An Empirical Study of Open Source Software Usability – The Industrial Perspective

Authors

Arif Raza, National University of Science and Technology - PakistanFollow
Luiz Fernando Capretz, University of Western OntarioFollow
Faheem Ahmed, Thompson River UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2011

Volume

3

Issue

1

Journal

International Journal of Open Source Software and Processes

First Page

1

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.4018/jossp.2011010101

Last Page

6

Abstract

Recent years have seen a sharp increase in the use of open source projects by common novice users; Open Source Software (OSS) is thus no longer a reserved arena for software developers and computer gurus. Although user-centered designs are gaining popularity in OSS, usability is still not considered one of the prime objectives in many design scenarios. This paper analyzes industry users’ perception of usability factors, including understandability, learnability, operability, and attractiveness on OSS usability. The research model of this empirical study establishes the relationship between the key usability factors and OSS usability from industrial perspective. In order to conduct the study, a data set of 105 industry users is included. The results of the empirical investigation indicate the significance of the key factors for OSS usability.