A Usability Review of the Learning Master Serious Game in Support of the US Army Jumpmaster’s Course

Abstract

The use of serious games for training can promote engagement and encourage curiosity. While there is controversy over how to assess the effectiveness of using serious games for training, research efforts have linked instructional effectiveness to instructional objectives and game characteristics. This paper describes these components in relations to a serious game for students in the United States Army Jumpmaster course. The authors collected data on usability through user feedback from surveys after the use of a serious game called Learning Master. From the data collected, users perceived the serious game to be simple to use, function appropriately, and have an intuitive design. A majority of the users expressed confidence in using the system. The user responses called for improvements in the visual display and simplified access to the application. The design team plans to use this information to enhance and finalize the serious game for future testing.