Interface Design in Online Nursing Education: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The interface design of the online education process facilitates communication, connectivity, and interaction between faculty and student. However, there is little evidence-based research to confirm the worth of complex versus simple design. The purpose of this research was to compare student satisfaction data following the use of either a complex, affective interface or a simple, conventional interface. The theoretical framework for the study was based on Norman’s theory of design and the theory of andragogy by Knowles.

A two-group, post test only, randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine if an interface designed to generate an affective response would result in higher student satisfaction than one designed in a conventional interface. A total of 332 nursing students who met the study criteria were randomized to the learning module in one of two interface designs, affective or conventional. A total of 293 indicated informed consent and participated in the survey. The Questionnaire for User Satisfaction (QUIS) was used to assess student satisfaction with the interfaces. Mean scores were calculated for the responses to the QUIS and analyzed using Independent Samples t-tests. The results of the study found that there was no significant difference in the student satisfaction total scores for affective interface design (M = 7.81, SD = 1.15). and conventional interface design (M = 7.77, SD = 1.08); t (291) = .363, p = 0.358 (one-tailed).

Conclusions: All of the existing theories pointed to an overwhelming support of the affective interface design as a means to initiate higher student satisfaction in the online interface. However, this evidence-based research study showed no significant difference between the complex, affective and simple, conventional interface. The results of this study demonstrated the global need for ongoing, evidence-based research within online nursing education.