Creating emotionally resonant User Experiences in response to ever-evolving challenges in Open Distance e-Learning Institutions.

Abstract

Advances in ever-present, social, mobile, and physical computing technologies have moved the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), particularly User Experience (UX), into practically all areas of human activity, including education. Higher education institutions (HEIs) face a growing need to enhance online learning opportunities that address an increasingly diverse learner community. This underscores the necessity of UX communities to propose that the development and evaluation of digital technology should not only include usability, but the broader range of user experiences, where users’ feelings, motivations, and values are given as much, if not more, attention than efficiency, effectiveness, and basic subjective satisfaction experiences which it offers. Emotion and the expression of emotion play a powerful role in the way human social interaction is shaped, and therefore can and must be exploited in HCI. An emotion lexicon is essential for describing emotions and emotion-aware experiences, facilitating the identification of emotions, and describing subsequent behavioural patterns which highlights the importance of a match between an emotion experienced, experience design and design principles. To explore the role of emotion and the possibilities it has for technology interaction, a non-formal learning initiative was implemented in an Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) environment using a freely available social media app exploiting its capacity for inclusiveness and educational potential. Using phenomenology as a research philosophy and a methodology, emotions were identified and mapped to behavioural patterns resulting in design principles. This allowed for the creation of emotion-aware experiences and a more comprehensive understanding of mobile tutoring in a ODeL environment.

Keywords: User Experience, emotions, mobile tutoring, tutoring, Open Distance e-Learning, phenomenology, thematic analysis

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005626