Improving Usability in Mobile Apps for Residential Energy Management: A Hybrid Approach Using Fuzzy Logic  
[PERSON]  
School of Computer Systems Engineering, Universidad Tecnologica de Panama, Panama 0819-07289, Panama; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.N.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (E.C.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (E.C.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (D.C.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (N.N.)  
[PERSON]  
Correspondence: [EMAIL_ADDRESS], [PERSON]  
translating needs and behaviors into tangible elements of interaction. The symbiotic relationship between UX and UI ensures that products meet users' functional demands and expectations and provide comprehensive, intuitive, and satisfying experiences [11; 12; 13; 14]. This approach is supported by several studies [11; 12; 15; 16] that demonstrate the direct correlation between the success of an application, specific aspects of UX/UI, and metrics such as user retention, speed of learning, ease of use, conversion rate, user satisfaction, accessibility, performance and load time, as well as direct user feedback, and highlight the importance of practical design and constant monitoring through metrics to ensure continued user adoption and satisfaction [17; 18].  
In this context, this paper evaluates the usability and user experience of a mobile application interface for residential energy management, adopting a hybrid approach that integrates quantitative and qualitative methods within a user-centered design framework. For the evaluation, metrics, and tools such as the User Experience Questionnaire Short (UEQ-S) and the System Usability Scale (SUS) will be employed, in addition to the implementation of a fuzzy logic model to interpret the data obtained through these metrics, allowing a more accurate assessment of usability and user experience, reflecting the variability and trends in the responses. The user-centric mobile interface design, oriented towards usability and accessibility, is expected to generate higher user satisfaction in residential energy management. This improved user satisfaction will translate into greater efficiency and effectiveness in performing energy management tasks, ultimately resulting in a more satisfying overall experience for users. The combination of these methods will enrich the research results, providing practical recommendations for improving the mobile interface based on the findings obtained from the usability evaluations and tests.  
Therefore, in developing this research, we seek to answer the following hypotheses or key research questions in the design of the mobile interface. First, whether there is a positive relationship between interface design and user satisfaction in managing residential energy consumption through a mobile application. Second, whether certain design elements, such as usability and accessibility, have a significant impact on user experience, and finally, whether usability metrics such as efficiency, effectiveness, and overall user satisfaction are positively correlated in the use of the mobile application for residential energy management.  
The rest of this paper is organized as follows: Section 2 presents the background of the research; Section 3 presents the materials and methods; Section 4 presents the experimentation carried out in this study; Section 5 presents the fuzzy model; Section 6 presents the results and discussions; and finally, Section 7 concludes the paper with future research perspectives.