Automating the evaluation of usability remotely for web applications via a model-based approach

Usability for software systems has emerged as an integral part of the continuous commercial success of IT companies. This is partly due to the vital need to satisfy customers´ goals for systems becoming pervasive and ubiquitous within our daily life. In this research study, we have explored the use of task models to define how the user should interact with a given system. Based on empirical data collected from end-users participating within the usability evaluation of a web application, data analysis is conducted to infer the usability degree. This is carried out in compliance with the defined task model and usability metrics describing efficiency of use. The proposed approach is a milestone towards automating usability evaluation as most of the studies are reporting manual-based methods to assess the usability of software systems. Experimental results performed to assess the usability of a website shows the potency of the system to discover usability setbacks that can be addressed to improve the user experience.