Predicting the usability of mobile applications using AI tools: the rise of large user interface models, opportunities, and challenges

In 2022, 255 billion new app downloads were registered, and a whopping 167 billion USD was spent on app stores, a drastic increase from 230 billion app downloads in 2021. Interestingly, artificial intelligence is projected to increase mobile app downloads by 10% in 2024. To continue fueling their revenues in a highly competitive and volatile market, mobile app companies need to dedicate significant efforts to the design of user-friendly interfaces and the usability of their applications. Usability testing of mobile applications is inherently a complex and expensive process [1], yet rewarding in elaborating user requirements, identifying usability issues, and improving the quality of user experience [2]. Mobile usability testing encompasses several intertwined and laborious phases, including planning and designing the evaluation sessions, recruiting the intended users, conducting the testing sessions, and analyzing testing data to extract actionable insights [1].