Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to provide educators with a course model and pedagogy to teach a computer information systems usability course. This paper offers a case study based on an honors student project titled “Web Usability: Phases of Developing an Interactive Event Database.” Each individual phase—creating a prototype along with usability testing, defining a technical structure, and designing a usable interface—is equally valuable to the entire process of interactive web development. A distinct significance is present within each phase, which emphasizes the importance of completing every step in the development process. Unlike businesses that suffered when the Dot-com bubble burst, businesses that acknowledge the diverse levels of understanding and recognize that implementation of each phase directly affects the success of the business will prosper in this age of technology. This paper focuses primarily on the prototype and usability testing phase. With that in mind, an extensive background and explanation of phase one in developing an interactive event database is presented for the reader; the honors student paper did, however, present an all-encompassing understanding of web technologies. Additionally, this paper provides a method for developing the requirements to conduct and evaluate an honors project. Finally, this paper concludes by considering the study’s limitations and suggestions for further research.

Keywords: case study, Pedagogy, Project-Based Learning, Prototype, Teaching A Usability Study Course, usability

Download this article: ISEDJ - V11 N6 Page 18.pdf

Recommended Citation: Jesse, G. (2013). A Pedagogical Approach Toward Teaching An Information Systems Student How To Conduct A Web Usability Study For An Honors Project: A Case Study.. Information Systems Education Journal, 11(6) pp 18-32. http://isedj.org/2013-11/ ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of ISECON 2012)