Usability guidelines for developing mobile application in the construction industry

A key issue in the construction industry is that the atmosphere and working environment at construction sites are very different from the atmosphere in a typical office. The construction site workers are influenced by climatic factors, constraint of limited infrastructure for office, network and communication technology. Todays advanced mobile devices are very suitable for the construction industry because of its small size, easy to carry and have a wide range of support functions that can be leveraged into mobile applications to help workers in this industry carry out everyday tasks. However, some mobile applications are not very effective because their development is not based on the guidelines usability of mobile applications such as ISO9126, People At The Center of Mobile Application Development (PACMAD) model and Moe Usability Guidelines. The objective of the study is to identify usability elements of mobile applications for the construction industry as well as developing detailed usability guidelines of mobile applications based on the selected element for the construction industry. The methodology included theoretical study using content analysis and empirical study involving interviews mobile application developers to identify usability elements of mobile applications for the construction industry. The results of content analysis of seven model and usability guidelines shows thirteen elements are suitable to be adapted for the construction industry, namely the effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction, ability to learn, get the attention of consumers, presentations, human-computer interaction, navigation, data are obtained from the map, installation, mobile context, security and assistance. Findings from the interviews are used to construct the detailed usability guidelines for development of mobile applications. Assessment guidelines by experts showed the proposed usability guidelines mobile applications are capable of providing guidance to application developers to implement its usability elements in the development of applications for the construction industry.