A prototype for interactive enhancements of Malaysian digital newspapers

Technology trends in Malaysia are increasing as more and more users surf internet to search for information and to get connected with their friends and family members. Statistics show that the growth of internet usage among Malaysians has increased drastically during the last decade. This indicates people's acceptance towards technological developments and their interest towards spending more time online. One of the key sources of obtaining daily information is via newspapers. However, nowadays, publishing companies are facing a real challenge to generate revenues like past due to the availability of free online news. Strong competition in the market requires them to cut down operational costs, decrease price or even offer free newspapers for the readers and mainly rely on an advertisement for their income. In today's internet world, users' interest towards accessing the news around the world has changed to get instant updates rather than waiting for the printed edition to appear the next day. This has paved ways to the popularity of digital editions of newspapers. Usability is one of the key quality attributes that needs to be addressed and emphasized in these digital editions for a better user experience. For this research, five popular online news providers in Malaysia are considered and investigated, particularly for their weaknesses in usability. Based on the comparative study conducted, it was found that all of these digital news providers have deficits in accessibility, especially for disabled and elderly users. Negligible or very limited consideration for such an audience is taken into account in their design. This research aims to propose a modified system design for online newspapers in Malaysia satisfying international usability standards and aiming to provide more convenience for all groups of users while reading online.