggest a set of desirable features that a new UIM should
possess in order to meet the actual needs of the software
development industry. Based on these features, we have
proposed the Web Design Usability Evaluation (Web DUE)
technique. This technique aims to guide inspectors through the
evaluation of paper based prototypes by dividing Web pages
into Web page zones. According to Fons et al. [3], Web page
zones are pieces of Web pages with specific types of contents.
We crafted the Web DUE by selecting usability criteria from
UIMs within the studies in [12] and relating them to the Web
page zones. Furthermore, this paper also presents a proof of
concept of the Web DUE technique by using it to evaluate the
usability of a prototyped Web page of the Journal and Event
Management System (JEMS 1 ).
This paper is organized as follows. Section II presents the
background to Usability Inspection Methods. In Section III we
summarize the planning and execution of the systematic
mapping extension on UIMs for Web applications. Section IV
shows the results from this extension, our findings and
suggests a set of desirable features for emerging UIMs for
Web applications. In Section V we show the Web DUE
technique proposal, while Section VI provides a proof of
concept by using it to evaluate the usability of a paper based
prototype of a r eal Web application. Finally, Section VII
presents our conclusions and future work.
II. USABILITY INSPECTION METHODS
The term usability is defined in the ISO 9241-11 [5] as
“the extent to which a product can be used by specified users
to achieve specific goals with effectiveness, efficiency and
satisfaction in a specified context of use”. Regarding Web
applications, usability is one of the most relevant quality
aspects because of its own features, as cited in [10]: “Web
applications are interactive, user-centered, hypermedia-based
applications, where the user interface plays a central role”.
Many usability evaluation methods (UEMs) have been
proposed in the technical literature in order to improve the
usability of different kinds of software systems [4]. According
to Rocha and Baranauska [14], UEMs are procedures
1 https://submissoes.sbc.org.br/
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