[R U X] Corner
................................................................................ We are graduate and undergraduate students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students. ................................................................................
To Buy or Not to Buy: Tablet and Laptop Ana Gonzalez-Hoy, Carmen Van Ommen Graduate Researchers In recent years, the pandemic forced a lot of education to transition more online, which may have caused students to use more technology in their daily lives. Students may now attend class over Zoom rather than in person, attend online meetings, or turn in homework on Canvas rather than directly to the teacher. Using a personal computing device for school has long been a necessity, but since we are spending more time online, there may be new things to consider before purchasing a device for school, such as a laptop or a tablet. In order to help students think through what type of device might be best for their needs, we asked a group of current students for their opinion on the use of laptops and tablets. What Devices are Students Using? We sent out a survey and collected 21 responses from current students at Embry-Riddle in the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering. The students ranged from 20 to 29 years old. The survey showed that 11 out of the 21 own only a laptop, while the other 10 own a laptop and a tablet. None of the students who took our survey owned only a tablet. When we asked what devices they use primarily for school, 16 selected laptops, 2 chose both laptop and tablet, and the remaining 3 students said they used a tablet, e-reader, or desktop computer, respectively.
Photo Courtesy / Avel Chuklanov (Unsplash)
activities they used their laptops for were browsing the web, creating emails, and reading textbooks or ebooks. Additional uses for laptops were activities such as word processing, using powerful software (e.g., Adobe Creative Cloud, Catia, SolidWorks, Blender), note-taking, and playing video games.
For the students owning both a laptop and a tablet, their primary reason for purchasing varied per device. Generally, a laptop was purchased primarily for school use. However, the primary reason for purchasing their tablet was for personal use. When owning both a laptop What are Students Using Their Devices For? and a tablet, the top three things students used their laptop For the students that only owned laptops, the most for was using powerful software, word processing, and to common primary reason for purchasing a laptop was browse the web and create emails. Their tablets were used for use in school. Students noted that the top three for reading textbooks/ebooks and note-taking. Page 14