Usability Studies for Educational Institutions

In this course, you’ll learn how to conduct a usability study on your organization’s website or web app. My hope is that you’ll be able to use what you learn in this course to do a usability study at your organization, which will help you not only improve your web product, but also rethink and refine its role at your organization.

But first, let’s go over how you actually navigate this course. The whole course is broken up into four learning modules, and each module has several lessons in it. Each lesson has a video and then a quick assignment or quiz. So, when you start each lesson, watch the video first. Then, scroll down the screen, where you’ll find the quiz or assignment. Complete it, click the submit button, then go back to the lesson and click “Complete Lesson.”

You’re able to communicate with your instructor by clicking the “Contact Teacher” button, where you can ask questions. You also have access to one half-hour consultation session per module with your instructor, which you can access by emailing your instructor.

That’s it. Happy learning!

Let’s get started

Module 1: How a Usability Can Help You

In this module, you’ll learn how a usability study can help you and your organization find shortcomings in your websites and web apps so you can make informed decisions on how to improve them.

Lessons

What Is a Usability Study? What Does Your Website/Web App Do?

Module 2: Researching Your Audience

In this module, you’ll learn how to conduct preliminary research that will dictate how you’ll conduct your usability study.

Lessons

Identify Your Users and Stakeholders Dig Deeper With a Focus Group Survey Target Audience Interview Key Stakeholders

Module 3: Conducting the Study

In this module, you’ll learn how to put your preliminary research to use and conduct your first usability study.

Lessons

Preparing for the Study Conducting Observational Research

Module 4: Testing Usability for People With Disabilities

In this module, you’ll learn the unique ways people with disabilities use websites and web apps. You’ll also learn how to see how people with disabilities are using your websites and web apps and how you can make their experience better.

Lessons

How People With Disabilities Use the Web Use a Tool to Check Accessibility