Vol. 10, Issue 4, August 2015 pp. 140-159 Investigating the Usability of E-Textbooks Using the Technique for Human Error Assessment Jo R. Jardina Graduate Research Assistant Abstract Software Usability Research Lab Many schools and universities are starting to offer Dept. of Psychology e-textbooks as an alternative to traditional paper textbooks; Wichita State University however, limited research has been done in this area to 1845 Fairmount examine their usability. This study aimed to investigate the Wichita, KS 67260 usability of eight e-textbook reading applications on a tablet USA computer using the Technique for Human Error Assessment
[email protected] (THEA). The tasks investigated are typical of those used by Barbara S. Chaparro college students when reading a textbook (bookmarking, Assoc. Professor and searching for a word, making a note, and locating a note). Director, Software Usability Recommendations for improvement of the user experience of Research Lab e-textbook applications are discussed along with tips for Dept. of Psychology usability practitioners for applying THEA. Wichita State University 1845 Fairmount Wichita, KS 67260 Keywords USA
[email protected] e-textbook, e-reader, e-book, electronic reading device, usability, THEA, HEI, tablet, online reading Copyright © 2014-2015, User Experience Professionals Association and the authors. Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee.