Tool for Detecting Webpage Usability Problems from Mouse Click Coordinate Logs

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a method that detects inconsistencies between user interaction logs of a task and desired sequences for the task based on mouse click coordinate logs. The proposed method models two successive clicks as a vector and thus a sequence of operation in a user/desired log as a sequence of vectors. A vector is from the ith clicked point to the (i+1)th clicked point in the screen. To detect inconsistencies in user interactions and desired sequences, each vector from user logs is compared with each vector from desired logs. As cues of usability problems, the method detects two types of inconsistencies: unnecessary/missed operations. We have developed a computer tool for logging and analyzing user interactions and desired sequences by the proposed method. The tool is applied to experimental usability evaluation of ten business/public organization websites. Effectiveness of the method is evaluated based on the application result. The proposed method contributes to find 61% of the usability problems found by a manual method in much smaller amount of time: the number of clicks analyzed by an evaluator with the proposed method is only 1/5-1/10 of that with the manual method. This result indicates the proposed method is efficient in finding problems.