Mobile Interface Design to suit the Algerian Culture: First initial design

Abstract

The growing number on the use of mobile apps has extraordinary potential for the public transport industry. Through the use of mobile apps, may provide fast, effective and safe services to the passengers to commute to different destinations. However, the particularities of mobile applications need particular attention concerning the usability aspects, such as culture. Taxi-Inter-Wilaya is a shared-taxi service between cities in Algeria. This taxi service is estimated as one of the most beneficial ways for the Algerians to travel. However, the booking for passengers travelling to long distances of 600 KM and more, can only be made via phone calls. Consequently, passengers face various challenges in the booking process. Drivers receive calls for bookings while driving, which puts them in an illegal situation and unsafe.

To this purpose, the researcher uses the design thinking approach to propose a transport mobile application that can assist and support both taxi drivers and passengers to travel between cities suitable to the Algerian culture. The data collection method comprises a series of Interviews with both users (passengers and taxi drivers) as well as designing the several iterations of low and high-fidelity prototypes of the mobile application that is named as DJAMAAI. The prototypes were then evaluated via a series of usability testing for both groups of users. Results shows that users favour visual representations that are associated to their culture more than textual; they prefer, buttons such as icons and symbols, as well as more straightforward and minimalist user interface design. Also, symbols and hints help learnability of using the tool.