Developing a Mobile Application for Community Forest Sequestration Assessment: A Mixed-Methods Study

A mobile application for community forest carbon sequestration assessment serves as a critical tool for supporting family forest management amidst climate change. This study aimed to design and evaluate the usability of a specialized carbon calculation application tailored for farmers using a mixed-methods approach. A sample of 29 farmers assessed the application via the System Usability Scale (SUS) and in-depth interviews. Results yielded a good average usability score (M = 76.90, SD = 14.12), with no statistically significant difference between trained and untrained users (t(27) = 0.326, p = 0.746; Mann-Whitney U = 113.0, p = 0.709), and a negligible effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.123). Qualitative insights corroborated these quantitative findings, highlighting high user satisfaction regarding ease of use (82.8%) and interface simplicity (65.5%). While users suggested expanding plant species databases and refining data input systems, the findings overall demonstrate that the application’s intuitive design facilitates practical usability without necessitating prior training. Enhancements to system stability are recommended to further optimize the user experience.