Usability Enhancement through Heuristics: A Framework for Mobile Money Transfer Systems

Abstract

The widespread use of mobile technology has enabled the introduction of various mobile money services. Many factors contribute to the success of mobile money transfer systems, and usability measures the level of success. Usability heuristics principles developed by Nielsen, a pioneer in usability engineering, have existed and are popularly used to assess the usability of computer systems. However, in the wake of emerging new technologies such as mobile applications and mobile money transfer systems, there is a need for domain-specific heuristics.    The purpose of the study is to investigate the usability of mobile money transfer systems and develop a usability heuristic framework that enhances Mobile Money Transfer Systems.   The study covered mobile money transfer systems in Kenya. The research adopted a mixed method design that included the Design Science Research methodology and survey design. The Design Science Research process provided the structure for the study and the survey design guided the questionnaire administration. Data were obtained using questionnaires. The target population was Mobile Money Transfer System consumers in Nairobi County, Kenya. The data collected was analysed using both descriptive and factor analysis. A mobile money transfer system usability heuristics framework was developed using the findings. A sample of 396 was used, with a response rate of 81.1%. This framework was validated by mobile money transfer systems experts, who agreed that the developed framework can be applied in the real world with an average weighted mean of 4.55, allowing for further development. This research contributes to knowledge of usability heuristics required to evaluate mobile money transfer systems, reducing the development time and cost.