The single most neglected topic in the field of e-learning is the interaction between students and computers. Typically instructional design and the creation of media assets receive the sole emphasis, while crafting an effective interface between the student and the content is left to chance. Often when students complain about computer-based training or express a preference for classroom-based instruction, it's not the training they object to, but rather it's confusing menus, unclear buttons, or illogical links that scare them off. The success of any training program is largely dependent on the student's own motivation and attitude. If a poorly designed interface has them feeling lost, confused, or frustrated, it will become a barrier to effective learning and information retention.

The culprits behind bad interfaces are the designers themselves. Just as it is difficult to proofread your own written work, many designers, artists, and programmers are just too close to the program to have a "beginner's mind" when they try to create easily used training programs. When building the program from the ground up, they sometimes assume that it is clear what each on-screen button does, and how the content is organized. The good news is that the most common errors are easily observed and remedied - if you know what you are looking for.

What is the user interface?

Generally you can think of an interface as anything that enables a person to interact or use something. A soda machine has a simple interface; a series of buttons, large or small, lighted or not, that allow you to make a beverage purchase. A car has a more complex interface, including a gas pedal, brake, and steering wheel that enable the driver to control the vehicle. A computer's interface is the keyboard, mouse, and software that appears on the monitor and enables you to use the computer to perform a wide array of tasks.

Since the initial release of the Macintosh computer and subsequent development of Microsoft's Windows software, most people automatically think of a graphical user interface (GUI - pronounced gooey) when they think of an interface. Although the use of on-screen visual objects go a long way toward making computers easier to use, they are only part of a menu of items that dictate user-computer interactions: menus, language, options, screen layout, commands, and even the relationships between visual objects.

Common User Frustrations

Interface design flaws can be found in all kinds of software. These flaws, while not necessarily consciously noticed, make the software more difficult to use. What are some of the specific complaints that students express when working with courseware that has a poorly designed interface?

• "What am I supposed to do now?" This frustration often is the result of poor instructions or a lack of visual cues. Sometimes the title screen is programmed to remain on-screen until the student presses a key to continue. But without a prompt, the student waits and waits. Some linear tutorials that use audio narration don't provide guidance as to when to move forward in the program. Students will click forward prematurely during a long verbal pause, or will linger too long, waiting for more audio to begin.

• "Did I finish everything there is?" Students are feeling this anxiety more than ever before with the move to Web-based training. Unskilled developers sometimes provide too many hyper-links to various locations in the program and offer too many layers of content. Without a recommended path of navigation or an excellent tracking system, students find themselves "lost in hyper-space".

• "How do I get out of this thing?" With technology-based training, students have the flexibility of accessing it wherever and whenever they want. This means they might need to exit the program quickly - to respond to an urgent task at work, or perhaps to attend to a crying baby at home. Without a clear and easy exit path, students can feel "stuck" inside the program and might be reluctant to use it as a just-in-time resource in the future.

• "What's it doing? Is it hung up?" Computers can be slow to process large programs, can "crash," or simply "freeze." Computer slow-downs typically occur during software installation, accessing student records in a database, or when performing some kind of calculation. Crashes and freeze-ups occur when the computer gets conflicting messages that it can't process. Some of these technical glitches are unpredictable. But some student anxiety can be anticipated and eliminated by simple messages that inform the student what the computer is busy doing, for example, "Loading program, please wait." Without adequate information, students are likely to assume the worst, and may shut off the computer thinking that it isn't working properly.

Remember that if you do everything else right, but have a bad interface, your students will be confused, frustrated and will not learn. Ensure that designers are following good UI design principles and that interface feedback is observed and sought during pilot testing.