Why are they clicking there?
Several months ago, I produced a Violin Pedagogy site. Because of the time involved in capturing and editing the video clips used on the site, a friend of mine suggested that I use a Rapid Prototyping model of development. This is the idea (described by Dorsey, Goodrum, & Schwen 1997) that content is developed in iterations, testing it with “end users” along the way. Confident that I really didn’t need end-user feedback, I produced about half of the video clips before reluctantly doing finding a violinist to look at the clips. The first user, after about 30 seconds of looking at the clips, said, “It’s too far away. This won’t help at all.” Humbled, I finished the project adhering strictly to the iterative model of Rapid Prototyping.
In his book “Don’t Make Me Think“, Steve Krug gives some key points about testing:
* If you want a great [product], you’ve got to test
* Testing one user is 100 percent better than testing none
* Testing one user early in the project is better than testing 50 near the end
* The point of testing is not to prove or disprove something. It’s to inform your judgement.
* Testing is an iterative process
In their “Spiral Model” for instructional design, Katherine Cennamo and Debbie Kalk suggest a variation of the Rapid Prototyping idea. Where Rapid Prototyping does not specify an area of focus for each iteration, the “Spiral Model” states that you should move through specific phases with each iteration: Define, Design, Demonstrate, Develop, and Deliver.
A “layered” approach differs from these iterative models in the fact that earlier work is not re-created after receiving user feedback. Instead, user feedback is used to add to the work that was done earlier.
Regardless of which model you choose, I hope you can benefit from my bad example as a reminder of the importance of seeking user feedback along the way. Since the completion of the Violin Site I have repented of my ways and begun testing all of my products on someone before releasing them - often my very patient wife. I’ve been surprised how many times I think, “Why on earth are they clicking there?” as I watch someone use the materials I’ve created. However, at least now I can have that moment before any products are released.