Digital Resource Exchange About Music (DREAM): Usability testing results

Abstract

1.IntroductionDigital applications for music education are growing at an astounding rate and are changing the ways people teach, learn, and make music (Beckstead, 2001; Burnard, 2007; Partti, 2012; Rainie & Wellman, 2012; Waldron, 2013; Wise, Greenwood, & Davis, 2011). Accessing reliable information about these new tools is important for music teachers so that they can assess the appropriateness of such tools for their students' needs. Unfortunately, teachers are perennially time-starved and are unable to systematically examine and evaluate the digital resources that are available. Classroom teachers often rely on interactions with their colleagues to learn about new technologies. However, independent music teachers work in isolation (Feldman, 2010), making these informal discussions about resources more unlikely and certainly less than comprehensive. Thus, a tool that provides a centralized place where independent music teachers can keep abreast about high quality digital technologies for their field has the potential to assist music teachers in substantial ways.The Digital Resource Exchange About Music (DREAM) is a digital tool designed to provide teachers with digital resources related to music education and to studio instruction. DREAM is part of a suite of digital tools developed by the multi-institutional Canadian partnership between Queen's University, Concordia University, and The Royal Conservatory (www.musictoolsuite.ca).DREAM enables music teachers to search for resources, evaluate resources, to read about other teachers' views of the resources, and to add resources of their own to the DREAM repository. In the release version (v. 1.4) DREAM resources were organized into six broad categories: (a) musical repertoire, (b) practising, (c) ear/sight, (d) creating/composing, (e) theory/history, and (f) professional resources. All of the resources are searchable by title and key words, and users can also filter the resources by instrument, ability level, or platform (e.g., used on computer, tablet, or smartphone). DREAM also recommends resources to users based on their prior choices.In this age of ubiquitous and easily accessible digital tools, it is essential that the DREAM tool operates in a way that is seamless and efficient for intended users. Thus, before releasing DREAM to the public, a multi-phase usability testing protocol for DREAM was designed. This research study describes how DREAM evolved with the input of 12 core test participants and designers, a group of 24 classroom music teachers enrolled in a teacher education program, as well as 47 studio music teachers representing eight of the thirteen provinces and territories in Canada. Most of the final group of beta testers were from Ontario (51%). All regions of Canada were represented with the exception of the northern territories.2. Related LiteratureUsability testing refers to the examination of how intended users interact with a new tool. Usability testing is the most common way for software and hardware developers to see how users actually interact with their tool before it is released for public use. The process of usability testing involves learning from test participants that represent the target audience-in our case, Canadian independent music teachers-by determining the degree to which the product meets its goals (Rubin & Chisnell, 2008; Yadrich, Fitzgerald, Werkowitch, & Smith, 2012).Methods of usability testing include ethnographic research, participatory design, focus group research, surveys, walk-throughs, closed and open card sorting, paper prototyping, and expert evaluations, among others (Rubin & Chisnell, 2008). These methods can be either formative or summative in nature. All of these forms of testing allow the designers and developers to see if the product's design matches the users' expectations and supports their goals (Barnum, 2011). The present study employed participatory design, focus group research, and surveys, and was formative in nature. …