Usability evaluation of a dynamic geometry software mobile interface through eye tracking

Abstract

The use of information technology in mathematics education has become popular due to the increasing availability of software applications designed for constructing mathematical representations. In this study, we conducted a usability evaluation of GeoGebra, which is a commonly used math education tool that provides dynamic geometry, spreadsheet and algebra features. This study reports the findings of a usability experiment where we employed an eye tracker to evaluate the mobile version of GeoGebra. Our findings suggest that the mobile version primarily replaced the function of the mouse cursor in the desktop version with the fingertip, and did not take advantage of the gestures supported by the multi-touch screens of new generation tablet computers. Based on the empirical findings of the study, design ideas for improving the usability of the existing GeoGebra mobile interfaces are proposed.