Abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated the use of distance learning and subsequently, the demand for online materials has increased [1]. As part of the existing educational website REWWay (Research and Education in Inland Waterway Logistics), this momentum will be used to make materials available to a wide audience to promote eco-friendly freight transportation.

The transport sector is responsible for almost 25% of emissions in the EU. In order to reduce emissions, the shift to more environmentally friendly means such as the transport of goods by using inland waterways is a defined measure in the course of the EU Green Deal [2]. Since 2015, the REWWay website is raising awareness about inland waterway transport (IWT) and promoting knowledge on multimodal transport planning as effective measures to promote modal shift [3].

In order to meet the constantly changing requirements for online educational materials, the REWWay website needs to be adapted to the current needs of teachers and learners. A comprehensive evaluation using the user-centered design process method is conducted based on the ISO standard 9241-210 [4]. The present paper shows preliminary findings of the first steps of the user-centered design process. This paper covers the development of personas and scenarios as well as the results from interviews regarding teachers’ habits and stated preferences for searching educational material online. To derive user requirements, the interviews are assessed and interpreted using qualitative content analysis [5].

The interviews on teacher requirements include the following questions:
1. What search terms do teachers use to find materials for a lesson on inland navigation and waterways?
2. Which websites are already used by teachers to prepare their lessons?
3. Which file formats are preferred by teachers and why?
4. Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed teachers’ behavior in searching or using online materials?

The outcome of this paper builds the basis for the future steps including usability tests with participants matching the defined persona profiles described in this paper and expert evaluation. The recommendations drawn from the user-centered design process will be incorporated into the revision of the REWWay website in terms of user-friendliness to increase the user base. In addition, the findability via search engines will be improved and possibilities for complementary mapping of REWWay to other educational websites will be considered.

References:
[1] S. L. Schneider and M. L. Council, “Distance learning in the era of COVID-19,” Archives of dermatological research, vol. 313, no. 5, pp. 389–390, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s00403-020-02088-9.
[2] The European Green Deal, European Commission, Bruxelles, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/european-green-deal-communication_en.pdf
[3] D. Beil and L.-M. Putz-Egger, “Modal shift measures to increase the use of eco-friendly transport modes: a literature review,” Transport Research Arena (TRA) Conference, 2022.
[4] ISO 9241-210:2019, Ergonomics of human-system interaction — Part 210: Human-centred design for interactive systems.
[5] U. Kuckartz and S. Rädiker, Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Methoden, Praxis, Computerunterstützung, 5th ed. Weinheim, Basel: Beltz Juventa, 2022.

Keywords:

Interviews, user requirements, educational website, accessibility.