Developing a Digital Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
Abstract
The Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) recently initiated an effort to develop a low-cost usability evaluation system for undergraduate education and research. Based on student input, they knew they needed a flexible and portable system that would be cost-effective for both data capture and analysis. Their overarching goal was to develop a system that would be easy for students and faculty to learn and maintain. In addition to creating a system that would be flexible, portable, and easy to learn, they wanted to develop a learning environment around that system for undergraduate students in human factors, computer science, and systems engineering. This paper documents the process the Leadership Department followed to design and implement their lab, and provides a step-by-step solution for developing similar low-cost usability laboratories at other universities, both for teaching and research. By integrating a software-based usability recording tool (Morae) as the main component of the laboratory, they were able to develop the solution they needed and provide cadets at the Air Force Academy with the same capability as high-end laboratories. They plan to integrate other methods and tools in the future to support efficient usability diagnosis and evaluation for university faculty and students.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA470777
Entities
People
- Terence S. Andre
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy