Project Objectives

The project consisted of a series of investigations into the usability and acceptability of eBooks with existing forms of technology. The core questions included:

What are the common technical challenges users meet in using eBooks?

What support (information and training) needs to be provided for users?

What are the factors that influence whether users will decide to try using eBooks?

What are the factors that influence whether users will continue to use eBooks?

In what ways will teachers and students use eBooks? (When, where, and with what devices?)

The project operated in six main phases: 1) a pre-project background study stage, 2) a selection stage, 3) a usability study with one-off user sessions, 4) consolidation of one-off user data, 5) an acceptability investigation involving extended use studies, and 6) the consolidation of the extended study data.

Evaluation of outcomes

The series of investigation contributed to our understanding of the usability and acceptability of eBooks as a learning tool in the university setting. Rich data have been collected in these various activities in the three different phases of the project. Instruments used included questionnaires, interviews, focus-group meetings, video recordings of user actions, and online blogs where students commented on their eBook reading and reading habits.

Dissemination of results & deliverables

Three papers (two journal articles and one conference paper) have been published as a way to disseminate the findings. One of these papers won a best paper award.