Tuhm: A Tool for Supporting Usability Tests on Mobile Applications

• Luan Pignata Caldas UnB https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6860-8140
• Geovana Ramos Sousa Silva UnB https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0304-0804
• Edna Dias Canedo UnB https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2159-339X

Resumo

Context: A heuristic evaluation is an investigation method used by practitioners to perform usability tests on interfaces. Problem: Notwithstanding the importance of a heuristic evaluation in the execution of usability tests, it is a lengthy process that requires practitioners to explore all parts of a system with critical and meticulous attention to detail. Solution: This work proposes the development of a tool called Tuhm to support practitioners in the execution of heuristic evaluations on mobile applications. IS Theory: Design Theory relates to the heuristic evaluation of the development process of systems and Software Systems Theory relates to the ethical aspect of tools. Method: A validation study was conducted in which specialists were divided into two groups to evaluate a given application using Tuhm. One group used Tuhm during evaluation, and the other group performed the manual analysis of the application. Summary of Results: Our findings reveal that Tuhm made the evaluation process faster and more objective. In addition, it is easy to use, having a fast data entry format and an organized categorization of the problems found. Contributions and Impact in the IS area: Our findings also revealed a difficulty for specialists in reading the set of usability heuristics, as it is an overlong set. Therefore, it was identified the need for improving the presentation of the usability heuristics.

Palavras-chave: Usability, usability test, heuristic evaluation, usability heuristics, mobile application

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