Using simulation to aid decision making in managing the usability evaluation process

Abstract

Abstract.Context: This paper is developed in the context of Usability Engineering. More specifically, it focuses on the use of modelling and simulation to help decision-making in the scope of usability evaluation. Objective:The main goal of this paper is to present UESim: a System Dynamics simulation model to help decisionmaking in the make-up of the usability evaluation team during the process of usability evaluation. Method:To develop this research we followed four main research phases: a) study identification, b) study development, c) running and observation and finally, d) reflexion. In relation with these phases the paper describes the literature revision, the model building and validation, the model simulation and its results and finally the reflexion on it.Results: We developed and validated a model to simulate the usability evaluation process. Through three different simulations we analysed the effects of different compositions of the evaluation team on the outcome of the evaluation. The simulation results show the utility of the model in the decision making of the usability evaluation process by changing the number and expertise of evaluators employed. Conclusion:One of the main advantages of using such a simulation model is that it allows developers to observe the evolution of the key indicators of the evaluation process over time. UESim represents a customisable tool to help decision-making in the management of the usability evaluation process, since it makes it possible to analyse how the key process indicators are affected by the main management options of the Usability Evaluation Process.

Distributed Simulation Using Agents for the Internet of Things and the Factory of the Future

“…Simulation is a versatile tool that is often used in organizations in order to make better decisions since it allows them to assess the expected impact caused by changes proposed to their process [9]. Simulation tools can be applied in many fields such as education, environment, healthcare, business analysis, and manufacturing.…”

A Formal Protocol to Conduct Usability Heuristic Evaluations in the Context of the Software Development Process

“…training, (3) evaluation, (4) discussion and (5) report. The structure of this protocol was developed according to the approach proposed by Hurtado et al [7] for usability inspections. The sequence of our procedure is illustrated in Figure 1.…”

Validation in the Web Domain of a Formal Process to Evaluate the Usability of Software Applications: An Approach based on the Heuristic Inspection

“…The list of papers is detailed in [6], but the new studies from 2016 that were incorporated to our analysis are [4], [5], [24], [29], [18], [14], [2] and [31]. The new evaluation process was structured in five phases according to the framework established by Hurtado et al [27] for usability inspection methods. In accordance with the different perspectives that are established in the studies to carry out heuristic evaluations in the software context, we have developed a formal protocol that is presented as follows:…”