THE IMPACT OF APPLYING UNIVERSAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES ON THE USABILITY OF ONLINE ACCOMMODATION BOOKING WEBSITES

Katarzyna KUREK


Lublin University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Computer Science (Poland)

Maria Skublewska-Paszkowska

maria.paszkowska@pollub.pl
Lublin University of Technology

Mariusz DZIENKOWSKI


Lublin University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Computer Science (Poland)

Paweł POWROZNIK


Lublin University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Computer Science (Poland)

Abstract

One of the concepts of human-computer interaction is the usability of websites, consisting of features such as efficiency, satisfaction, memorability, and learnability. Usability is particularly important in the case of websites that the user is expected to learn on their own. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the usability of user interfaces of websites and, based on this, to find how this evaluation is affected by the application of universal design principles. The objects of the study are two websites, one complying with the principles of universal design - created for the purpose of the study, and the other – an existing commercial website operating in the market, which does not follow these principles. Three hypotheses are defined: 1) effectiveness and efficiency of analyzed websites are higher for a service that followed the principles of universal design than a website that did not comply with these rules; 2) the quality of the user interface is greater for the service fulfilling the principles of universal design; 3) the satisfaction with the interaction with the interface is greater in case of websites conformed to the principles of universal design. The study uses two methods: eye tracking and questionnaires. The experiment involves 10 participants who had to perform a scenario consisting of 10 instructions that involved locating various elements in each of the tested GUI interfaces. The eye activity is recorded using a Gazepoint GP3 HD desktop eye tracker, which makes it possible to determine the effectiveness and efficiency values of using the analyzed interfaces. Each participant was also asked to fill out two questionnaires: the Lublin University of Technology one and the Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction. The study proves the truth of the hypotheses, that is, the positive impact of universal design on the usability evaluation of user interfaces.


Keywords:

accessibility, usability, universal design, eye tracking, WCAG

Abran, A., Khelifi, A., Suryn, W., & Seffah, A. (2003). Usability Meanings and Interpretations in ISO Standards. Software Quality Journal, 11, 325-338.
  Google Scholar

Badzio B., Bodziak A., Brodawka B., Buchajczuk K., Skublewska-Paszkowska M., Dzieńkowski M. & Powroźnik P. (2022). Analysis of the usability and accessability of websites in view of their universal design principles. Applied Computer Science, 18(3), 63-85.
  Google Scholar

Cao, S., & Loiacono-Mello, E.T. (2021). Perceptions of web accessibility guidelines by student website and app developers. Behaviour & Information Technology, 41, 2616 - 2634.
  Google Scholar

Centre for Excellence in Universal Design. (n.d.). What is Universal Design. Retrived May 13, 2023, from https://universaldesign.ie/what-is-universal-design/
  Google Scholar

Chin, J. P., Diehl V. A. & Norman K. L. (1988). Development of an Instrument Measuring User Satisfaction of the Human-Computer Interface. International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
  Google Scholar

Chynal, P., Falkowska, J., & Sobecki, J. (2018). Web Page Graphic Design Usability Testing Enhanced with Eye-Tracking. International Conference on Intelligent Human Systems Integration.
  Google Scholar

Hamid, S., Bawany, N.Z., & Zahoor, K. (2020). Assessing Ecommerce Websites: Usability and Accessibility Study. 2020 International Conference on Advanced Computer Science and Information Systems (ICACSIS), 199-204.
  Google Scholar

Hertzum, M. (2010). Images of Usability. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 26, 567-600.
  Google Scholar

Kreps, D.M. (2008). How the Web Continues to Fail People with Disabilities.
  Google Scholar

Liu, F. (2008). Usability evaluation on websites. 9th International Conference on Computer-Aided Industrial Design and Conceptual Design, 141–144.
  Google Scholar

Miłosz, M. (2014). Ergonomia systemów informatycznych. Politechnika Lubelska.
  Google Scholar

Nielsen, J. (1993). Usability Engineering. Morgan Kaufmann.
  Google Scholar

Schmutz, S., Sonderegger, A., & Sauer, J.S. (2016). Implementing Recommendations From Web Accessibility Guidelines. Human Factors: The Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 58, 611 - 629.
  Google Scholar

Schmutz, S., Sonderegger, A., & Sauer, J.S. (2017). Implementing Recommendations From Web Accessibility Guidelines: A Comparative Study of Nondisabled Users and Users With Visual Impairments. Human Factors: The Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 59, 956 - 972.
  Google Scholar

Schmutz, S., Sonderegger, A., & Sauer, J. (2018). Effects of accessible website design on nondisabled users: age and device as moderating factors. Ergonomics, 61, 697 - 709.
  Google Scholar

WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind). The 2023 report on the accessibility of the top 1,000,000 home pages, Retrived May 13, 2023, from https://webaim.org/projects/million
  Google Scholar

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. (n.d.). World Wide Web Consortium. Retrived May 13, 2023, from https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/
  Google Scholar

Web Design and Applications - Accessability. World Wide Web Consortium. Retrived May 13, 2023, from https://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/accessibility
  Google Scholar

Widyanti, A., & Qurratu Ainizzamani, S.A. (2017). Usability evaluation of online transportation' user interface. 2017 International Conference on Information Technology Systems and Innovation (ICITSI), 82-86.
  Google Scholar

Vollenwyder, B., Petralito, S., Iten, G.H., Brühlmann, F., Opwis, K., & Mekler, E.D. (2022). How compliance with web accessibility standards shapes the experiences of users with and without disabilities. Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud., 170, 102956.
  Google Scholar

Download


Published
2024-03-30

Cited by

KUREK, K., Skublewska-Paszkowska, M., DZIENKOWSKI, M., & POWROZNIK, P. (2024). THE IMPACT OF APPLYING UNIVERSAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES ON THE USABILITY OF ONLINE ACCOMMODATION BOOKING WEBSITES. Applied Computer Science, 20(1), 56–71. https://doi.org/10.35784/acs-2024-04

Authors

Katarzyna KUREK 

Lublin University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Computer Science Poland

Authors

Maria Skublewska-Paszkowska 
maria.paszkowska@pollub.pl
Lublin University of Technology

Authors

Mariusz DZIENKOWSKI 

Lublin University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Computer Science Poland

Authors

Paweł POWROZNIK 

Lublin University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Computer Science Poland

Statistics

Abstract views: 332
PDF downloads: 235


License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

All articles published in Applied Computer Science are open-access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.