THE USABILITY TESTING OF AN EDUCATIONAL APP GAME

Gamification, the use of game elements and game-design techniques in non-game contexts, is a very popular way to acquire knowledge (Deterding et al., 2011). Unlike traditional toys (e.g. lego and tangram), games in digital devices such as computers, mobiles and iPads can provide a brand new learning experience. Now, these educational games are so abundant that can fall into a category and be available through Google Play and APP store either free of charge or at a cost. Although application development focuses on content of knowledge and programming, user experience should also be regarded as another important aspect (Garrett, 2010). For children who tend to get distracted easily, the interesting for user experience design would be: how do game developers improve usability of a product and continuously capture children's attention? To answer the question, we conducted a usability testing for an application called Puzzle Fun, a mobile game compatible with iOS system. The application was designed as a game that helps to enhance students' spatial intelligence and the concept of Boolean operators, which is an important base for subjects such as graphics, technology, programming and design. We recruited 10 participants (4th through 6th grade students) in this usability testing and found that the button design of this game was not friendly enough for the students so that they failed to link the specific functions of buttons. They also reported other difficulties. For example, they were unable to control the graph scale button accurately and failed to expect the levels of difficulty. User experience design is a user-centered design approach that helps developers to design a product or service which conforms to users' needs. There are many developmental differences between children and adults, and it is not enough for us to understand children's habits and needs only through imagination. By conducting usability testing, an opportunity is provided for developers to discover where pain points are and what target users' needs are through their experiences. This helps developers improve user interfaces of applications and interaction designs (e.g. reward) to achieve the goal of educational use.