Mobile App Rating Scale vs. System Usability Scale in Interface Quality Assessment – A Comparative Study for a Mobile Health Application
Marek Milosz, Malgorzata Plechawska-Wójcik, Karol Łazaruk, Piotr Tokarski, Mariusz Dzieńkowski, Sergio Luján-Mora
Proceedings of the 20th International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED 2026), p. 1-7, Valencia (Spain), March 2-4 2026. ISBN: 978-84-09-82385-7. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2026.0906
(INTED'26b)
Congreso internacional / International conference
Resumen
The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) and System Usability Scale (SUS) are tools for assessing the quality of application interfaces. Both tools utilize app users as data sources for interface quality assessment. In both, users complete surveys after performing a series of scenario-based actions within the app. The survey results, after appropriate calculations, indicate the app's quality on a MARS or SUS scale. This article presents the results of a quality assessment of the T1DCoach mobile healthcare app's interface. T1DCoach is an application designed to teach lifestyle habits to adolescent patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The learning concept involves performing daily activities that T1D patients regularly need to perform on a virtual, digital twin. Additionally, gamification elements have been implemented into the app, increasing user engagement. The behavior and parameters of the digital avatar are determined using a simulation model of the patient and the therapy, based on data entered by the app user. During the development of the T1DCoach application, the quality of its interface was assessed, among other methods, using the SUS method. This study used MARS under the same conditions and procedures. This article presents the T1DCoach application, the research process, its results, and a comparison of the results of both tools, including their advantages and disadvantages, as well as a laboratory scenario using MARS. The research was conducted in preparation for implementing MARS into the curriculum for computer science students in the Human-Computer Interaction and Universal Design courses.