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This document explores usability in internet instruction, focusing on user interface design's critical role in helping users meet goals. It emphasizes seamless integration of content and control, alongside a clear understanding of human interaction. Key principles for usable sites include learnability, predictability, and flexibility. Usability evaluation techniques, such as the Webby Awards criteria and WAMMI questionnaire, are discussed alongside user-centered design processes. Emphasizing iterative design and real user feedback, this guide serves to refine and enhance online educational experiences.
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Usability and Internet Instruction INST 5240 Mimi Recker Utah State University
Usability and Internet Instruction • User interface design for usability: • enables users to fluently achieve particular goals in some domains • seamless integration of content and control, including layout of information and navigation • depends on technology; depends on deep understanding of human elements within interaction • Examples of usable and unusable interfaces?
Usability in Internet Systems • Loss of technical control • Display hardware • Connection speed • Software • User settings • Loss of content control • Hypertext • Outside links
Small Group Discussion • What makes an Internet-based education site usable? • What makes an Internet-based education site unusable? • What makes an Internet-based education site learnable? • ...Identify top 3 characteristics
Principles to Support Usability • 1. Learnability • Predictability • Familiarity • Consistency
Usability Design Principles • 2. Flexibility • Customizability • Substitutivity (e.g. ‘shortcuts’) • 3. Robustness • Observability (provide clear visual messages) • Recoverability • Responsiveness (feedback) • Task-specific support for user’s goals
Usability via User-Centered Design • Design philosophy: • Early focus on users and their concrete needs -- designers contact real users • Integrated design • Early and continual user testing -- empirically driven • Iterative design with progressive refinement • Taking an expanded view of the product • Focus on satisfying concrete needs of real users
Process of User-Centered Design • Continuous cycles of design, enactment, analysis, and redesign: • Conduct needs assessment • Design/develop rapid prototype • Evaluate • Analyze • Redesign
UCD: Examples • Needs assessment: • What are learning objectives? • How will web resources help students learn? • Do users have reliable access? • Design rapid prototype: • Design brief • Screen/paper mock-up • Alpha, beta versions • Evaluate: • [see next slide] • Analyze data: • combine, categorize, diagnose, prioritize • Redesign
Evaluation • Recruit participants • client, experts, users … • Evaluation strategies • expert review, cognitive walkthrough, survey, focus group, interview, observation, assess learning/impact …
Two Evaluation Examples • 1. Webby awards • Content • Structure & navigation • Visual design • Functionality • Interactivity • Overall experience • (http://www.webbyawards.com/main/webby_awards/criteria.html) • 2. WAMMI: Web usability questionnaire