An Online A/B Testing Decision Support System for Web Usability Assessment Based on a Linguistic Decision-making Methodology: Case of Study a Virtual Learning Environment

TL;DR

This paper introduces an online decision support system for web usability testing that combines A/B testing with linguistic decision-making and role-playing scenarios, demonstrated through a case study on Moodle platforms.

Contribution

It presents a novel methodology integrating linguistic decision-making with A/B testing for web usability assessment, supported by an online decision support system.

Findings

Effective evaluation of three Moodle platforms using real users.

Enhanced usability insights through role-playing and linguistic analysis.

Successful implementation of the decision support system in a real-world case study.

Abstract

In recent years, attention has increasingly focused on enhancing user satisfaction with user interfaces, spanning both mobile applications and websites. One fundamental aspect of human-machine interaction is the concept of web usability. In order to assess web usability, the A/B testing technique enables the comparison of data between two designs. Expanding the scope of tests to include the designs being evaluated, in conjunction with the involvement of both real and fictional users, presents a challenge for which few online tools offer support. We propose a methodology for web usability evaluation based on user-centered approaches such as design thinking and linguistic decision-making, named Linguistic Decision-Making for Web Usability Evaluation. This engages people in role-playing scenarios and conducts a number of usability tests, including the widely recognized System Usability Scale. We incorporate the methodology into a decision support system based on A/B testing. We use real users in a case study to assess three Moodle platforms at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico.