Exploring User-Centric Factors in the Development of Mobile Applications for Medium, Small, and Micro Enterprises

Abstract In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, mobile applications have become essential tools for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in rapidly growing urban. These mobile applications facilitate critical business operations, including customer engagement, inventory management, marketing, and overall service delivery. However, a significant number of mobile solutions deployed in MSME sector fail to meet user expectations due to minimal end-user involvement in the design and development processes. This study explores the user centric factors that influence the development, usability, and adoption of mobile applications among MSMEs. It highlights the pressing need for a user centred design approach that aligns mobile solutions with the unique operational realities of MSMEs. Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study combines a systematic review of scholarly literature with empirical findings gathered from a qualitative study conducted in a related City of Jinja. In Uganda Data was collected through surveys, interviews, and observation targeting MSME owners, employees, and key stakeholders in mobile application development. Findings reveal that critical user centric factors, such as active user participation during mobile application development, cultural and contextual relevance, intuitive usability, affordability, and access to technical support, play a pivotal role in determining the success in design, development, usability and adoption of mobile applications in the MSME sector. Ultimately, this study contributes to ongoing efforts aimed improving on methodologies and strategies utilized in developing user centric mobile applications for MSME