(Bagaar, 2019)

Before starting the game, I knew I needed to pay attention to all of the details in order to advance and successfully reach the end. However, I was not prepared for the sensory overload. The very first page already defies logic by going against all of the defaults we are used to. With a big green button that actually says “No” and the very convoluted text: “Please click HERE to GO to the next page”, I found myself clicking all the possible words because it was not clear which one they wanted the players to click. Clicking the “No” button did not, in fact, lead anywhere. The underlines, capitalization, and font colour changes were also used to distract and deter players from knowing exactly what to do. The same can be said for the following pages, with a bright red banner on top for cookies and a help box on the right hand side that continuously popped up, it was frustrating to say the least. This made me really appreciate all of the defaults we have come to expect and rely on when navigating most sites.

This task reminded me of when I had to figure out new educational tools for the first time. A big part of usability is whether or not the tool is easy to learn and easy to use. Even after figuring out all the different functions, how likely is it for users to want to continue using the tool? Therefore, as educators, we have to keep in mind how the students perceive information and make sure not only are we avoiding information overload, we also need to cleverly draw students’ attention to certain information at the appropriate times. I remember my first day as a student teacher, I handed out a 13-page syllabus to the students and proceeded to go over all the information. I will never forget the students’ faces as I bombarded them with detail after detail. While most of the information we give students is now online through slides rather than on paper, I am always careful about what information I share with students, how I share it, and when I share it.

References

Bagaar. (2019). User Inyerface. [web game]. 

Brignull, H. (2011). Dark patterns: Deception vs. honesty in UI design. A List Apart, 338.