An examination of usability status of a mobile e-book developed for foreign language education through user experience

This study aims to comprehensively examine the usability of an e-book used in foreign language education and user satisfaction. 16 volunteer students studying English from a foundation university in Ankara and an e-book installed on tablets were selected. The e-books are installed on Android tablets work both offline. Multimedia files are embedded in it. The usability was measured according to the criteria provided by ISO: effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction. Data from the study group were collected using quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data were collected by participant information form and user test, while qualitative data by face-to-face interviews. Descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the data. The user test consists of several tasks. The effectiveness and efficiency of the e-book was evaluated using the data (completion status, completion time, number of errors) obtained from the usability test. The satisfaction level was determined by compiling the answers from the face-to-face interview where participants answered 8 questions. The results show that the effectiveness level of the e-book is generally high, and the efficiency level varies according to the feature used in the e-book. The prominent dissatisfaction of the participants is that they cannot use the virtual pen effectively. One factor that positively affects the satisfaction level is the multimedia tools. In future studies, other usability tests can be used for usability evaluations. As the use of e-books is increasing, this research is thought to lead the usability evaluation of other e-books.