Usability Evaluation and Interface Design of Mobile Educational/ Learning Applications for Children

Abstract

Mobile technology is increasingly recognized as an integral learning tool for even children. According to many experts, introducing children to mobile technology at a young age provide them with a solid foundation they need to function in the increasingly digital world. Child-psychology experts even do not state anything against mobile technology. In fact, these devices can provide very effective learning experiences for children. A number of mobile educational or learning applications (apps) are available for young children but the interface of theses apps should be compatible with the cognitive skills of children and consider the important educational aspects in order to provide an effective learning experience. Usability is an essential quality attribute to assess the usefulness of application; therefore evaluating the usability is a crucial task. Keeping in view the importance of usability evaluation and the limitations in existing evaluation frameworks and models, this research study proposes an evaluation framework for measuring the usability of mobile educational/learning applications for children. The framework is validated by conducting a usability study with children aged 6 to 9 years. This research has evaluated the usability of existing smartphone educational/learning apps for children to highlight the usability issues faced by children. The current user interface (UI) design issues are tackled through application of design guidelines proposed on the basis of results obtained through usability evaluation. An android educational app is designed for the math skills of first to third grade children based on the proposed design recommendations. The implemented app is also evaluated by conducting usability testing with children aged 6 to 9 years in order to establish the marked improvements in the interface design with reference to previously faced usability issues.