The current status of usability studies of information technologies in China: a systematic study.

Jianbo Lei,Jiajie Zhang,Yang Gong,Qun Meng,Lufei Xu

doi:10.1155/2014/568303

Abstract

Objectives. To systematically review and analyze the current status and characteristics of usability studies in China in the field of information technology in general and in the field of healthcare in particular. Methods. We performed a quantitative literature analysis in three major Chinese academic databases and one English language database using Chinese search terms equivalent to the concept of usability. Results. Six hundred forty-seven publications were selected for analysis. We found that in China the literature on usability in the field of information technology began in 1994 and increased thereafter. The usability definitions from ISO 9241-11:1998 and Nielsen (1993) have been widely recognized and cited. Authors who have published several publications are rare. Fourteen journals have a publishing rate over 1%. Only nine publications about HIT were identified. Discussions. China's usability research started relatively late. There is a lack of organized research teams and dedicated usability journals. High-impact theoretical studies are scarce. On the application side, no original and systematic research frameworks have been developed. The understanding and definition of usability is not well synchronized with international norms. Besides, usability research in HIT is rare. Conclusions. More human and material resources need to be invested in China's usability research, particularly in HIT.

Highlights

Usability is essential for the effective, efficient, and safe design, use, and learning of information technology
In the field of health information technology (HIT), usability research has been identified as an important cognitive challenge for the adoption and meaningful use of HIT by the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), which is part of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and has become an active area for research, design, and practice in HIT [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
What is the current status of usability research in China? In this paper, through systematically reviewing the literature published in China and applying a combined qualitative and quantitative approach, we present the current status and existing problems of usability research and practice in China’s information technology field

Summary

Introduction

Usability is essential for the effective, efficient, and safe design, use, and learning of information technology. In China, with 30 years of rapid economic development, China’s investment in social development and scientific research has been increasing dramatically. Given this context, one question we would like to answer is as follows. Through systematically reviewing the literature published in China and applying a combined qualitative and quantitative approach, we present the current status and existing problems of usability research and practice in China’s information technology field What is the current status of usability research in China? In this paper, through systematically reviewing the literature published in China and applying a combined qualitative and quantitative approach, we present the current status and existing problems of usability research and practice in China’s information technology field

Objectives

Methods

Results