Usability of technology: The causes and levels of frustration over time

The state of Texas made approximately 48 million dollars available to public schools from 2002 to 2005 school years to incorporate and enhance technology (USDEOET, 2005). One area of focus is technology training, but few educators feel adequately prepared to use technology. To develop effective training frustrations should be eliminated (Klein, Moon, & Picard, 1999). However, frustrating experiences contribute to 45 percent of the time lost using a computer and few users consult manuals or online help systems for assistant (Ceaparu et al., 2004). This research investigated educators\u27 frustrations encountered over time with a software program. Participants used IBM Learning Village Software to create and maintain Web pages. The goal of the experiment was to determine how the level and nature of frustrations changed over time as users developed more experience and knowledge with the software. The study\u27s findings confirm the following hypotheses: the causes of frustration will change over time with a particular software application, the nature of frustrations differs between novice and experienced users, the frequency of frustration episodes will decrease over time, frustration levels decrease over time. (Abstract shortened by UMI.