Usability and Accessibility Evaluation of Nigerian Mobile Network Operators’ Websites

Abstract

Usability and accessibility of websites have been a subject of great importance to human computer interaction researchers. Hence, this paper carries out the usability and accessibility evaluation of the four main Nigeria mobile network operators’ websites. The websites tested are: www.mtnonline.com, www.gloworld.com, www.ng.airtel.com, and www.9mobile.com.ng. Four online automated tools were used which are: Mobile SEO, WAVE, TAW and Achecker. User testing was also conducted in a controlled environment with forty participants who were given five tasks to perform on the websites. The activities of the participants were recorded using Camtasia studio to get the total time taken to complete the task. Questionnaire for Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS) was used toget users feedback on the tested websites. The QUIS was designed based on five categories with each category dealing with an aspect of usability. The results show that the overall usability level of MTN was the best among the four. This was followed by GLO, 9mobile and Airtel respectively. From the results obtained, it is recommended that the web designers of the mobile network operators compare their website design with web content accessibility guideline (WCAG 2.0) to make sure the different categories of subscribers are satisfied with the features and services provided by the websites.