Usability of Otulis Application and Handwriting Performance among Four to Six Years Old Children in Malaysia

Handwriting difficulties are common in today’s technological society, although it is a requirement for schooling. Commonly, occupational therapists use handwriting assessments to identify handwriting difficulties. However, no handwriting assessment for 4 to 6-year-old children is available in Bahasa Malaysia. Thus, OTulis is a newly developed Bahasa Malaysia handwriting assessment and it has been converted into an application to make it more accessible. This study aimed to evaluate the usability of the OTulis application and assess the handwriting performance of 4 to 6-year-old children in Malaysia. The study was divided into two phases. Phase one involved semi-structured interviews and a usability questionnaire. Five respondents were selected using the purposive sampling method and data were analysed through descriptive and content analysis. In phase two, the children were recruited through convenient sampling and their handwriting performances were assessed. Data obtained were analysed descriptively. The findings show that the OTulis application has good usability. The findings reveal that most 4 to 6-year-old children have achieved a mature pencil grip and can accurately copy 13 uppercase and 11 lowercase letters, 24 uppercase and 25 lowercase letters, and 24 and 25, respectively. OTulis application has good usability and is applicable to use by occupational therapists, preschool teachers, and parents. Overall, the findings show that children’s handwriting performance improves with age.