Enhancing Usability of an Instant Messaging Application through Proposing a Prototype based on Persuasive System Design

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