Evaluating the Usability of Mobile Applications: The Case of Covid-19 Apps in Saudi Arabia

Countries have used mobile applications (apps) creatively during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Saudi Arabia, the government has relied on several mobile apps to deal with different issues related to COVID-19, but so far there have not been enough studies conducted in the country to determine whether these mobile apps satisfy the principles of usability. This study takes a heuristic approach to evaluate and measure the usability of these apps. In particular, this study used SMART heuristics since they are designed specifically to evaluate usability on mobile devices and found that the apps Saudi Arabia has used during the pandemic suffer from several usability issues. We discuss these issues in detail and make recommendations to app designers in order to increase usability in their mobile apps.