Design and usability evaluation of icons on public payphones in Malaysia
The first public payphone appeared in Malaysia in 1946, and the literature reports that all public payphones installed in the country since then have been imported from abroad, such as from the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Japan. Although certain areas of the payphone employ standard parts, such...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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2011
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| Summary: | The first public payphone appeared in Malaysia in 1946, and the literature reports that all public payphones installed in the country since then have been imported from abroad, such as from the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Japan. Although certain areas of the payphone employ standard parts, such as the keypad area, there are many icons and symbols that are not easily recognisable for the intended context of use. More so when there are over 60,000 payphones installed nationwide from various foreign countries. This research investigates the usability of these public payphones intended for use in Malaysia primarily through its icon and symbol designs. In order to develop appropriate icon and symbol designs for the public payphones, two research issues need to be determined. Firstly, the level of recognition and semantics of existing icons and symbols designs of public payphones and their parameters of influence towards local users, and, secondly, the levels of performance that can be achieved when icons and symbols on public payphones are re-designed to meet its intended usage. This research attempts to address these two issues in two ways. Firstly, the literature on public payphones is reviewed to determine the iconic values, referent and its semantics. Secondly, a series of qualitative and quantitative studies were conducted to evaluate, identify and design appropriate task and function recognition of icons and symbols of public payphones that are suitable for local users. This thesis outlines the first formal inquiry into the usability of public payphone icon and symbol designs that are suitable for use in a multi-racial, developing country. The findings from this research can be used as a baseline and reference by the country’s telecommunication service providers and vendors to align their services towards local needs and usage. In addition, this research work forms as a guide for the proper design, specification, purchase and implementation of more sophisticated public telecommunication equipment for use in the future in this country. |
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