Exploring Usability Challenges of E-Services in University Academic Portal: An Eye-Tracking Analysis of Participant’s Navigation and Searching Behavior

This paper discusses the shift from paper-based academic services to e-services, which has become prevalent in College of Technological Innovation (CTI), UAE. However, the usability of these e-services is a challenge due to design issues, and This paper introduces a usability assessment study focusing on the e-services available through the CTI’s academic portal. The study employs eye tracking to examine the viewing, searching, and navigation behavior of college students, along with the factors that impact their searching behavior. The study focuses on the students’ visual patterns in choosing an e-service. Eye-tracking experiments were conducted, and data were collected from a group of CTI students. According to the findings of the heatmap and eye gaze analysis, students had trouble locating the right link for the desired service and displayed intense, disoriented scattered, and erratic visual behaviors when performing assignments. We discovered several user interface design issues that hinder student productivity. Based on the results of the usability assessment study, the research recommends changes to the CTI portal’s design to better suit students’ needs, preferences, and expectations.