User Testing of Language Educational Portals

The contribution provides an insight into selected portal solutions with special focus on customer ´s aspect. The empirical usability study on language educational portals follows the standard structure; introduction, methodological frame, running own usability study and conclusion. The introduction sketches the width of the researched issue. The methodology frame provides readers with definitions and explanations of key expressions related to portal solutions; like portal, its services and characteristics where customization and personalization are described in detail. The other part of the methodological frame is devoted to usability testing in general terms. Usability testing of individual portal solutions is a tool introduced for investigation of user’s aspect. Research on portal usability is built on empiric observation of ways how common users under common circumstances browse through web pages. Factors influencing user´s behaviour like intuitiveness, satisfaction and conventions are highlighted due to their significant role in user´s move in the portal environment. The main part of the study is represented by own usability testing of selected language portals. Selection of portals was based on the width and quality of their facilities. A special form for usability testing of language portals was created. A set of tasks was developed reflecting both general and specialised areas of the tested portal. The tasks were divided into two main categories; unsolvable tasks and solvable tasks with accomplished and failed subcategories. Ten final reports were elaborated to ten selected portals within the study on usability testing. Conclusion brings outline of further utilisation of gained findings within the research of current trends of portal solution development.