Horticulturists find it challenging to disseminate regionally relevant information on landscape plants to homeowners in New Mexico because the state is climatologically diverse and geographically expansive. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hardiness zones range from four in northern, higher elevations to nine in the southern part of the state, giving New Mexico one of the greatest diversities of temperature ranges in the United States (USDA, 2012). Average annual rainfall of New Mexico ranges from 254 to 508 mm with extended periods of drought (Western Regional Climate Center, 2012). New Mexico ranks fifth in land area (315,200 km2) among U.S. states, but only forty-fifth in population density.
To meet the challenge of disseminating information statewide, NMSU established the Center for Landscape Water Conservation (2013), a web-based clearing house focused on urban landscape plants and water conservation. The center saw the evolution of mobile apps as another avenue for disseminating useful consumer information to a wider audience.
The initial search of available plant database apps on iTunes® (Apple®, Cupertino, CA) and Chomp® (San Francisco, CA) revealed just a few database-driven plant selectors. None included landscape plants suited to New Mexico landscapes or even the southwestern U.S. (Nevada, California, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona). Apple® acquired Chomp® in Feb. 2012 and shut down the autonomous Chomp® website in Oct. 2012 (Zibreg, 2012). An app would extend the center’s horticultural information to mobile users. In early 2012, a total of 34% of mobile users in the United States used apps, and 25% of mobile web users were mobile only, meaning that they did not use laptop or desktop computers (mobiThinking, 2012). Over 85% of new cell phone handsets were mobile capable and about half of those handsets were smartphones (mobiThinking, 2012). The share of mobile users is expected to rise. Apple® and Google™ (Mountain View, CA) are currently the major players in the extremely dynamic app market.
Apps must be tested for functionality (how well they work), general acceptability, and usability. Protocols designed for website testing are also suited to mobile app testing. For example, usability, which is the capability of the software product to be understood, comprehended, used, and attractive to the user when used under specified conditions (International Organization for Standardization, 2009), is tested similarly for mobile apps and websites. Usability issues include navigation, screen appearance, accessibility, and consistency (Teoh, 2009). For usability testing, three to five hands-on testers uncover as many problems as five or more testers. Furthermore, iterative testing with a few testers uses resources more efficiently than a single test with many subjects. For low-budget projects, two testers can be optimal (Nielsen, 2012).
The objective of this article is to detail how a unique horticultural mobile app was created to assist homeowners in selecting landscape plants that thrive in distinct climate regions of New Mexico and El Paso County, TX, with little or no supplemental irrigation. We also explain how the app was tested for functionality, general acceptability, and usability as an educational outreach tool for homeowners.
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