4.2.3 Organizational Influences on Usability
There were three organizational factors that influenced whether the "usability"
of software was deliberately addressed.
- LaVin's description of the events that led to the interface that was used
on the highly successful TODOR project show that key user interface decisions
did not just depend upon the technical capabilities of the BLOX software package.
Improved usability was the result of an administrative decision imposed by LaVin
(personal interview, October 2, 1992):
LaVin: All the modules have the same user interface because I said
to make all of the modules look the same. The reason for a common interface was
so that once the users had seen it the first time, they would go into a module
and know to click in a certain place to make a certain thing happen. This was
important because the modules were intended to be used in different places in the
curriculum. The modules would probably be used as demonstrations in a freshman
course, and then they would be used for homework assignments and design projects
by the junior and senior level.
- An organizational factor that influenced the consideration of usability
of authoring software early in one project was the relationship of the project
director to experienced people who had previously involved in similar projects.
Bucciarelli chose cT for the Mechanics 2.01 Problem Set Solutions project with
direction from consultants inside the Athena project (including LaVin) who
advised him about the importance of usability and adaptability. This advice
was based on a long history of experience from projects that had not had the
benefit of easy to learn packages.
- An organizational factor that contributed to inclusion of "usability"
in both the Context32 and the Geology Tutor courseware was the availability
of resources to develop authoring software tools to support learner oriented
educational goals . In both cases, the project leaders were in the enviable
positions of directly shaping the character of their software.