Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu: Evaluating Usability of a Financial Aid and Scholarship Website for Native Hawaiian College Students

As college costs continue to rise, financial aid has increased in importance in helping students pursue higher education. Financial aid is also a significant predictive variable for Native Hawaiian student persistence in college. Without it, many students would not be able to complete their degree. However, many learners lack accurate information about financial aid and resources.
To address this need, the purpose of this usability study was to develop and evaluate the ease of use and effectiveness of a website designed to inform Native Hawaiian College students about financial aid and scholarship basics and resources (www.finaidresources.weebly.com). The researcher designed the website prototype, incorporating the principles of instructional design and multimedia learning. Two rounds of usability testing were conducted. Feedback indicated that visually appealing graphics, clear and concise labels and a simple clean layout was preferred by users. Revisions were made to the prototype based on user feedback to contribute to an improved user experience.

This session will discuss study results including methods, participant data, design implications and website modifications. Data support how usability studies can contribute to an improvement in user satisfaction resulting in a website that is easier to use and more effective in sharing information with the target population. The study was able to help provide a user-friendly online financial aid and scholarship resource to give students anytime, anywhere access to facilitate student awareness, guide them through the financial aid process, and ultimately, lead to increased funding for their education.