An evaluation of the effectiveness in use and efficiency in use of a mobile news aggregator magazine application

Abstract

In this study, the researchers evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of the Flipboard app, a news magazine application. The usability of Flipboard app was tested by observation. 11 participants (all students of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)), were conscripted for the usability test. The result indicated that all participants completed task 1 (100%). In task 2, 91% of participants completed their tasks. The success rates for tasks 3, 4, and 5 were 82%, 100% and 82% respectively. These show high success rate. In addition, the error rates per tasks were relatively low. These results (success rates and error rates) show that the app has good effectiveness. Also, the task completion time revealed that the app on average is efficient in use. However, since some participants were not able to complete their tasks, some completed with some errors and some expended much time to complete their tasks, it is thenceforth clear that the interface is nonetheless laden with some issues that demands attention.