Multiple Usability Evaluations of a Program Animation Tool

Abstract

SRec (System for RECursion animation) is an educational software tool that allows creating animated interactive visualizations of recursive algorithms written in the Java language. In this paper, we present the results of four usability evaluation sessions held with our students. Usability was mainly evaluated with respect to easiness of use, adequacy to the task, quality, and if the user liked it. This untypical sequence of usability evaluations also has resulted in some interesting lessons on the development of educational software.