Thursday 10 June 2010

12 User centered issues for sustainability of learning projects in international settings


During the workshop all the participants shared their experience on what factors to include (if resources are possible) in a learning (mobile, eLearning) project:

  1. involve all stakeholders using focus group and observation methods;
  2. take a random sample of users within the defined user target group, not people you know, to ensure that you design something that is aimed at a wide variety of your target user group;
  3. ensure longterm support for the users;
  4. enable knowledge sharing between users;
  5. include an ethnographic assessment to tailor to the local context: respect local customs, identify local 'information' stream, language use...;
  6. look at human computer interaction (HCI): for increased design affordances and user preferences;
  7. include adaptability for an ever changing technology settting;
  8. ensure back-up people for all the profiles that are needed in the project;
  9. ensure capacity building and empowerment of the users (lifelong learning capacities are a surplus);
  10. use physical sensors (in the beginning it can be disruptive for the users, but after a while they get back to their natural state of behaving, enabling the observers to monitor emotional respons to the researched object or system;
  11. include positive emotional stimulus to enhance motivation;
  12. break the total system down to the smallest possible bubble (both content, design, technology....) to ensure longterm and rapid adaptability when necessary.