Comparative Evaluation of Usability between QWERTY-Based Arabic and Non-QWERTY-Based Arabic Keyboard Layout: Empirical Evidence

Abstract

QWERTY-based Arabic keyboard layouts have been in existence in order to assist QWERTY users in Arabic typing. However, there was lack of empirical evidence presenting the comparative usability of this layout and the common non-QWERTY-based Arabic keyboard layout. This study examined the usability of a QWERTY-based Arabic keyboard layout (QB) and the common non-QWERTY-based Arabic keyboard layout (NQB) from the perspective of QWERTY users, and compared the evaluation results between the two layouts. After experiments using within-subjects and between-subjects designs, the results showed that QB is significantly better in efficiency and learnability than NQB. QB also enabled more effective typing in almost all experiment designs, except in one between-subjects study. The relatively short interaction time of participants’ first encounter with Arabic keyboards possibly caused this exception. Most participants subjectively preferred QB to NQB in their overall usability.

Analisis penggunaan aplikasi arabic pad sebagai media menulis dan mengedit teks berbahasa arab pada mahasiswa UIN Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten

“…Penelitian tentang tata letak keyboard Arab berbasis QWERTY yang telah ada untuk membantu pengguna QWERTY dalam mengetik bahasa Arab dan membandingkan hasil evaluasi antara kedua layout oleh (Aknuranda et al, 2020) dan (Habib et al, 2013).…”