Project
KaiOS App Usability
Jiophone users explored the usability of search, navigation, settings, and other features on the Wikipedia KaiOS app.
Overview
Many people around the world use KaiOS phones, which are feature phones that offer the capability to download and use popular apps like Youtube and Twitter. To reach this population of (potentially new) readers, the Inuka team released a Wikipedia app, starting with Jiophone users in India. Partnering with Hureo in India, the Inuka team reviewed and evaluated usability and user understanding of the basic app elements and workflows.
Top High Level Takeaways:
- Users assumed the app search would mimic what they know and experience on Google search (i.e. can type or do a voice search to look for English or regional language content).
- Most couldn't understand the KaiOS app differed from Google in some functionalities and the search results.
- Most wanted the voice search capability.
- Most users understood but skipped through the onboarding screens quickly.
- Most users knew that the app language could be changed in the settings and the language of each article could be changed. However, users did not understand that when they changed the language of the article they were they were navigating to different language wikis with entirely different content unique to that wiki.
- Users primarily navigated the app using the article menu and the back (red) phone button.
- Many used the back button frequently. Doing so led to users unintentially quitting the app on a few occasions.