The Importance of the Inclusion of Usability in the Design and Development of an Online Learning Resource

This chapter argues that while technology has released education from the confines of the classroom, greater focus on the design of online educational resources is required in order to support effective independent learning. Poorly designed online learning resources are disruptive, causing extraneous cognitive load for students, reducing their capacity for new learning (Costabile et al., 2005; Davids et al., 2014). The additional effort required to interpret complex interfaces may frustrate less-confident students who will leave the learning process, further exacerbating the digital divide (Costabile et al., 2005, Davids et al., 2014). It is therefore important to design usable online resources that enable pupils to focus on the learning process and achieve their educational goals (Davids et al., 2014; 2015). The increase in the use of learning technology outside the classroom where there is no support from a teacher –as demonstrated during Emergency Remote Teaching (Hodges et al., 2020) – makes usability a critical issue (Petersen, 2007).