Usability Study on Responsive Website using DECIDE Framework

In this era of technology, mobility is the new emerging concerns on modern human lifestyle. Tablets and mobile devices is the new information gathering tools where daily news and communication are delivered.

However, in most of mobile computing environment, the human interaction interfaces are often constrained with physical limitations such as small browser screen that may restrict content readability and poor user experience.

Responsive website is a recent trends of technological technique that are able to overcome and solve this problem. Through the effective use of Media Queries and CSS, website layout and design can be developed to be response to current user’s browser. Layout, design, images and navigation will adapt to current device and browser. Thus, readability and performance of website can be improved.

This report will present usability study on Responsive Website using DECIDE framework.

D – Determine the Goals

To study and investigate the effectiveness of Responsive Website Design towards a better user experience on any tablets and mobile devices.

E – Explore the Questions

The goals of finding out the imperatives, benefits and the importance of responsive website towards better user experience quality.

Questions:

  • 1. Why most web user prefer large screen (desktop) for better readability?
  • a. Do you find out tablet and mobile device screen are too small?
  • b. Do you able to read text content in usual tablets and mobile devices browser?
  • c. How do web navigation works in smaller screen?
  • 2. Is web interface layout and design in tablets and mobile devices poor?
  • a. How do HTML and CSS are rendered in tablets and mobile devices?
  • 3. Is the any differences in terms of content readability, menu navigation, page response/loading time, data bandwidth consumption and performance in responsive and normal website design in tablets and mobile devices?
  • 4. Are there any additional steps required to access normal website’s content?

C – Choose the Evaluation Approach & Methodology

To evaluate the study, data collection through several dedicated user testing session and interviews that cover content readability page assessments, page navigation, image treatment, page response time or loading time, data bandwidth consumption and user acceptance will be presented.

Respondents from three ICT knowledge level and skills (Beginner, Intermediate & Expert) will be observed and analyzed through several research evaluation session namely below:

i. User Testing Session
Testing will covers page content readability, page assessments, page navigation, image treatment and page response or loading time.

ii. User Interviews
Interviews will cover mostly what have been conducted in previous user testing session.

I – Identify Practical Issues

Practical issues in conducting this usability study are identified as below:

  • i. Respondents ICT knowledge and skills group.
  • ii. Budget constrains on conducting the study.
  • iii. Study must be conducted and presented within schedule.
  • iv. Evaluators must be from a special user group which have pristine knowledge on website development and human interaction interface.
  • v. Suitable equipment needs to be identified and populated depending on several quality and concern on how the outcome will be measured.

D – Decide about Ethical Issues

Before any activity or task was performed, respondents will be first introduced and briefed on the objectives, privacy policies, user rights and projected outcome and future applications of the usability study findings.

Steps are as below:

  • i. Usability Study introduction on User Testing and Interviews.
  • ii. Briefing on the objectives and projected outcome.
  • iii. Explanation on user right and privacy policy.

E – Evaluate, Interpret and Present Data

After all activities of user testing and interviews are successfully conducted on every participated respondent, the data will be evaluated, interpreted and presented by understanding the pattern of collective data gathered based on few standard and quality.

All data will be mapped to the several qualities of benchmarking system to provide a better and accurate quantitative data for future work and research.

Summary & Conclusion

Through a usability study done using DECIDE framework, a crystal clear understanding on approach and methodology to investigate the effectiveness of Responsive Website Design towards a better user experience on any tablets and mobile devices can be properly planned and done.