The Impact of Geographic Location on the Subjective Assessment of System Usability

ABSTRACT

Marketing researchers use geography to identify specific user groups for studies to more effectively describe their potential customer base. Since usability professionals often recruit users employing similar selection criteria as their marketing peers, the use of geographic information might also be relevant when selecting usability test participants. In total, 3,168 participants from across the United States rated the usability of different hardware, software, and web-based products using the System Usability Scale (SUS). SUS scores were compared across geographic divisions to determine if usability assessments differ by location. SUS scores were also compared across rural and urban areas to determine if usability assessment scores change with population density. There was a lack of evidence to support significant differences in usability scores across both US geographic areas and zones of population density. The findings suggest that people make similar system usability assessments regardless of the area of the United States in which they live.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Philip Kortum

Philip Kortum is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Rice University. He completed his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at University of Texas at Austin in 1994 and his Master of Science in Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University in 1990.

Claudia Ziegler Acemyan

Claudia Ziegler Acemyan is a human factors and human–computer interaction Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Rice University. She completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at Rice University in 2014, Master of Arts at UCLA in 2011, and Master in Architecture at Rice University in 2007.