Usability & Reflection

The purpose of administering a usability test for my course is to evaluate the students and teacher's experience and the effectiveness of the course design from the perspective of the learners. By conducting usability testing, I can identify any usability issues, navigation challenges, clarity, technical errors, or content comprehension difficulties that learners may encounter while interacting with the course. This process helps ensure that the course is user-friendly, engaging, and effectively facilitates learning outcomes. This Usability testing also gathers users feedbacks that provides valuable insights for refining the course design, improving instructional materials, and enhancing the overall learning experience for students.

Reflecting on my 7th-grade 5-weeks financial literacy digital course, feedback from stakeholders highlighted both strengths and areas for improvement. While the course layout within Canvas was praised for its user-friendliness, organization, and straightforwardness, challenges such as the lack of opportunities for students to collaborate digitally and the need for more interactive activities were identified. Adjustments were made to address these issues, including the addition of a discussion board and more interactive content. Moving forward, I will continue to implement usability tests through surveys at the end of the course to gather more feedback and ideas so improvements can be made for a better learner experience. More details will be addressed in the video below.

Reflect on who you were able to have conduct the usability testing? Were you able to get the right people? Why or why not? What can you do to better improve this in the future?

I was able to acquired the help of 1 administrator, 2 colleagues, and 3 three fellow students to test out my instructional design digital learning course on Canvas. I was not able to acquire more testers, but those that accepted to help were very insightful. I firmly believe that my course will be enhance as I will gain more insight and data when this will be piloted in the near future

What impact did your platform (LMS, Google Docs, or other digital sharing) have on the testing and results?

The choice of Canvas as the platform for the course had a notable impact on the testing and results. While Canvas is new to our campus, not all teachers are familiar with it. This influenced the feedback received, as testers had varying levels of knowledge about the platform. Recognizing this, I will provide additional support and guidance on navigating Canvas for both students and teachers to ensure a smoother user experience.

What were the lessons you learned from the usability testing feedback?

The usability testing feedback emphasized the need for more opportunities for students to voice their understanding, more interactive activities, and additional support for navigation. Multimedia elements that I included in the lesson were valued for enhancing understanding and engagement. Overall, the feedback reinforced the importance of student-centered design and continuous refinement of course materials based on students input.

What have you done to your design to address the usability issues revealed in the testing? What have you added or taken away?

To address the usability issues revealed in testing, I have begun incorporating more discussions, videos, graphics, and how-to resources into the course. These additions will enhance engagement and increase in positive learner learning experience through the digital course.

How has this process improved your course and your learner's experience?

Through this process, the usability test revealed several areas needs for improvements. As mentioned in the previous questions, I have modified the course with additional discussion boards, etc. according to the usability test result.  This doesn't mean there will no more modification, but it is only the beginning of the course enhancing process. I believe that as I gather more input and feedback from learners during the piloting stage, the course will be much more engaging and effective for students.

How will you address the infrastructure, system, and support needs and issues the learner may face?

To address infrastructure, system, and support needs, I will provide a comprehensive user guide, Q&A section, and contact information for students encountering issues. This proactive approach aims to empower learners to navigate any challenges they may encounter with confidence. In addition, I've enlisted the help of our campus IT and setup open-lab to provide support to my students.