What is Usability?

Usability assesses the quality and ease of a specific technology, specifically during the process in which the technology is being used. Usability seeks to create an intuitive process for all users by “assess(ing) how easy user interfaces are to use” (Issa & Isaias, 2015, p.29). Essentially, usability is meant to enhance a user experience by working to solve, or ultimately, eliminate, any issues users may have while using any given technological tool.

Usability in Education

Usability in an educational context requires both collaboration from educators and students. Usability needs to be able to have knowledge on the individualized needs of both students and the educators who will work alongside the technology, “the relationship is between the use of educational software by teachers and their students, where the computer network is held to facilitate the teaching-learning network” (Freire, Soares & Padovani, 2012, p.1033). Usability in the context of education is inherently different from usability needs in an individualized context. Education is, by nature, a collaborative event, especially between learners and educators, therefore usability needs to meet both the individual requirements of educators and the information they need to gather in order to further their teaching and assess the quality of a technology. Usability also needs to gather information from students specifically using technological tools that could benefit their learning, specifically when it comes to the varying individualized learning needs.

Woolgar’s and Usability

Woolgar discusses how the company had a lack of knowledge about users, mentioning that one particular employee remarked that, “typically, the engineers don’t have a clue about users” (Woolgar, 1990, p.71). This particular drawback has serious repercussions when it comes to the validity of usability and what it is trying to accomplish. If the ultimate goal of usability is to make the user experience more seamless and hassle free, an engineering team that does not understand its user-base is doing a serious disservice to those they are serving. Without a fundamental understanding of the user’s basic needs and desires, a technology or tool will ultimately fail and require more changes and overhaul. Usability can only be executed well if everyone involved in the process has a clear direction and understanding of specific user needs.

Woolgar also states that the company implied that, “there was no point in asking users what they wanted because they themselves didn’t know” (Woolgar, 1990, p.74). This, alongside the company’s already present lack of communication between all their departments in understanding the user experience, clearly showcases a lack of willingness to participate in a valid usability tool. Usability, if used correctly can enhance the user experience and create less problems for the company down the line and instead of participating in the testing and realizing the validity of it, the company chose to devalue its users and their knowledge as it deemed it not useful. This was a short-sighted decision that undermined the usefulness of usability testing.

Issa and Woolgar: Uses of Usability

Issa and Isaias (2015) believe that usability, when used effectively and if the 7 principles are followed, can not only improve the user experience but also benefit the company when it comes to profits and user understanding which will in turn, enhance software and technology. If technology companies want to succeed and enhance the services they offer, they need to figure out a way to remain current and stay on top of any issues therefore, “Usability is a critical issue for websites as it improves competitive position, improves customer loyalty, and drives down costs” (Issa and Isaias, 2015, p.30). The less problems the company encounters, the less money they need to spend and the more time they can spend on innovation to further enhance the user experience. Issa and Isaias, in turn, also believe that usability is best for the user when utilizing technologies, stating that usability, “can mean the difference between performing and completing a task in a successful way without any frustration” (2015, p.29).

On the other hand, Woolgar, through research and company interviews, found that usability can have a negative effect when the parameters and goals are not met which ultimately undermines what Issa and Isaias have hoped for through their research and data. Woolgar continuously states, throughout the article, that an enhanced understanding of usability is imperative to its appropriate usage and ultimate success when it comes to analyzing and implementing data. “Defining the identity” of users and ensuring that the user and their actions can be analyzed and used for information purposes is imperative to the success of usability (Woolgar, 1990).

References

Freire, L., Soares, M., & Padovani, S. (2012). A children, Teachers and Designers as Evaluators of Usability of Educational Software. Work (Reading, Mass.), 41 Suppl 1, 1032-1037. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-2012-0280-1032

Issa T., Isaias P. (2015). Usability and Human Computer Interaction (HCI). In: Sustainable Design. Springer, London. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1007/978-1-4471-6753-2_2

Woolgar, S. (1990). Configuring the User: The Case of Usability Trials. Routledge & Kegan Paul etc. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1111/j.1467-954X.1990.tb03349.x

Image Credit: Pearson Canada

The Text I Chose: Global Issues and Governance, published by Pearson Canada

Why I Chose This Text:

To explore reconciliation and more specifically, Indigenous representation in important texts, I chose a current grade 6 level, Social Studies textbook entitled, Global Issues and Governance.

I chose this text mainly because this is a relatively new textbook that is used as a supplemental teaching tool for the British Columbia Social Studies curriculum. We received these textbooks at the school I teach almost 4 years ago to replace extremely outdated texts. This particular text is meant to accompany the grade 6 curriculum. Although I do teach grade 6/7, I have not used this particular textbook in my classroom as I do not find textbooks a very significant tool in my teaching style but other teachers who teach grade 6 in my school do use these texts often and I was able to borrow one for this project. I also chose this text to learn more about if this would be a useful and informative text that I could potentially use in my teaching in the future.

The first question that I really wanted to explore is in relation to Indigenous representation in the textbook. A while back, I was able to meet an Indigenous educator who came to my school to do a series of workshops in each classroom. One thing that she said that stuck with me was that, oftentimes in texts or a variety of historical accounts, Indigenous history is portrayed as just that, history. There is not always a representation or a sense given that Indigenous people are still living and thriving. I wanted to see if this particular textbook had been able to show Indigenous culture and traditions as alive and thriving. In addition to the original 5 terms (Indian, Indigenous, Aboriginal, First Nations, and Native) I wanted to ensure that present tense language was also used.

My First Question:

The first question that I really wanted to explore is in relation to Indigenous representation in the textbook. A while back, I was able to meet an Indigenous educator who came to my school to do a series of workshops in each classroom. One thing that she said that stuck with me was that, oftentimes in texts or a variety of historical accounts, Indigenous history is portrayed as just that, history. There is not always a representation or a sense given that Indigenous people are still living and thriving. I wanted to see if this particular textbook had been able to show Indigenous culture and traditions as alive and thriving. In addition to the original 5 terms (Indian, Indigenous, Aboriginal, First Nations, and Native) I wanted to ensure that present tense language was also used.

I found many examples in this text where language and terminology were explained and well thought out. Right in the beginning of the text, there is a page that clearly lays out terminology and clearly defines for young people, First Peoples, Indigenous, Aboriginal, First Nations, Inuit and Metis. There is also a note that is made on the page stating that “Whenever possible, a Nation should be referred to by its own name for itself.” (Doyle, Powrie, and Harding, 2017, p. ix) I found this information extremely helpful to be put in the front of the textbook to clearly guide students and educators into accurate use of terminology.

There is also a page that discusses First People’s Worldviews and clearly states the importance of Land, Oral Tradition, Holistic View, Languages, and Story. (Doyle, Powrie, and Harding, 2017, p.x-xi) This was helpful to me in my own research into how Indigenous people are being represented and if present culture and traditions are also being taught. This particular section highlighted the importance of understanding First People’s ways of knowing and how important and valuable that is today.

Another part of this text that I thought was beneficial and also unexpected was the section entitled “Thinking Deeper” that depicted many common media stereotypes of First Peoples. This came following a chapter on media influence and staying globally connected. The section shares very common and mainstream images such as, Peter Pan and also the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team logo, and asks students thinking questions such as: How are First Nations depicted in this image? and Why is there a call to change this image? (Doyle, Powrie, and Harding, 2017, p. 42-43). These images are very powerful and well known but the guiding questions help students to see how harmful these messages can still be in the present day.

My Second Question:

The second question that I really wanted to take a look at was whether or not there were any Indigenous people, organizations, or elders who either contributed to or were consulted when this text was created. After taking ETEC 565C last semester, I was made aware of the phrase “nothing about us, without us” and although in that course’s context, this was referring to people with disabilities, I think the idea is extremely important as true understanding, learning, and reconciliation cannot occur without history being told from Indigenous perspectives.

When examining the text and the contributors, I noticed that there were many teacher reviewers, from many school districts across British Columbia. I also noticed that among the advisors and contributing writers, is a Ts’msyen First Nations woman. I also found that the textbook did go through a Bias review before being published (Doyle, Powrie, and Harding, 2017, p. v). There are other contributors and writers listed but whether or not they are from British Columbia’s First Nation’s is not listed.

This information is helpful in knowing that First Nations Peoples were consulted and had a significant role in the content production and publication of this text. It is also important to know that a textbook of this nature did go through a bias review to ensure the quality of the content. I would have liked to have known that more than one person of Indiegnous heritage contributed to/ or was consulted on during the publication of this text.

My Lasting Thoughts:

Overall, I think this book far supersedes many of the Social Studies specific textbooks that I still see in schools in British Columbia today. The deep thinking questions that students are asked to engage in, especially when it pertains to stereotypes in mainstream media, can have a meaningful impact on how future generations critically analyze information and images they see on a daily basis.

References:

Doyle, S., Powrie, S., & Harding, C. (2017). Global Issues and Governance. Pearson Canada.