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Abstract

Joe Valacich was the accepting Senior Editor. Galletta, D. F., & Dunn, B. K. (2014). Assessing smartphone ease of use and learning from the perspective of novice and expert users: Development and illustration of mobile benchmark tasks, THCI, 6(4), 74-91. Dennis F. Galletta Katz Graduate School of BusinessUniversity of Pittsburgh galletta@katz.pitt.edu Brian Kimball Dunn Price College of BusinessUniversity of Oklahoma bkdunn@ou.edu Original ResearchAssessing usability of device types with novel function sets that are adopted by diverse user groups requires one to explore a variety of approaches. In this paper, we develop such an approach to assess usability of smartphone devices. Using a three-stage Delphi-method study, we identify sets of benchmark tasks that can be used to assess usability for various user types. These task sets enable one to evaluate smartphone platforms from two perspectives: ease of learning (for those unfamiliar with smartphone use) and ease of use (for experienced users). We then demonstrate an approach for using this task set by performing an exploratory study of both inexperienced smartphone users (using a convenience sample) and experienced users (using the keystroke model). Our exploration illustrates the methodology for using such a task set and, in so doing, reveals significant differences among the leading smartphone platforms between novice and expert users. As such, we provide some preliminary evidence that ease of use is indeed significantly different from ease of learning. IntroductionNew types of multi-function computing devices with novel interface types and standards have risen in prominence over the last several years. In particular, smartphones have become a ubiquitous phenomenon. As of 2014, 71 percent of all Americans own smartphones (Nielsen, 2014a), and 85 percent of all mobile phone owners opt to upgrade to smartphones (Nielsen, 2014b). Further, the IDC has predicted that, by 2017, 70.5 percent of all connected devices in the world will be smartphones (Columbus, 2013).With such devices becoming the de facto standard for both interpersonal communication and online connectivity, it has become increasingly important for researchers and practitioners alike to understand the dynamics behind their adoption and use. Most smartphone interfaces differ significantly from those of personal computers (PCs), largely due to their small size and the rarity of PC touchscreens. Further, Norman and Nielsen (2010) report that designers of smartphone and tablet interfaces have ignored years of accepted interface design standards by introducing designs that are confusing and foreign to users. Interestingly, as touchscreen PCs proliferate, the trend toward making computer interfaces resemble tablet interfaces could make operating a PC confusing, too, which would require many people to re-learn how to use them.Instead of requiring mouse movements and keystrokes, smartphones rely on a new set of inputs such as swipes, pinches, voice-to-text transcriptions, and double-taps. Further, s...