Users’ Perceptions of Smartphone Weather Applications’ Usability

Abstract

The advancements of smartphone technology have led to a significant growth of smartphone weather applications (i.e. apps) on the market. Due to the high risk and time-critical situations associated with severe weather conditions (e.g. floods, tornados, and thunderstorms), designing weather apps to consider users’ needs is critical for improving product usability. This paper employs a user-centered design (UCD) approach to investigate a sample of end users’ perceptions regarding the usability of smartphone weather apps. Focus group responses analyzed with a thematic analysis approach revealed four main themes representing key usability principles and design specifications. The four themes were (1) user cognitive load, (2) effectiveness, (3) efficiency of use, and (4) user perceptions. Several recommendations were suggested based on the findings which might assist developers in designing highly interactive and usable apps leading to increased user satisfaction.