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78 5 Users Perspective of Educational Technology
product by involving users? When and how would you recommend involving
them?
4. Think about differences between users and learners? Consider this in terms of a
specific technology. What are their different perspectives? How to consider
learners’ special needs in designing an educational technology system? You
might use a product such as Microsoft Word to illustrate your ideas.
5. Think about what is the differences between user and learner motivation in using
a specific product. Describe the product and specific uses. How can one go
about considering a variety of user and learner needs in designing an educational
technology system?

5.1 Introduction

The previous chapter discussed a systems’ perspective of educational technology.
Educational technology can be regarded as a system with a variety of components
and relationships. As we know, educational technology systems aim at improving
user’s performance, and users could include students, teachers, parents, support
personnel, administrators, and policy makers. Different users may have different
perspectives and concerns, and thus user’s perspectives play a vital role for the
success of educational technology systems.
In software engineering, user-centered design and development are now standard
practice with an emphasis on rapid prototyping and getting input from represen-
tative users. Taking the typical models of user-centered design in software engi-
neering as a reference and considering the research of user-centered design in
educational technology, the following sections will introduce the users’ perspective
of educational technology. Emphasis is on user experience, user-centered design,
learner-centered design, and the ARCS motivation model.

5.2 User Experience

Definition
User experience (UX) is defined as “a person’s perceptions and responses that result
from the use or anticipated use of a product, system or service” (International
Organization for Standardization, 2009). From to this definition, UX includes all
the users’ attitudes, emotions, perceptions, preferences, physical/psychological
responses, and behaviors that occur before, during, and after use. The ISO also lists
three factors that influence user experience: system, user, and the context of use.