Thursday, June 23
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
EDT
Liberty 1&2

You Can Make Them Even Better: Hands-on Usability Testing of Instructional Materials

F2F Workshop ID: 61259
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    Joanne Beriswill
    Mississippi State University

Abstract: Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wonder how we could make these instructional materials even better.” The answer is…by doing usability testing. Usability testing is the underpinning of learner-focused instructional design. By doing regular usability testing of materials throughout the design process, designers can increase their effectiveness, efficiency, and learner-satisfaction. While traditional usability testing used formal labs, currently the accessibility of inexpensive technology solutions and ubiquity of web conferencing has made usability testing accessible to designers and educators who want to make the most of their instruction. This workshop will teach you the basics of usability testing, demonstrate the usability testing process, and provide hands-on practice of usability techniques.

Objectives

Workshop participants will be able to… • Describe the benefits of usability testing • Describe the goals of usability testing • Match the four dimensions of instructional materials with actual usability testing questions • Indicate whether a design deliverable is better suited for expert review or usability testing • Describe the components of usability testing • Describe the differences between formal and informal usability testing • Identify ways to access targeted usability participants • Describe ways to evoke great feedback from participants • Identify key guidelines for usability testing • Carry out usability testing of instructional materials

Topical Outline

Usability Testing Basics: • What is usability testing? • Benefits of usability testing • Goals of usability testing • The four dimensions of instructional materials: o Informational o Instructional o Functional o Sensory • Usability testing questions • Components of usability testing: o Location o Equipment o Participants o Evaluators o Data collection o Findings o Resulting modifications • Formal vs informal usability testing • The use of scripts Hands-on Testing of Instructional Materials • Demo • Practice • Debriefing

Experience Level

Beginner

Qualifications

Dr. Joanne Beriswill is an award-winning educator and instructional design expert. For over 25 years, she has taught instructional design, media design, distance learning, technology integration, and computing fundamentals and has consulted on instructional technology projects at Fortune 500 companies, such as General Motors, NCR Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Eli Lily. After establishing herself as a professor, she has continued to update her knowledge of the latest corporate training techniques through conferences and personal contacts in the industry. She has supervised over six hundred instructional projects, including video-based tutorials, Computer-based Training (CBT) apps, web-based training, as well as instructor-led and Learning Management System (LMS)-based courses.

Topic

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