User-centred evaluation to interface design of e-books

Abstract

A good interface design of e-books is convenient for users, whereas a poor design can disorientate them. In this study, we conduct an experiment on four test scenarios, including the Zinio iPad version, Zinio PC version, MagV iPad version, and MagV PC version. This study includes 48 subjects (including 12 men and 36 women), with the majority being long-term Internet users. We use the performance measurement, retrospective testing, and a semistructured questionnaire to analyse the operation time of five experimental tasks, error frequency, and subjective satisfaction. The result shows the Zinio interface design provides a user-friendly device, and the iPad version (using a touchscreen) facilitates engaging experimental tasks compared with the PC version (with a mouse and/or a keyboard). In addition, most participants prefer to combine two or three options to complete the experimental tasks. The result can provide designers with a useful insight into designing a proper user model that best meets user requirements.