ABSTRACT Mobile applications (apps) have become widely available as decision support tools in agriculture and forestry worldwide. Owing to the above-mentioned development trend, identifying testing methods that can be easily implemented for evaluating mobile app development targeting rural livelihood-related topics is urgently required. This study examined user experiences with a previously launched and published mobile app (EVO) that small-scale eucalyptus growers can utilize to estimate their gross income and net profit from timber sales. The survey incorporated three user experience assessment methods. The study involved two rounds of data collection regarding the mobile app: the first round concerned version 1.0, whereas the second round referred to version 2.0. The aim was to identify the user experience of the EVO app for guiding further software development to improve its suitability among potential user groups, as well as to estimate the feasibility and usability of survey methods for evaluating mobile apps among smallholders and related stakeholders. The results indicated a remarkable improvement in user satisfaction between the two rounds. Using a combination of system usability scale, user acceptance testing, and quality questions is recommended for collecting valuable and useful feedback for the development of mobile apps.
Read full abstract