An iterative process for the evaluation of a mobile application prototype

Abstract

This study is part of a research conducted under the CeNTER Program, an interdisciplinary project that aimed to promotethe development of the Centro Region of Portugal. The general contribution of this paper is the evaluation of a mobile application prototype to promote the collaboration between the various agents involved in the areas of Tourism, Health and Wellbeing. It presents two assessment stages, conducted with experts and end-users. For the evaluation with experts, an inspection technique based on a heuristic evaluation was employed. For the evaluation with end-users, different methods were used, which included the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were obtained through two User Experience evaluation tools (SUS and AttrakDiff) and from usability metrics of effectiveness and efficiency, which are key factors related to the usability of a product. Qualitative data were obtained using the Think-aloud protocol, which allowed the collection of immediate feedback on their experience of interacting with the prototype. Although there are still improvements to be addressed, the prototype was positively evaluated. Furthermore, the obtained opinions showed that the CeNTER application is a sustainable and timely contribution, with an interesting potential to foster community-led initiatives. Finally, this article offered an understanding for the evaluation of mobile applications, which foster the same subject approached in this study.