Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how perceived usability and user characteristics influence the intention to use a crowdsourcing application for finding potentially trafficked children. As part of this effort, the authors also attempt to uncover the usability concerns surrounding the use of this application.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first describe Zhongxun, which is the application used in the present paper. Next, they conducted a survey eliciting usability perceptions of Zhongxun. A total of 287 participants were recruited for the survey which used constructs adapted from the Computer System Usability Questionnaire as well as various demographic variables. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to ascertain factors influencing intention to use Zhongxun. Participants' qualitative feedback was also analyzed to derive themes pertaining to areas of improvement.

Findings

The results showed that system usefulness was the factor that most positively influenced intention to use Zhongxun, followed by information quality and interface quality. Interestingly, a higher level of education was negatively associated with intention to use the application. Qualitative feedback suggested various ways of improving Zhongxun's functionality. Participants recommended the incorporation of gamification mechanisms as a new feature of the application. Cultivating awareness of Zhongxun was also suggested as a means to attract new users.

Practical implications

The work can help inform the design of crowdsourcing applications for finding missing and potentially trafficked children, as well as similar systems. Implications include the need for simplicity of design, communication strategies to attract new and retain existing users, and instilling confidence in the quality of crowdsourced contributions.

Originality/value

Prior research in evaluating the usability of crowdsourcing applications has been performed but not in the context of finding missing and potentially trafficked children. The task of finding such children is markedly different from previous usage contexts and could impact perceptions of usability and usefulness. Hence, the present study attempts to plug this research gap.

中文翻译：

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通过众包寻找被拐卖儿童：可用性评估

目的

本文的目的是调查感知可用性和用户特征如何影响使用众包应用程序寻找潜在被贩运儿童的意图。作为这项工作的一部分，作者还试图揭示围绕使用此应用程序的可用性问题。

设计/方法/方法

作者首先描述了中迅，这是本文中使用的应用程序。接下来，他们进行了一项调查，以了解对中讯的可用性看法。该调查共招募了 287 名参与者，该调查使用了改编自计算机系统可用性问卷以及各种人口统计变量的结构。采用分层回归分析确定影响中讯使用意愿的因素。还分析了参与者的定性反馈，以推导出与改进领域相关的主题。

发现

结果表明，系统有用性是对中讯使用意愿影响最大的因素，其次是信息质量和界面质量。有趣的是，较高的教育水平与使用该应用程序的意图呈负相关。定性反馈建议了各种改进中讯功能的方法。参与者建议将游戏化机制作为应用程序的新功能。也有人建议将培养中讯意识作为吸引新用户的一种手段。

实际影响

这项工作可以帮助设计众包应用程序，以寻找失踪和可能被贩运的儿童，以及类似的系统。含义包括需要简化设计、吸引新用户和留住现有用户的沟通策略，以及灌输对众包贡献质量的信心。

原创性/价值

之前已经进行了评估众包应用程序可用性的研究，但不是在寻找失踪和可能被贩运的儿童的背景下进行的。寻找这样的孩子的任务与以前的使用环境明显不同，并且可能会影响对可用性和有用性的看法。因此，本研究试图填补这一研究空白。