Gathering of usability requirements by Saudi e-learning software developers

Prioritising usability in software development increases the likelihood of the software developed being highly usable. Existing requirements gathering practices among Saudi developers of e-learning software were investigated for how effectively usability requirements are gathered. The requirements were assessed with respect to the usability attributes of learnability, rememberability, efficiency, reliability and satisfaction through a survey and interviews. The sample for each comprised of 212 and 20 developers respectively. Furthermore, evidence shows an inadequate attention to usability and a narrow conceptualisation of what constitutes usability. Although there is confidence in ensuring ease of use and following established standards, facilitating users in tasks is treated least as a usability attribute. Points are highlighted for recommended practices to improve usability and for further research.