Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing of G-MoMo Applications

Copy igh © 2022 by Au ho /s and Licensed by IADITI. This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems Enginee ing and Managemen 2022, 7(3), 15751 e-ISSN: 2468-4376 h ps://www.jisem-jou nal.com/ Resea ch A icle Heu is ic E alua ion and Usabili y Tes ing o G-MoMo Applica ions Guma Ali1 *, Mussa Ally Dida1 , Anael Elikana Sam2 1Depa men o In o ma ion Technology De elopmen and Managemen (ITDM), Nelson Mandela A ican Ins i u ion o Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania 2Depa men o Communica ion Science and Enginee ing (CoSE), Nelson Mandela A ican Ins i u ion o Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania * Co esponding Au ho : [email p o ec ed] Ci a ion: Ali, G., Dida, M. A., and Sam, A. E. (2022). Heu is ic E alua ion and Usabili y Tes ing o G-MoMo Applica ions. Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems Enginee ing and Managemen , 7(3), 15751. h ps://doi.o g/10.55267/iad .07.12296 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Recei ed: 12 May 2022 Accep ed: 29 Jul. 2022 Financial echnology (FinTech) has swi ly e olu ionized mobile money as one o he ways o accessing inancial se ices in de eloping coun ies. Nume ous mobile money applica ions we e de eloped o access mobile money se ices bu a e hinde ed by se e e au hen ica ion secu i y challenges, hus, o cing he esea che s o design a secu e mul i- ac o au hen ica ion (MFA) algo i hm o mobile money applica ions. Th ee p o o ypes o na i e mobile money applica ions (G- MoMo applica ions) we e de eloped o con i m ha he algo i hm p o ides high secu i y and is easible. This s udy, he e o e, aimed o e alua e he usabili y o he G- MoMo applica ions using heu is ic e alua ion and usabili y es ing o iden i y po en ial usabili y issues and p o ide ecommenda ions o imp o emen . Heu is ic e alua ion and usabili y es ing me hods we e used o e alua e he G- MoMo applica ions. The heu is ic e alua ion was ca ied ou by i e expe s ha used he 10 p inciples p oposed by Jakob Nielsen wi h a i e- poin se e i y a ing scale o iden i y he usabili y p oblems. While he usabili y es ing was conduc ed wi h o y pa icipan s selec ed using a pu posi e sampling me hod o alida e he usabili y o he G- MoMo applica ions by pe o ming asks and illing ou he pos - es ques ionnai e. Da a collec ed we e analyzed in RS udio so wa e. Six y- h ee usabili y issues we e iden i ied du ing heu is ic e alua ion, whe e 33 we e mino and 30 we e majo . The mos iola ed heu is ic i ems we e “help and documen a ion”, and “use con ol and eedom”, while he leas iola ed heu is ic i ems we e “aes he ic and minimalis design” and “ isibili y o sys em s a us”. The usabili y es ing indings e ealed ha he G- MoMo applica ions’ pe o mance p o ed good in lea nabili y, e ec i eness, e iciency, memo abili y, and e o s. I also p o ided use sa is ac ion, ease o use, aes he ics, use ulness, in eg a ion, and unde s andabili y. The e o e, i was highly ecommended ha he de elope s o G- MoMo applica ions ix he iden i ied usabili y p oblems o make he applica ions mo e eliable and inc ease o e all use sa is ac ion. Keywo ds: Mobile money, indus y 4.0, digi al ans o ma ion, G-MoMo applica ions, blockchain, heu is ic e alua ion, usabili y es ing, expe s, pa icipan s. INTRODUCTION The e olu ion o he ou h indus ial e olu ion has caused a subs an ial ans o ma ion in business h ough FinTech, such as mobile money. Howe e , o e a billion people in de eloping coun ies do no ha e o mal bank accoun s, o cing he unbanked popula ion o incu high ansac ion cos s and he since hey eso ed o in o mal inancial ne wo ks. Su p isingly, he unbanked popula ion has access o mobile phones, making i easy o ans e money digi ally, hus, gi ing ise o mobile money. As one o he essen ial inancial inno a ions in de eloping coun ies, mobile money ills his gap by o e ing con enien digi al inancial se ices o e mobile phones and imp o ing inancial inclusions (Ali e al., 2020a; Rwiza e al., 2020). The mobile money subsc ibe s pe o m mobile money se ices using ei he a dedica ed mobile applica ion o he uns uc u ed supplemen a y se ice da a (USSD) (Ali e al., 2020b; Ayeb e al., 2022). The cu en mobile money applica ions de eloped by he mobile money se ice p o ide s only use a pe sonal iden i ica ion numbe (PIN) and one- ime passwo d (OTP) o au hen ica e mobile money subsc ibe s. Though p omising, his wo- ac o au hen ica ion (2FA) scheme is suscep ible o many secu i y a acks (Ali e al., 2020b). Much as he de eloped applica ions helped ensu e mobile money secu i y, mo e wo k is s ill needed o imp o e hei algo i hms. This p omp ed he esea che s o de elop a secu e MFA algo i hm o mobile money applica ions o o e come hese secu i y issues (Ali e al., 2021). Ali G. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15751 2 / 14 O he eme ging echnologies such as blockchain a e also used in mobile money sys ems o (1) p e en aud and ensu e he secu i y o he mobile money ansac ions da a; (2) ensu e in e ope abili y among he di e en mobile money se ice p o ide s o pe mi c oss-ope a o s ansac ions; (3) c ea e anspa en and aceable da a; (4) ensu e audi abili y by allowing go e nmen s and egula o s o access a c yp og aphically e i iable copy o an immu able ledge ; and (5) add ess us ed hi d-pa y issues. These a e achie ed by s o ing he mobile money use ’s iden i y and he mobile money ansac ions da a in a dis ibu ed and immu able ledge (Agbezou si e al., 2021, 2019). Th ee p o o ypes o na i e G-MoMo we e de eloped o p o e he algo i hm’s easibili y and p o ide high secu i y agains a acks and h ea s (Ali e al., 2021). This s udy, he e o e, alida es he de eloped na i e G-MoMo applica ions using heu is ic e alua ion and usabili y es ing o iden i y usabili y issues and p o ide eedback o imp o emen o achie e usabili y and sa is ac ion. The usabili y o applica ions due o use - iendly design enhances use expe ience, a ac s and e ains cus ome s, inc eases p o i abili y o se ices, allows use s o a ain hei desi ed objec i es and con ibu es o use sa is ac ion and loyal y. The c i ical ask o mobile applica ion de elope s equi ing keen a en ion is imp o ing he applica ions’ design o appease use sa is ac ion h ough heu is ic e alua ion and usabili y es ing. The heu is ic e alua ion uses he 10 heu is ics es ablished by Jakob Nielsen o iden i y any usabili y p oblems wi h he applica ion in e aces and p o ide eedback o imp o ing he ea ly designs (He zum, 2020; J. Nielsen, 1994a). A he same ime, usabili y es ing is e alua ed based on quali y componen s such as e ec i eness, e iciency, sa is ac ion, lea nabili y, e o s, memo abili y, unde s andabili y, a ac i eness, and accessibili y (Amma , 2019; Chipa and Mwanza, 2021). Valida ing he na i e G-MoMo applica ions using heu is ic e alua ion and usabili y es ing is c ucial because i allows he applica ion de elope s, expe s, mobile money se ice p o ide s, and end-use s o es he G-MoMo applica ions’ use in e aces o ensu e usabili y and sa is ac ion. The signi ican con ibu ion o his s udy is he alida ion o he G-MoMo applica ions using heu is ic e alua ion and usabili y es ing o iden i y usabili y issues and p o ide eedback o imp o emen s. Bo h heu is ic e alua ion and usabili y es ing we e achie ed h ough labo a o y expe imen s. Expe s and a ew selec ed pa icipan s used he G-MoMo applica ions in he eal en i onmen o iden i y usabili y p oblems and p o ide eedback by illing he pos - es ques ionnai e o imp o emen s (Amma , 2019). The emaining con en s o his a icle a e s uc u ed as ollows: The backg ound o mobile applica ion usabili y, usabili y e alua ion, heu is ic e alua ion, usabili y es ing, and G-MoMo applica ions a e p o ided in Sec ion 2, and Sec ion 3 desc ibes he ma e ials and me hods used. The analysis o he esul s is explained in Sec ion 4, while discussions a e p esen ed in Sec ion 5. Finally, he conclusion and ecommenda ions a e aised in Sec ion 6. BACKGROUND Mobile Applica ion Usabili y (Weichb o h, 2020) de ines a mobile applica ion as a p og am de eloped o sma phones and able s o pe o m speci ic asks and unc ions. Mobile applica ions can ei he be ins alled on mobile de ices o accessed using web b owse s (Lynn e al., 2020). The ins alled mobile applica ions can be downloaded om mobile App S o es such as Google Play S o e, Apple App S o e, Amazon Apps o e, Samsung Galaxy Apps, Huawei App S o e, and Sony Apps (Byun e al., 2020). Mobile applica ion usabili y has a ac ed he a en ion o applica ion use s, so wa e de elope s, and academics and is a c ucial a ea o esea ch in human-compu e in e ac ion (HCI) because i de e mines he applica ion’s success and educes i i a ion du ing usage (Lynn e al., 2020; Weichb o h, 2020). The usabili y o mobile applica ions also de e mines he success ul echnology adop ion depending on how use s eel abou he use o he applica ion in e ms o imp o ing wo k pe o mance (Byun e al., 2020). The use ’s eelings, unde s anding, desi es, con enience, a i ude, and achie emen a e assessed h ough mobile applica ion usage (Bajca e al., 2020). The success ul adop ion and usage o mobile applica ions depend on how use s easily and e icien ly pe o m se ices. When mobile applica ions a e poo ly designed, i esul s in low usage. Ne e heless, an applica ion can only be used when i pe o ms i s unc ions e ec i ely, e icien ly, and sa is ac o ily. The usabili y o mobile applica ions is e alua ed using expe -based me hods and a s anda d ques ionnai e designed and adminis e ed o end-use s o asce ain hei sa is ac ion based on ease o usage o he applica ions, how hey enable use s o pe o m asks e icien ly and clea ly, and so on (Sala i e al., 2021). Acco ding o (Amma , 2019), usabili y is how speci ic people use a so wa e p oduc o a ain s a ed goals e ec i ely, e icien ly, and sa is ac o ily. A usabili y e alua ion is a sequence o a well-de ined se o asks o ga he ing ele an in o ma ion ela ed o end-use in e ac ion wi h he applica ion o de e mine how ea u es o he so wa e p oduc add o ea ning a ce ain le el o usabili y by iden i ying he usabili y p oblems (Kous e al., 2020; Lynn e al., 2020). I s main objec i e is o assess he quali y o he in e ace designs o he sys em and mobile applica ions, asce ain he possible in e ac ion issues wi h he applica ions, de elop aes he ic in e ace designs and check hem pe he usabili y s anda ds. Usabili y e alua ion can be o ma i e o summa i e, depending on he assessmen goals (Salman e al., 2018). Fo ma i e e alua ion collec s eedback om use s o addi ional de elopmen , while summa i e e alua ion e alua es whe he he se usabili y equi emen s a e ul illed (Hewe , 1986). Se e al ac o s such as sc een size, s o age capaci y, in e ace design, and con ex o use a e conside ed in he usabili y e alua ion o mobile applica ions. Usabili y E alua ion The usabili y e alua ion p ocess is essen ial and includes many e alua ion me hods such as heu is ic e alua ion, cogni i e walk h ough, in e iews, log analysis, ask analysis, eye acking, pe spec i e-based inspec ion, hink-aloud usabili y es ing, guideline e iews, ocus g oup, ques ionnai es, and emo e es ing (Islam e al., 2020; Wahyuning um e al., 2020). These usabili y e alua ion me hods a e applied a any s age o Ali G. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15751 3 / 14 he so wa e de elopmen p ocess, and he e alua ion p ocess can be pe o med on p o o ypes and he inal p oduc . I helps educe cos s since changes a e easy o implemen and de e mine i he applica ion mee s an app op ia e le el o usabili y. They p o ide ecommenda ions o imp o ing he in e ace designs o he applica ions (Eliseo e al., 2017). (Jeong e al., 2020) and (Pu i e al., 2021) u he added ha he usabili y e alua ion me hod measu es so wa e usabili y by es ing i wi h selec ed use s o iden i y any usabili y p oblems and gi e di ec eedback and ecommenda ions o imp o emen o achie e e ec i eness, e iciency, and use sa is ac ion. Heu is ic e alua ion and usabili y es ing a e he p ima y me hods o alida ing applica ion in e aces (Amma , 2019). By ca ying ou usabili y e alua ion, i helps o iden i y de ec s in mobile applica ions by checking and inspec ing he applica ion in e aces, hus, allowing de elope s o p oduce sui able applica ion designs o achie e usabili y e alua ion goals (Lynn e al., 2020). I emphasizes he le el use s in e ac wi h mobile de ices, ensu es he accep abili y o he applica ion, p o ides ease o applica ion usage, ensu es e ec i e and e icien applica ion, and ac s as an essen ial e e ence o imp o ing he applica ions’ design and ea u es (Lynn e al., 2020). Heu is ic e alua ion is ex ensi ely used o alida e sys em and applica ion in e aces du ing and a e de elopmen (Hussain and Oma , 2020). Jakob Nielsen p oposed he heu is ic e alua ion me hod in 1994 and de ined i as an e alua ion me hod wi h be ween 3 o 5 ained HCI expe e alua o s o examine a sys em o p o o ype acco ding o es ablished heu is ic p inciples o check o p oblems and de iciencies wi h he applica ion in e aces and ec i y possible aul s (J. Nielsen and Mack, 1994). I is pe o med by expe s who ely on 10 heu is ics es ablished by Jakob Nielsen o se e as a amewo k o e alua ing he use in e ace design o applica ions, and he expe s a e selec ed ca e ully (J. Nielsen, 1994a). The expe s include usabili y specialis s, ellow de elope s, and expe use s who use heu is ic ules, subjec i e judgmen , and ask-based e alua ion o a e he se e i y o applica ion in e ace issues. Then all p oblems and a ings a e analyzed collec i ely o iden i y he mos c i ical usabili y issues (T emoule e al., 2021). Heu es ic E alua ion Heu is ic e alua ion’s p ima y goal is o iden i y usabili y p oblems when some expe use s ope a e he sys em o applica ion in e ace a a ela i ely low cos , esul ing in mul iple enhancemen s o he mobile applica ions (Kuma e al., 2020). When he heu is ic p inciple is iola ed, he expe de e mines he se e i y o he p oblem and sugges s solu ions (Pa ami ha e al., 2018). I can be ca ied ou a any so wa e de elopmen s age upon iden i ying he p oblem and usually p esen s he bes p ac ical esul s(Kuma e al., 2020). The expe goes h ough he sys em once o ge amilia wi h i du ing he heu is ic e alua ion and hen ho oughly assesses he speci ic heu is ics (Ball and Bo hma, 2018). A maximum o i e expe s can iden i y usabili y p oblems (J. Nielsen and Mack, 1994). The 10 p inciples p oposed by Jakob Nielsen o examine he usabili y p oblems wi h he in e ace designs a e “ isibili y o sys em s a us”; “ma ch be ween he sys em and he eal wo ld”; “use con ol and eedom”; “consis ency and s anda ds”; “e o p e en ion”; “ ecogni ion a he han ecall”; “ lexibili y and e iciency o use”; “aes he ic and minimalis design”; “help use s ecognize, diagnose, and eco e om e o s”; and “help and documen a ion” (J. Nielsen, 1994a). Heu is ic e alua ion o e s nume ous bene i s, including simple, as & e icien iden i ica ion o usabili y p oblems, a cheap me hod o e alua e applica ions, easy o mo i a e people o do, and sui able o e e y li e-cycle so wa e phase (Kuma e al., 2020; T emoule e al., 2021) Due o hese bene i s, he heu is ic e alua ion app oach is widely used in HCI o e alua e he e ec i eness o mobile applica ions. Usabili y Tes ing The usabili y es ing me hod de ines he usabili y o a sys em and mobile applica ion. I has been accep ed as an essen ial ac i i y in so wa e design, implemen a ion, es ing, accep ance, and e ision because i aims o de e mine use pe cep ion abou he applica ion by measu ing con enience and e iciency and ensu ing use sa is ac ion wi h he so wa e p oduc (Ramayasa and Cand awibawa, 2021; Wi asasmia a and Uska, 2019). So wa e de elope s mus pe o m usabili y es s on mobile applica ions o achie e he quali y o asks and help imp o e applica ion designs o highe ma ke and compe ency (Byun e al., 2020; Lynn e al., 2020). I is also essen ial in de eloping an applica ion o ensu e ha he a ious end-use s can access, unde s and and iden i y gaps, and use i (Baba unde e al., 2020). Usabili y es ing can be conduc ed h oughou he de elopmen li e cycle o he mobile applica ion (Weichb o h, 2020). I consis s o mul iple ace s commonly known as usabili y a ibu es, used o measu e he quali y o he applica ions (Pu i e al., 2021; Zaka ia e al., 2020). In e nal and ex e nal a ibu es a e he wo ypes o usabili y a ibu es used o measu e he quali y o applica ions (Amma , 2019). Resea che s ha e iden i ied many a ibu es o es ing he usabili y o mobile applica ions, which include (a) lea nabili y; (b) e ec i eness; (c) e iciency; (d) memo abili y; (e) e o s; ( ) use sa is ac ion; (g) simplici y; (h) comp ehensibili y; (i) cogni i e load; (j) ease o use; (k) unde s andabili y; (l) ope abili y; (m) aes he ic; (n) accessibili y; and (o) lea ning pe o mance (Byun e al., 2020; Hussain and Oma , 2020; Kous e al., 2020; Lynn e al., 2020). Se e al usabili y es ing me hods used echniques, such as pe o mance measu emen , o e alua e e ec i eness and e iciency. Re ospec i e hink-aloud and pos -s udy sys em usabili y ques ionnai es measu e use sa is ac ion (Amma , 2019). Usabili y es ing o e s se e al bene i s, such as iden i ying usabili y p oblems ia use in e ac ion obse a ion; de e mining how easily a use uses an applica ion’s in e ace. Fu he mo e, usabili y es ing educes he cos o changes la e in he so wa e de elopmen li e cycle (Bu ka d, 2020; Jeong e al., 2020). G-MoMo Applica ion (Ali e al., 2021) designed a secu e MFA algo i hm o mobile money applica ions. The algo i hm au hen ica es mobile money subsc ibe s using a no el me hod combining PIN, OTP, and biome ic inge p in . The mobile money cus ome con i ms money wi hd awal by scanning hei biome ic inge p in and he agen ’s QR code. In addi ion, he PINs and OTPs a e p o ec ed by SHA-256; biome ic inge p in s by FIDO, whe e he RSA enc yp ion secu es he public/p i a e key pai and he inge p in empla es; and he QR codes, con iden ial Ali G. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15751 4 / 14 in o ma ion in he da abases, and all he da a be o e ansmission using Fe ne enc yp ion (Ali e al., 2021). G-MoMo IT suppo applica ion, G-MoMo agen applica ion, and G-MoMo cus ome applica ion p o o ypes we e de eloped o p o e he algo i hm’s easibili y and p o ide high secu i y agains a acks and h ea s. The applica ions’ on -end was de eloped using he Vue JS amewo k, Py hon o he back-end, MySQL as a back-end da abase, and Twilio SMS o ecei e he OTP (Ali e al., 2021). The mobile money IT suppo s a uses he G-MoMo IT suppo applica ion o egis e new mobile money IT suppo s a and agen s, add new sma phones o egis e ed mobile money agen s and cus ome s, display he en olled subsc ibe s’ s a is ics, and manage hei PIN and biome ic inge p in . G- MoMo agen applica ion allows mobile money agen s o en ol new cus ome s, deposi money, display agen ’s QR code, check a ailable loa and manage hei PIN and biome ic inge p in . While G-MoMo cus ome applica ion allows mobile money cus ome s o wi hd aw money, send money, pay bills, check elec onic balances and mini s a emen s, and manage hei PIN and biome ic inge p in (Ali e al., 2021). The h ee G-MoMo applica ions we e used o explain he en olmen , au hen ica ion, and ansac ion phases (Ali e al., 2021). Mobile Money Agen En olmen Phase The en olmen phase in ol es he mobile money IT suppo s a downloading and ins alling he G-MoMo IT suppo applica ion on hei sma phones connec ed o he In e ne . The mobile money IT suppo s a mus log in o he G-MoMo IT Suppo Applica ion. Once hey log in success ully, hey can egis e a new mobile money agen by cap u ing hei i s name, las name, and phone numbe , and hen con i m hei egis a ion. A 5-digi OTP will be gene a ed and sen o he new mobile money agen ’s sma phone, whe e hey a e eques ed o ead and ell he IT suppo s a . The mobile money IT suppo s a will en e he OTP o comple e he egis a ion. I he OTP ma ches, he in o ma ion is sa ed in he da abase and he new agen is success ully egis e ed bu equi ed o inish he en olmen p ocess by ins alling and unning he G-MoMo agen applica ion; else, equi ed o a emp h ee (3) imes. Figu e 1(a)–( ) illus a es he s eps he mobile money IT suppo s a ollows o en ol he new mobile money agen using he G-MoMo IT suppo applica ion. A e ins alling he G-MoMo agen applica ion, and when he mobile money agen uns he G-MoMo agen applica ion o he i s ime, he sys em will equi e he agen ’s sma phone and phone numbe o be egis e ed. The agen will be eques ed o en e hei phone numbe , h ough which a 5-digi OTP will be sen o e i y he phone numbe and sma phone. Once he agen ecei es and en e s he OTP, i will be compa ed wi h he copy s o ed in he da abase, and i i ma ches, he sma phone and phone numbe a e egis e ed, and a uni e sally unique iden i ie (UUID) is gene a ed o he phone numbe and sma phone, and he UUID is enc yp ed wi h Fe ne and sa ed in he main da abase. Figu e 2(a)–(d) illus a es he s eps he mobile money agen ollows o egis e hei sma phone and phone numbe . A e success ully egis e ing he phone numbe and he sma phone, he agen mus comple e he en olmen p ocess by unning he G-MoMo agen applica ion, en e ing hei i e (5)- digi PIN, and e-en e ing he 5-digi PIN again. I he PINs ma ch, he agen is eques ed o con i m he c ea ion o he new PIN. Once he new PIN is app o ed, he mobile money agen can en oll hei biome ic inge p in by scanning i using i s biome ic inge p in senso , and i i is success ully cap u ed, he inge p in empla e is sa ed, and he mobile money agen is success ully egis e ed. The applica ion hen sends a no i ica ion o he mobile money agen o success ul egis a ion and is eady o use he G-MoMo agen applica ion. Figu e 3(a)–(g) illus a es he s eps he mobile money agen mus ollow o comple e he en olmen using he G-MoMo agen applica ion. Figu e 1(a)-( ). Illus a es he s eps he mobile money IT suppo s a ollows o en oll he mobile money agen using he G- MoMo IT suppo applica ion. Ali G. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15751 5 / 14 Mobile Money Agen Au hen ica ion Phase A e he success ul en olmen , he agen can log in o he G-MoMo agen applica ion by en e ing he i e-digi PIN. I he PIN is co ec , a 5-digi OTP is gene a ed and sen o he agen by SMS. Once he OTP is ecei ed, hey mus en e i , whe e he sys em will compa e i wi h he empla e s o ed in he da abase. I i ma ches, he agen is eques ed o scan hei biome ic inge p in . I he scanned inge p in ma ches, he agen success ully logs in o he G-MoMo agen applica ion and is p esen ed wi h he menu o choose se ice(s). Figu e 4(a)–(d) illus a es he s eps he mobile money agen ollows du ing au hen ica ion. Mobile Money Agen Au hen ica ion Phase A e he success ul en olmen , he agen can log in o he G- MoMo agen applica ion by en e ing he i e-digi PIN. I he PIN is co ec , a 5-digi OTP is gene a ed and sen o he agen by SMS. Once he OTP is ecei ed, hey mus en e i , whe e he sys em will compa e i wi h he empla e s o ed in he da abase. I i ma ches, he agen is eques ed o scan hei biome ic inge p in . I he scanned inge p in ma ches, he agen success ully logs in o he G-MoMo agen applica ion and is p esen ed wi h he menu o choose se ice(s). Figu e 4(a)–(d) illus a es he s eps he mobile money agen ollows du ing au hen ica ion. Figu e 2(a)-(g). Illus a es he s eps he mobile money agen mus ollow o egis e he sma phone and phone numbe using he G-MoMo agen applica ion. Figu e 3(a)-(d). Illus a es he p ocess o comple ing mobile money agen en olmen using he G-MoMo agen applica ion. Ali G. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15751 6 / 14 Figu e 4(a)-(d). Illus a es he s eps he mobile money agen ollows du ing au hen ica ion using he G-MoMo agen applica ion. T ansac ion Phase The ansac ion phase in ol es he mobile money agen using he G-MoMo agen applica ion o en ol new cus ome s, deposi money, and con i m money wi hd awal h ough a QR code scan. (a) Deposi ing Money The mobile money agen begins deposi ing money in o cus ome s’ accoun s by unning he G-MoMo agen applica ion and signing in by en e ing hei PIN and OTP and scanning hei inge p in . I he agen logs in success ully, hei elec onic balance is displayed. I hey ha e enough loa , hey can selec he deposi menu, en e he ecipien ’s phone numbe , and sea ch o con i m whe he i is egis e ed wi h he G-MoMo cus ome applica ion. I he phone numbe is en olled, he applica ion will display he phone numbe and he name o he pe son who egis e ed he phone numbe . The applica ion will eques he mobile money agen o en e he amoun hey wan o deposi . The sys em will only accep he deposi amoun less han he a ailable loa . The applica ion will hen eques he agen o con i m whe he hey wan o deposi he money in o he ecipien ’s phone numbe . I he agen clicks he deposi bu on, he sys em will deposi he unds in o he ecipien ’s accoun and display he success ul money deposi ed no i ica ion. Figu e 5(a)–(d) illus a es he s eps ollowed by he mobile money agen o deposi money in o cus ome s’ accoun s using he G-MoMo agen applica ion. (b) Money Wi hd awal To wi hd aw money om hei mobile money walle , he cus ome mus i s log in o he G-MoMo cus ome applica ion by en e ing hei PINs, OTP, and biome ic inge p in s. The sys em will e i y he PINs, OTP, and biome ic inge p in s en e ed, and i hey do no ma ch, hey a e equi ed o y again; else, hey a e success ully logged in. The mobile money cus ome mus check hei a ailable elec onic balance and ensu e ha i is wi hd awable. The sys em only accep s he cus ome o en e an amoun less han he a ailable balance. A e en e ing he amoun , hey can click he wi hd aw bu on, whe e he sys em will eques hem o scan hei biome ic inge p in o au ho iza ion. The scanned biome ic inge p in is ma ched wi h he inge p in empla e s o ed in he da abase, and i i ma ches, he cus ome is eques ed o scan he secu e QR code o he mobile money agen using he cus ome ’s sma phone sma scanne o inal con i ma ion. The sys em will hen e i y he scanned secu e QR code, and i i is co ec , money is wi hd awn om he cus ome ’s accoun , and he elec onic balance is upda ed. A no i ica ion o success ul money wi hd awal is displayed, au ho izing he cus ome o collec money om he mobile money agen (Ali e al., 2021). Figu e 6(a)–(g) illus a es he s eps ollowed by he mobile money cus ome o wi hd aw money om hei accoun using he G-MoMo cus ome applica ion. Figu e 5(a)-(d). Illus a es he s eps he mobile money agen ollows du ing au hen ica ion using he G-MoMo agen applica ion. Ali G. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15751 7 / 14 Figu e 6(a)-(g). Illus a es he s eps ollowed by he mobile money cus ome o wi hd aw money om hei accoun using he G- MoMo cus ome applica ion. MATERIALS AND METHODS Heu is ic E alua ion Heu is ic e alua ion and usabili y es ing me hods we e used o e alua e he usabili y o he h ee G-MoMo applica ions, iden i y usabili y issues wi h hei in e ace designs, and sugges ecommenda ions o imp o emen . They we e conduc ed o i e mon hs om Decembe 2021 o Ap il 2022. The applica ion o he wo me hods is b ie ly desc ibed below. The Heu is ic e alua ion me hod adop ed he 10 heu is ic guidelines es ablished by Jakob Nielsen o se e as a amewo k o e alua ing he use in e ace design o G-MoMo applica ions. Fi e expe s conduc ed he heu is ic e alua ion o he in e ace designs o G-MoMo applica ions o iden i y usabili y issues and sugges ecommenda ions o hei imp o emen s. The expe s we e selec ed based on he ecommenda ion by Nielsen and Mack ha equi es 3-5 e alua o s (J. Nielsen and Mack, 1994). Two o he selec ed expe s ha e expe ise in usabili y e alua ion and knowledge base and h ee wi h he knowledge base. They consis o ou males and one emale be ween 28 o 40 yea s old. Th ee expe s we e web and mobile applica ion de elope s who had used he G-MoMo applica ions o some days. The expe s we e chosen based on hei p o iles. The wo expe s we e eaching s a who had expe ience in HCI and conduc ed esea ch in usabili y es ing and mobile applica ions. They had signi ican expe ise in conduc ing heu is ic e alua ions on sys ems and applica ions and had used he G-MoMo applica ions o h ee weeks be o e analyzing hem. The h ee expe s in he second g oup included web and mobile applica ion de elope s ocusing on de eloping mobile- iendly web and mobile applica ions and had expe ience de eloping special-pu pose mobile applica ions. The expe s acqui ed wo-hou aining on using Nielsen’s heu is ics o assess he G-MoMo applica ions be o e conduc ing he e alua ion. Each heu is ic i em was ho oughly explained wi h examples o help hem accu a ely iden i y usabili y p oblems. The p o iles o he expe s a e summa ized in Table 1. Table 1. The p o ile o he usabili y e alua ion expe s. S/No Pa icipan Gende Age P o ession Yea s o Expe ience 1 Expe 1 Female 37 PhD in In o ma ion Technology 8 2 Expe 2 Male 39 PhD in Compu e Science 10 3 Expe 3 Male 30 Web and Mobile Applica ion De elope 6 4 Expe 4 Male 31 Web and Mobile Applica ion De elope 6 5 Expe 5 Male 29 Mobile Applica ion De elope 5 Ali G. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15751 8 / 14 Table 2. Pa icipan s’ Social Demog aphy Cha ac e is ics. S/No Va iable F equency Pe cen age (%) 1 Gende Male 25 62.5 Female 15 37.5 2 Age Less han 20 yea s 0 0.0 Be ween 20–29 yea s 19 47.5 Be ween 30–39 yea s 16 40.0 Mo e han 39 Yea s 5 12.5 3 Le el o Educa ion Bachelo s 32 80.0 Mas e s 6 15.0 PhD 2 5.0 4 Ca ego y o E alua ion Mobile Money IT Suppo S a 4 10.0 Mobile Money Agen 10 25.0 Mobile Money cus ome s 26 65.0 The heu is ic e alua ion pos - es ques ionnai e con ained i e-poin Like scale s a emen s de eloped based on he 10 heu is ic guidelines o e alua e he p o o ypes o he G-MoMo applica ions (J. Nielsen, 1994a). The expe s we e asked o ins all and es he h ee p o o ypes o G-MoMo applica ions on And oid-based sma phones like Tecno Camon 16 P o unning And oid 10 wi h a ouchsc een ha ing 720 x 1640 pixels and a ea - moun ed inge p in senso . I was also es ed on Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge unning And oid 7.0, wi h a ouchsc een ha ing a 2560 x 1440 pixels esolu ion and a on -moun ed inge p in senso . Du ing he e alua ion, he expe s used he heu is ic e alua ion pos - es ques ionnai e o e alua e he p o o ypes o he G-MoMo applica ions in e aces by gi ing hei opinion abou he usabili y issues wi h he in e aces a e pe o ming some asks such as egis a ion, au hen ica ion, ansac ion, and sys em logou . The usabili y issues’ se e i y was a ed based on applying he Jakob Nielsen scale o (0) no p oblem, (1) cosme ic p oblem only, (2) mino usabili y p oblem, (3) majo usabili y p oblem, and (4) usabili y ca as ophe (J. Nielsen, 1994b), which p o ided he expe s wi h a be e insigh in o he usabili y issues wi h hei deg ees o se e i y which he applica ion de elope s can conside as a p io i y and make he essen ial co ec ions (Nabo a i e al., 2014). The expe s we e also eques ed o gi e addi ional sugges ions a e he e alua ion. A e he e alua ion, he esul s ob ained using he pos - es ques ionnai es we e compiled and a consensus was gene a ed o he a ings, and ecommenda ions we e p o ided. Desc ip i e s a is ics we e calcula ed om he collec ed da a abou he usabili y issues and analyzed using he RS udio so wa e. This s udy also employed a usabili y es ing me hod o asce ain he ease o use o he G-MoMo applica ions. The me hod was used o ob ain quan i a i e da a om he selec ed pa icipan s abou he G-MoMo applica ions. Fo y pa icipan s we e chosen using a pu posi e sampling me hod o alida e he usabili y o he G-MoMo applica ions. The selec ed sample size is enough o ca y ou usabili y es ing because, acco ding o Jakob Nielsen, he numbe o esponden s o pa icipa e in usabili y es ing is a leas 20 people (Nielsen, 2021). O he 40 pa icipan s, 25 we e male (62.5%), and 15 (37.5%) we e emale. The pa icipan s we e be ween he ages o 20 o 40. Howe e , 19 (47.5%) o he pa icipan s we e be ween 20-29 yea s, 16 (40.0%) be ween 30-39 yea s, while he emaining 5 (12.5%) we e abo e 39 yea s. Among he pa icipan s, 32 (80%) had Bachelo ’s deg ees, 6 (15%) mas e ’s deg ees, and 2 (5%) had PhD. The selec ed pa icipan s we e compu e li e a e. Ne e heless, no all pa icipan s we e amilia wi h he unc ioning o he G- MoMo applica ions. The pa icipan s we e u he di ided in o mobile money IT suppo s a , agen s, and cus ome s. 4 (10%) o he pa icipan s we e g ouped as mobile money IT suppo s a , 10 (25%) as mobile money agen s, and 26 (65%) as mobile money cus ome s. Table 2 Summa izes he social demog aphy cha ac e is ics o he pa icipan s. Ali G. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 7(3), 15751 9 / 14 Table 3. The equency o se e i y o usabili y issues wi h he in e aces o G-MoMo applica ions. ID Heu is ic P inciples Se e i y To al A e age Se e i y Cosme ic Mino Majo Ca as ophe F equency % H1 Visibili y o sys em s a us 0 1 0 0 1 1.6 2 H2 Ma ch be ween sys em and he eal wo ld 0 4 0 0 4 6.3 2 H3 Use con ol and eedom 0 8 3 0 11 17.5 2.2 H4 Consis ency and s anda ds 0 5 0 0 5 7.9 2 H5 E o p e en ion 0 3 0 0 3 4.8 2 H6 Recogni ion a he han ecall 0 4 0 0 4 6.3 2 H7 Flexibili y and e iciency o use 0 3 3 0 6 9.5 2.5 H8 Aes he ic and minimalis design 0 1 0 0 1 1.6 2 H9 Help use s ecognize, diagnose, and eco e om e o s 0 3 0 0 3 4.8 2 H10 Help and documen a ion 0 1 24 0 25 39.7 3 TOTAL 0 33 30 0 63 100.0 2.2 0.0 52.4 47.6 0.0 100% Be o e he selec ed pa icipan s began pe o ming asks, he esea che s conduc ed a quick pilo s udy o ensu e a smoo h usabili y es ing session. The esea che s began conduc ing usabili y es ing by b ie ing and checking he pa icipan s’ sma phones o ensu e ha hey we e connec ed o he In e ne and ha he inge p in senso s unc ioned well. A unc ioning e sion o G-MoMo applica ions was downloaded and ins alled based on he pa icipan s’ ca ego y. The pa icipan s we e in oduced o G-MoMo applica ions, hei ea u es, unc ionali ies, and wo k low. The G-MoMo applica ions we e demons a ed o each ca ego y o he pa icipan s. Each pa icipan was allowed o ca y ou asks using he G-MoMo applica ions o lea n wha hey we e doing. Th ee mode a o s supe ised he p ocess o ensu e he smoo h unning o he session. A e comple ing asks, he pa icipan s we e equi ed o alida e he applica ions by illing ou he pos - es ques ionnai e. The ques ionnai e con ained i e-poin Like scale s a emen s de eloped based on he usabili y es ing a ibu es used o alida e he usabili y o he G-MoMo applica ions. The ag eemen scale used in he pos - es ques ionnai e was (1) s ongly disag ee, (2) disag ee, (3) neu al, (4) ag ee, and (5) s ongly ag ee. A e comple ing he asks, he selec ed pa icipan s app aised hei sa is ac ion wi h he applica ions and sha ed hei expe iences and ecommenda ions wi h he mode a o s. Da a collec ed using pos - es ques ionnai es in he usabili y es ing was analyzed in RS udio so wa e. Pe cen ages, means, s anda d de ia ions, and g aphs we e compu ed and analyzed o unde s and he gene al usabili y o he assessed G-MoMo applica ions. The esul s o he mean (M) ≥ 3.41 we e conside ed s a is ically signi ican (Pimen el, 2010). RESULTS Heu is ic E alua ion Resul s Usabili y expe s conduc ed he heu is ic e alua ion o asce ain he usabili y issues wi h G-MoMo applica ions using Jakob Nielsen’s 10 p inciples o heu is ic e alua ion. Each o he i e usabili y expe s independen ly e alua ed he G- MoMo applica ions using heu is ic e alua ion p inciples o ind usabili y issues. The usabili y issues encoun e ed by each usabili y expe we e compiled o p oduce he epo on he heu is ic e alua ion. Six y- h ee (63) usabili y issues we e iden i ied, whe e 33 (52.4%) we e mino and 30 (47.6%) we e majo . Table 3 shows he equency o se e i y o usabili y issues wi h he in e ace designs o G-MoMo applica ions based on he 10 p inciples o heu is ics e alua ion. G-MoMo IT suppo applica ion had 10 mino and 8 majo usabili y issues compa ed o he G-MoMo agen applica ion, wi h 10 mino and 10 majo and he G-MoMo cus ome applica ion wi h 13 mino and 12 majo usabili y issues. Figu e 7 shows he dis ibu ion o usabili y issues ac oss he h ee G- MoMo applica ions. Table 3 and Figu e 8 show he egula i y o se e i y o usabili y issues wi h he in e aces o G-MoMo applica ions. The se e i y a ing esul s showed ha he "help and documen a ion (H10)" p inciple was men ioned 25 imes (39.7%) wi h a mean se e i y sco e o 3.0 and had he mos equency, whe e i is g ouped as a majo p oblem. This was ollowed by he "use con ol and eedom (H3)" p inciple which had a mean se e i y sco e o 2.2 and equency o 17.5% whe e i was g ouped as a mino p oblem. The p inciples o " isibili y o sys em s a us (H1)" and "aes he ic and minimalis design (H8)" we e each men ioned once (1.6%), wi h mean se e i y sco es o 2.0, and hey had he leas equency and we e g ouped as mino p oblems. The G-MoMo IT suppo , G-MoMo agen , and G-MoMo cus ome applica ions had mo e usabili y issues ela ed o “help and documen a ion (H10)”, and “use con ol and eedom (H3)”. Howe e , hey had ew usabili y issues ela ed o “aes he ic and minimalis design (H8)” and “ isibili y o sys em s a us (H1)”. The esul s o usabili y issues a e p esen ed in Figu e 9. Fi e signi ican hemes ela ed o usabili y issues we e iden i ied h ough he quali a i e analysis o he h ee G-MoMo applica ions. The iden i ied usabili y p oblems we e based on heu is ics p inciples and a e clea ly explained.  Lack o o wa d na iga ion bu on: The h ee G-MoMo applica ions ha e a backwa d na iga ion bu on o mobile