Usability of Apps and Websites: A Meta-Regression Study

Lack of usability is an important common issue in computer websites and mobile apps, despite a rich stream of literature in this area. Drawing upon 17 empirical studies on usability, we performed a meta-regression to examine whether the correlation between usability perception and a factor affecting usability depends on the nature of that influencing factor. The results suggest that information and application design affect usability perceptions of users. However, these two factors differ in an important aspect. Information has a positive effect on usability only in studies in the mobile context. By contrast, application design is positively related to usability perception in both websites and apps. The literature associates numerous factors with usability, but there is no consensus among researchers in this regard. Hence, by integrating factors affecting usability through a meta-analysis, this paper offers new insights to the literature