Evaluating Usability to Improve Efficiency in E-Learning Programs
Emilio Lastrucci, Debora Infante, Angela Pascale · IGI Global eBooks · 2009
The history of usability began almost 20 years ago when computers were about to be used outside the designer and programmer environment. Until the 1980s software was mostly produced and used by designers so usability was taken for granted. In 1983, the first computers providing a graphic interface and a mouse were produced by Apple for distribution on a large scale. The gradual introduction of computers to offices and houses began creating usability problems. The development of computers was guided mainly by the technology available at that time. Gradually, the impact of training costs, errors in the interaction between user and computer, and the evolution of studies regarding the “human factor”, carried out by psychologists and ergonomics experts, led to a reflection on the importance of the target users.