Conceptual design and implementation of an automated metrics and model-based usability evaluation of UI prototypes in Figma

Abstract

Evaluations should be conducted regularly throughout the development of interactive applications to ensure and improve usability. Automated approaches can enable time- and cost-effective evaluations, as the participation of test and expert personnel is not required. Especially in early phases of development, usability evaluations could thus be made possible without much effort. This paper describes a concept for automated usability evaluation of UI prototypes that supports the design and can complement classical usability evaluation methods. To test this concept, a plugin was implemented that evaluates design drafts in the Figma prototyping tool. The evaluation is based on usability metrics, a GOMS model for modelling interaction sequences that also supports predicting processing time and hint patterns for identifying usability problems in interaction sequences. The tool was tested and evaluated in a number of trials, which provided insights into the suitability of the concept and identified approaches for further development.