Identification of the Features of E-reader Applications and Evaluation of Widely Used Iranian Applications

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the features of e-reader applications through a systematic review of texts, and also to evaluate four widely used Iranian e-reader applications (Fidibo, Taghche, Ketabrah, ketab sabz) in terms of identified features. Method: The present redearch is an applied study in terms of purpose that was conducted on the basis of a systematic review framework. To collect related research texts, 247 works were identified in national and foreign databases. After the initial review (review of keywords, titles, and review of the abstracts), finally 46 related works were extracted and reviewed. Then, in order to determine the extent to which each of the four Iranian e-reader applications had the extracted features, a survey study was carried out using this list and through the observation tool. Findings: Among 46 works studied, first 139 components were identified, which were then classified into 18 criteria. Attempts were made to use specialized thesaurus, subject dictionaries, or the views of experts to label each category. The list was evaluated by five experts, including designers and managers of e-reader applications, as well as researchers, experts and professionals in the field to remove or add items if necessary. By announcing the opinion of the board of experts, 7 components and 2 criteria were removed, and thus, a list of the most common features of e-reader applications was prepared, which included 132 components and was classified into 16 criteria. In the survey study section, the results showed that out of four widely used Iranian e-reader applications, ‘Taghche’ and ‘Fidibo’, with a slight difference from each other, have a higher status than other Iranian e-reader applications in terms of service provision and features considered in the evaluation of e-reader applications, and seem to be in an intense competition in the customer market. Furthermore, although ‘ketab sabz’ is one of the most widely used Iranian reading applications, it has less than half (49.24%) of the features and is not in a good state. Originality/value: In this research, a systematic review of texts has led to the identification of comprehensive features for e-reader applications. Moreover, evaluating and comparing Iranian reading applications help the designers and producers of them to realize the shortcomings of their products, thus make more efforts to achieve the status desired by the user.