Usability evaluation model of an application with emphasis on collaborative security: an approach from social dimensions

Abstract

Abstract Technological ubiquity and advances in the use of networked devices, such as smartphones, have become a fundamental element in the dynamics of information in the social environment. Social problems can be discussed in these networks, receiving the aid from these devices, in order to unite community members in a network that is strengthened for common goals, transforming the local reality. The motivation for this work lies in the fact that lack of security is one of the problems that have most afflicted Brazilians in recent years. From this reality, the main objective of this study was the development of a usability analysis model suitable for smartphone applications and that allows identifying of the viability of using a collaborative security application in the social context of a city of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The objective was designed to investigate how the different dimensions inherent to the social context interfere with the acceptance of technological resources, specifically, of a smartphone application in a community. Data collection was performed by applying two questionnaires to 22 participants living in the municipality (eight men and 14 women), one being a demographic survey and the other to evaluate usability focusing on users’ perception of the use of the application. The application usage scenario is family safety facing the challenges of mitigating public security issues. The analysis of the results was based on the reinterpretation of usability from the perspective of the Theory of Innovation Diffusion and the Recursive Model of Access to Technology. In order to validate the reliability of the instrument used to collect the data regarding the usability of the application, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was applied. The result indicates that the instrument used was concise and efficient. The study enabled conclusions pointing that this type of interpretation allows us to glimpse at horizons that go beyond explicit aspects of usability, helping to understand environmental and social factors intrinsic to the context of technological diffusion in a developing society.

Keywords

• Usability
• Innovation diffusion
• Access to technology
• Social factors