User Interface Usability of Mamat Adventure: The Study of Usability User Interface of Mamat Adventure Edugame Based on Heuristic Evaluation

This analysis evaluates the user interface (UI) usability of Mamat Adventure, a web-based educational game developed by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture to teach scouting concepts to elementary school students. The study utilizes the Heuristic Evaluation method, a standardized usability inspection technique developed by Jakob Nielsen and Rolf Molich, to assess the effectiveness of the game’s design across ten established principles, including system feedback, consistency, error prevention, and user control.

The findings indicate that the game performs well in several key areas. It successfully maintains consistency in typography, layout, and language, utilizing standard Indonesian to ensure accessibility for its target demographic. The visual design is deemed effective, employing relatable, realistic scouting characters that enhance engagement. Furthermore, the game demonstrates good flexibility and efficiency by providing distinct paths for both novice and experienced players through its learning and gameplay menus.

However, the evaluation identifies significant shortcomings in three specific heuristic categories: user control and freedom, error prevention, and help documentation. The game lacks essential navigation features, such as pause, exit, or return-to-previous-page buttons during gameplay. This design flaw forces users to restart the entire game if they encounter an error or wish to replay a specific level, as there is no progress-saving functionality. Additionally, the absence of a dedicated help or troubleshooting menu leaves players without support when facing difficulties. The study concludes that while the game’s aesthetic and educational content are strong, the user experience is hindered by these structural navigation and recovery limitations, which require technical improvements to ensure a seamless and frustration-free learning environment for students.