Things to Think About...
Compared to the previous five characteristics, it might be supposed that the concept of usability is straightforward and simple. Straightforward it is, but far from simple. The fact that usability is a complex and far too often ignored issue is amply demonstrated by a sample of the comments often heard regarding EE materials. Materials that must be copied for distribution to students but are physically difficult to copy, because of binding or color problems, is one example. Activities that require expensive consumable materials also present problems. Lack of documentation or background information for teachers who are not sufficiently familiar with the subject matter or procedures can prevent EE materials from being used at all. Unfortunately, the list of complaints is probably as long as the list of materials.

"User friendly" is a term that has become well known with the growth of personal computer use. However, the term applies to many other fields as well, including environmental education. There is one over- arching question to be answered when judging the usability, or user friendliness, of EE materials. Will is be easy for the educator to include this material or lesson in the curriculum? To answer this not-so-simple question, you must consider many things, from the mechanical (reproducibility of student pages, for example) to the more technical (such as correlation to certain educational standards or issues of copyright protection).

Attention to detail goes a long way toward the creation of materials that gather users rather than dust. The following examples will help clarify the range of considerations that evaluators or authors face in determining whether environmental education materials possess usability.