Should I Use Laptop or Smartphone? a Usability Study on an Online Learning Application

Abstract

Nowadays, people increasingly use smartphones for numerous activities including learning. This research aims to investigate the usability of an online learning application and compare if there is any difference in usability between usage in desktop environment and mobile environment. The research analyzed system usability according to the Nielsen's usability model and further investigated how learnability, efficiency, errors, and attractiveness of the application in both website version and mobile app version could influence user satisfaction. The research used Duolingo, an online learning application for foreign languages, and involved Gen Y and Gen Z populations in Jakarta, Indonesia as respondents. The results show that website usage in desktop environment scored higher in learnability compared to the mobile app version; while mobile app usage scored higher in attractiveness compared to the website version. It was also observed that user satisfaction in website and mobile app were influenced by different usability factors. Efficiency and errors were found to have significant influence on user satisfaction in desktop website usage, while only attractiveness showed significant influence on user satisfaction in mobile app usage.