Learning a New Game: Usability, Gender and Education

Hatice Sancar (1) , Turkan Karakus (1) , Kursat Cagiltay (1)

1 Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology

This research study aims to investigate the usability issues of a computer game; regarding how people learn a new game. Because the user characteristic and the strategies they use while learning a new tool are important factors for usability, they were also taken into account in the study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the study. 16 participants played the computer game. They were also observed and their eye-movements were recorded by an eye tracking device. Results showed that participants learned a new game by trial and error and the insufficient instruction caused their placing numbers in wrong places as well as not realizing important tools that can help them to complete game.

Keywords: usability; computer games; eye-tracking

Domains: Technology for Human Learning

Hatice Sancar, Turkan Karakus, Kursat Cagiltay. Learning a New Game: Usability, Gender and Education. Young researchers furthering development of TEL research in Central and Eastern Europe, 2007, Sofia, Bulgaria. ⟨hal-00190052⟩