Improving the usability of the user interface for a digital textbook platform for elementary-school students

• Published in: Educational technology research and development Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 159 - 173
• Main Authors: Lim, Cheolil, Song, Hae-Deok, Lee, Yekyung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer Science + Business Media 01.02.2012; Springer US; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Comparative Analysis; Computer Interfaces; Computer menus; Computer Software Evaluation; Course Selection (Students); Design; Design elements; Design evaluation; Design Preferences; Design Requirements; DEVELOPMENT ARTICLE; Digital electronics; Education; Educational activities; Educational environment; Educational Technology; Electronic Publishing; Elementary School Students; Foreign Countries; Formative Evaluation; Information Services; Instructional Design; Korea; Learnability; Learning Activities; Learning and Instruction; Learning Processes; Locus of Control; Memory; Program Improvement; Short Term Memory; Student Surveys; Students; Teaching Methods; Textbook Evaluation; Textbooks; Usability; User interface; South Korea; Learning perspective; Digital textbook platform; User interface; Usability testing; Iterative design and evaluation
• ISSN: 1042-1629; 1556-6501
• DOI: 10.1007/s11423-011-9222-5

Usability is critical to the development of a user-friendly digital textbook platform interface, yet thorough research on interface development based on usability principles is in short supply. This study addresses that need by looking at usability attributes and corresponding design elements from a learning perspective. The researchers used a student survey, log files, and an expert heuristic evaluation to analyze needs for revision in the user interface of the existing Korea Education Research Information Service digital textbook platform. After using suggestions derived from this analysis to develop a new platform prototype, they tested its user interface for usability through a cognitive walkthrough and a formative evaluation. The results show that the usability design elements identified through the use of this iterative design and evaluation model were essential to improving the usability of the user interface and thus facilitating users' actions and learning processes.