Users' Perspective of Smartphone Platforms Usability: An Empirical Study

Smartphones are overwhelmingly considered as one of the most viral technological advancements in handheld and mobile computing. A wide array of companies are directly or indirectly incorporating new smartphone platforms and hence continually enhancing their features to wholly new levels. However, the incorporation on the most basic 'ease of use for all' front is still seriously lagging. Although new exciting features are innovated and developed on pace, yet there remains a huge gap for adequately supplementing the usability quotient of smartphones that is presently inferior in comparison to the desktop systems. Humans with variable ages, cognitive structures, experience based mental models and perceptions of reality eye smartphones differently. This inherent heterogeneity is one of the most burdening problems in smartphone adaptability and usability phenomenon. To target this critical and highly practical usability issue, a comparative investigation of the usability evaluation for the smartphone platforms (iOS & Android) considering the needs of older people is conducted. The main purpose is to investigate the difference of performance measure of older age groups (novice, intermediate, experienced).