A systematic review on hybrid approach for optimizing website usability using FULE methodology and usability heuristics reflecting user’s behavior and perception

Sumithra Thaggikuppe Venkatasrinivasaiah; Aastha Joshi; Aaron Christian; Puja Padiya; Smita Bharne

doi:10.31893/multirev.2025188

Keywords:

Abstract

Understanding how culture, society and economy influence our thoughts and viewpoints is crucial for creating cultural interactions. Developing awareness, empathy, flexibility and sensitivity helps individuals navigate perspectives and foster better global connections. To understand how social and emotional features of a software application influence people from different backgrounds we conducted usability tests on a university website of the United States with users based in India. This paper evaluates the website using the FULE methodology (Functionality, Usability, Look and feel and Evaluation) and usability heuristics to improve website usability. FULE takes a view by considering functionality, usability, aesthetics and ongoing evaluation. Usability heuristics rely on established principles. Usability Heuristics quickly identifies common pitfalls and proposes immediate improvements. Combining both methodologies in the redesign process yields a website addressing immediate issues while providing a deeper, engaging user experience. This blended approach offers a dynamic framework for continual improvement, ensuring websites remain resilient amid evolving user expectations and technological advancements. The study is focused on offering information, for web designers and usability experts connecting concepts and user perception, with real world application. By combining these perspectives a flexible structure is introduced to evaluate and support webpage enhancements proving that websites need to adapt to changing user demands in different locations. The inquiry acts as a roadmap for web developers to balance between user centered design and enhance the efficiency of the website by guaranteeing a user friendly website application for users coming from different backgrounds, culture and geographical locations. The work aims to provide insights for website designers and usability professionals, bridging theory and practical implementation.
References
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25. Sapronov, F., & Gorbunova, E. (2022). The Role of Emotional Information in Banner Blindness. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.813440
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Venkatasrinivasaiah, S. T., Joshi, A., Christian, A., Padiya, P., & Bharne, S. (2025). A systematic review on hybrid approach for optimizing website usability using FULE methodology and usability heuristics reflecting user’s behavior and perception . Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8(8), 2025188. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025188

[1] Allen, M., Currie, L. M., Bakken, S., Patel, V. L., & Cimino, J. J. (2006). Heuristic evaluation of paper-based Web pages: A simplified inspection usability methodology. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 39(4), 412–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2005.10.004

[2] Anindita, R., & Perdana, D. P. (2022). Website Aesthetic in Millenial’s Customer Experience on Satisfaction and Impulse Buying: EWOM as Moderator. Media Ekonomi Dan Manajemen, 37(2), 210. https://doi.org/10.24856/mem.v37i2.2829

[3] Brown, G. R., Dickins, T. E., Sear, R., & Laland, K. N. (2011). Evolutionary accounts of human behavioural diversity. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 366(1563), 313–324. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0267

[4] Chao, Mike & Singh, Nitish & Hsu, Chin-Chun & Nancy, Y.F. & Chao, C.J. (2012). Web site localization in the chinese market. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research. , 13, 33–49.

[5] Cyr, D., & Trevor-Smith, H. (2004). Localization of Web design: An empirical comparison of German, Japanese, and United States Web site characteristics. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 55(13), 1199–1208. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20075

[6] Deng, L., & Poole, M. S. (2010). Affect in Web Interfaces: A Study of the Impacts of Web Page Visual Complexity and Order. MIS Quarterly, 34(4), 711. https://doi.org/10.2307/25750702

[7] Dormann, C., & Chisalita, C. M. (2002). Cultural Values in Web Site Design. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. (Original work published 2002)

[8] Elveren, A. E., & Tosun, L. P. (2020). Evaluation of E-Learning Systems from the Perspective of Usability Heuristics: A Case Study on Ege University’s Website. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 36(9), 805-819.

[9] Ferre, X., Juristo, N., & Moreno, A. M. (2005). Framework for Integrating Usability Practices into the Software Process. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 202–215. https://doi.org/10.1007/11497455_17

[10] Garcia-Gonzalez, I., Navarrete, T., & Rubio-Romero, J. C. (2019). Analysis of the Usability of Educational Websites of Spanish Universities Using the FULE and Fuzzy Logic. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 35(17), 1649–1659.

[11] GRAHAM, M., KUBOSE, T., JORDAN, D., ZHANG, J., JOHNSON, T., & PATEL, V. (2004). Heuristic evaluation of infusion pumps: implications for patient safety in Intensive Care Units. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 73(11-12), 771–779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2004.08.002

[12] Hasan, L., Morris, A., & Probets, S. (2012). A comparison of usability evaluation methods for evaluating e-commerce websites. Behaviour & Information Technology, 31(7), 707–737. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2011.596996

[13] Hayat, S. N., & Ramdani, F. (2020). A comparative analysis of usability evaluation methods of academic mobile application. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Sustainable Information Engineering and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1145/3427423.3427435

[14] Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2006). Toward a Psychological Science for a Cultural Species. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(3), 251–269. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00015.x

[15] Interaction Design Foundation. (2019). What is Heuristic Evaluation? The Interaction Design Foundation; The Interaction Design Foundation. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/heuristic-evaluation

[16] Jackson, F., & Cheng, L. (2018). UX in Practice: Applying a Heuristic Evaluation Technique to Real World Challenges. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 62(1), 702–703. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931218621159

[17] Liberman-Pincu, E., & Bitan, Y. (2021). FULE—Functionality, Usability, Look-and-Feel and Evaluation Novel User-Centered Product Design Methodology—Illustrated in the Case of an Autonomous Medical Device. Applied Sciences, 11(3), 985. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11030985

[18] Marcus, A., & Gould, E. W. (2000). Crosscurrents: cultural dimensions and global Web user-interface design. Interactions, 7(4), 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1145/345190.345238

[19] Nantel, J., & Glaser, E. (2008). The impact of language and culture on perceived website usability. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 25(1-2), 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jengtecman.2008.01.005

[20] Nielsen, J. (1994). Usability inspection methods. Conference Companion on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI ’94. https://doi.org/10.1145/259963.260531

[21] Nielsen, J., & Molich, R. (1990). Heuristic evaluation of user interfaces. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Empowering People - CHI ’90. https://doi.org/10.1145/97243.97281

[22] Oyserman, D., Coon, H. M., & Kemmelmeier, M. (2002). Rethinking individualism and collectivism: Evaluation of theoretical assumptions and meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 128(1), 3–72. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.128.1.3

[23] Paz, F., A. Paz, F., Antonio Pow-Sang, J., & Collazos, C. (2018). A Formal Protocol to Conduct Usability Heuristic Evaluations in the Context of the Software Development Process. International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 7(2.28), 10. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i2.28.12874

[24] Pendleton, A., Lupton, B., Rowe, A., & Whittle, R. (2019). Back to the Shop Floor: Behavioural Insights from Workplace Sociology. Work, Employment and Society, 095001701984794. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017019847940

[25] Sapronov, F., & Gorbunova, E. (2022). The Role of Emotional Information in Banner Blindness. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.813440

[26] Shneiderman, B. (1987). Designing the user interface strategies for effective human-computer interaction. ACM SIGBIO Newsletter, 9(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1145/25065.950626

[27] Simon, S. J. (2001). The impact of culture and gender on web sites. ACM SIGMIS Database, 32(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1145/506740.506744

[28] Țichindelean, M., Țichindelean, M. T., Cetină, I., & Orzan, G. (2021). A Comparative Eye Tracking Study of Usability—Towards Sustainable Web Design. Sustainability, 13(18), 10415. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810415

Abstract

References

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