The Teaching of Usability in Software Development: Case Study in the Computer Engineering Career at the University of Matanzas

Abstract

The Cuban software industry is currently demanding the development of higher quality, more usable products that provide a better experience for end users. Usability Engineering (UE) promotes the early evaluation of usability in the software development process and user participation in all phases of the life cycle. In order to know the treatment that is given to the Usability in Software Development (USD) in the Computer Engineering degree at the University of Matanzas, an exploratory study was carried out, using methods of the theoretical and empirical level. A review of the international scientific literature related to the subject and the normative documents that govern the degree was carried out as well as interviews with professors and students in order to verify the treatment given to the USD. A case study is presented where aspects related to the subject are deepened proposing the inclusion in the optional curriculum of the degree course "Usability in software development". The results showed the appropriation of the knowledge of the group of students who received the subject. It enabled them to develop prototypes of the system of higher quality and more usability. The need to expand topics that include the end-user experience when interacting with the software as a guarantee of product quality is concluded, guaranteeing from the university curriculum the preparation of professionals in this area of scientific knowledge.

Integrating Usability into Software Engineering Course Projects

“…Therefore, it would be beneficial to have more integration between coding courses to give students the opportunity to apply what they have learned. Similar to this study, Segura (2021) carried out an undergraduate course on usability-integrated software development, and usability integration enabled students to develop prototypes of the system of higher quality and more usable. The author emphasized that the teaching of usability in software development in engineering education contributed to satisfactory results, so it needs to be included in the curriculum.…”

Identification of Risk Factors in the Software Design Stage Using the C4.5 Algorithm

“…The success of the project and the level of user satisfaction are initially determined by this stage. It is necessary to distinguish between the quality of a software product and the quality of the development process when defining software quality [2]. Software is created to satisfy the unique requirements of the organization, to comprehend user requirements, and for individual use.…”

Methodical Software Testing Course in Higher Education

“…Several researchers address the quality improvement of the developed software by undergraduate students from different perspectives. Segura and Staubits [17,18] concentrate on improving students' skills in two specific areas: software usability and programming level respectively. They employed their proposing enhancements as a case study by including a few exercises in the selected curriculum at your universities.…”