In Saudi Arabia, several mitigating measures were implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the creation of COVID-19 mobile applications (apps) for public use. The Saudi government has made the use of these apps mandatory for its citizens and residents. However, it is essential to explore the perception that common users have regarding using these apps in terms of usability and user experience. Therefore, this paper assesses user experience in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction with the usability of the Saudi COVID-19 apps. The reviews of five mobile apps launched by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) and the Ministry of Health in the Apple Store were extracted using an online tool and analyzed using the content analysis method. The number of collected reviews was 29 for Sehha, 406 for Sehhaty, 442 for Mawid, 107 for Tabaud, and 1338 for Tawakkalna. The results of the study showed that Mawid (82%) and Tabaud (81%) had the highest usability of all the apps studied. Sehha (138%) and Sehhaty (−107%) received the lowest usability scores, followed by Tawakkalna (22%). Based on these results, we identified several usability issues with each app. Some of the main problems reported by users were increased battery drain, lack of privacy, and technical issues.

Research on m-government has started in the last decade. The use of m-government has been rapidly increasing due to the high penetration of mobile devices in the general population. This research will first compare m-government to e-government which will help in understanding the similarities and the differences between the two types of government. Then this research will examine the current state of research in the area of m-government. In this research, we collected 79 papers specifically related to m-government, dividing them into themes based on the research premise. The results showed that there is a gap in understanding the relationship between the use of m-government and civic engagement. A future study is highly recommended to determine whether the use of m-government positively affects civic engagement.

With the increased use of social networking platforms, especially with the inclusion of sensitive personal information, it has become important for those platforms to have adequate levels of security and privacy. This research aimed to evaluate the usability of privacy in the WhatsApp, Twitter, and Snapchat applications. The evaluation was conducted based on the structured analysis of privacy (STRAP) framework. Seven expert evaluators performed heuristic evaluations and applied the 11 STRAP heuristics to the privacy policy statements and settings provided in the WhatsApp, Twitter, and Snapchat applications. This study provides useful information for designers and developers of social media applications as well as users of the apps. In particular, the results indicate that Snapchat had the highest severity rating, followed by Twitter and WhatsApp. Moreover, the most notable severity rating for all the apps was regarding the ability to revoke consent, where all of the apps had a very high number of usability problems.

In many countries, the rapid growth of the Internet and mobile technologies has led to the expansion of Internet banking, especially mobile banking. Many banks seek to provide integrated banking services through mobile applications (apps) to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. A quick look at the reviews of the mobile banking apps in Saudi Arabia reveals different usability issues among these apps. This research analyzed, evaluated, and compared the usability of all Saudi mobile banking apps available for the iOS and Android systems. Usability (as defined by ISO 9241) was measured using three criteria—effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. This research also identified and discussed the most critical weaknesses of the Saudi banks’ apps in regard to providing satisfactory solutions to developers. The results showed that the most critical issues existed in the user interfaces and functionality of the apps, especially those that frequently received updates. Furthermore, the lack of customer support made the interaction between banks and customers weak, leading to customer dissatisfaction.

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