Deploying educational computer games for children in schools requires understanding of usability. Usability of computer hardware as well as... Show moreDeploying educational computer games for children in schools requires understanding of usability. Usability of computer hardware as well as the game user interaction is a major concern of this research.
The aim of this thesis is to compare the usability of mice and touchpads, as well as test graphics tablets, with third and fifth grade students. Each of these technologies' usability is measured using drag and drop, point and click, and click-only interaction by measuring time to complete tasks and error rate.
For this purpose, 142 students participated in a quantitative usability test conducted in five Chicago-area elementary schools. Students played a custom-designed computer game asking them to solve mathematical problems appropriate for their level of education. The main purpose of the game was to create a realistic workload for users. The game tracked students' interactions by recording on-screen cursor movements.
Statistical analysis of variance (a = 0.01) of usability showed no significant difference using point and click compared to drag and drop. There was no significant difference between using mice and touchpads. However, because students had no prior experience using graphics tablets, tablet use could not be learned within ten minutes. Finally, usability was found to increase with students' age.
Further, when the movements were analyzed for patterns, statistical analysis revealed that workload had a significant influence on usability. Two patterns emerged: hovering with the cursor to find answers on screen, and evading screen areas where accidental dropping of an item could result in an incorrect answer. Although students employing these patterns require more time than reported in previous research, workload had never been considered as a significant factor before.
In conclusion, schools can deploy either desktop computers commonly using mice or notebook computers commonly using touchpads because usability does not differ significantly. Workload is the important factor on usability, and thus when developing and usability testing specific games, the users' workload has to be observed. In addition, game designers should consider supporting both drag and drop and point and click. Finally, when testing games, children should be exactly the age of the target audience for accurate results. Show less
