When designing eLearning, you may be so familiar with the content and delivery systems that you are blind to the problems your actual users encounter. When reviewing learner evaluations, you may get vague comments such as “there were glitches,” but how can you address such issues without understanding the root of the problem or knowing how much of that is under your actual control?
In this case study session, find out how the Morton Arboretum has leveraged usability testing to check assumptions of how basic tasks are being performed on their LMS. You will examine the general process, the benefits, and the limitations of asking users to think aloud while performing tasks and recording their actions. You may be afraid that such testing will be expensive or indicate a need for a complete overhaul of the way you do things; in reality, you probably already have the resources you need to conduct DIY usability testing, and the process can help spark creative solutions to actual learner-identified problems.
In this session, you will learn:
- What usability testing is
- Guidelines for performing usability testing
- About some limitations to usability testing
- Tips on applying knowledge gained during usability testing within the constraints of available resources
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and project managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
eLearning authoring tools, learning management systems, webcams, and screen recording tools.