Abstract:
With the fact that more and more mobile phones are now being used and the increase
in multiple instant messaging applications being developed and released in the market,
it has become quite mandatory to evaluate and check the usability of these applications
just so that it stands out and provides a more satisfying user experience. In this research,
we evaluated the usability of “WeChat”, a Chinese instant messaging application
(IMA) developed by Tencent. The aim of this research was to identify the usability
problems found within the User interface (UI) of “WeChat”. Survey evaluation was
carried out after the creation of a questionnaire (on an online survey creation website
named “Qualtrics”) based on the principles of Persuasive System Design (PSD). A
thorough study was done regarding what Persuasive System design is and what
categories and sub-categories it consisted of. We chose to consider and study Primary
Task Support (PTS) and Dialogue Support (DS) for our research. 38 expert users, from
different demographics, participated in the survey, filled out the form and submitted it
online. Expert Choice was used to carry out Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and
as a result, Personalization (from Primary Task Support) and Rewards (from Dialogue
Support) were found to be on the top priority with highest severity. Finally, a new
persuasive prototype is proposed for “WeChat” that serves to enhance the usability of
the application
