Improving Mobile Applications Usage Experience of Novice Users through User-Acclimatized Interaction: A Case Study
Wen Yong Chua, Maffee Peng-Hui Wan, Klarissa Chang, Yi Qiang Wu · Journal of the Association for Information Systems · 2014
The proliferation of low-cost mobile devices has allowed a large proportion of users living in emerging economies to use mobile applications. Despite the increasing number of novice users using mobile applications, researchers seldom consider usability for these users when examining performance, satisfaction and experience with usage of mobile applications. In this study, we suggest that it is not appropriate to design one interface for all users at all different literacy levels of increasingly diverse communities. We propose a user-acclimatized approach to adapting mobile applications that integrates three types of interaction elements, namely content personalization, structural navigation and representation. In an evaluation of the proposed approach on mobile devices, we conducted a field study in India to demonstrate the effect of user acclimatization on performance, satisfaction and experience for novice users. The findings provide theoretical and practical implications for the design and implementation of user interface on mobile applications.