Usability Study of an Interactive eBook for Members of the Honolulu Board of Realtors®

The Honolulu Board of Realtors® (HBR) is a non-profit organization which provides real estate agents in Hawaii access to local benefits under the Hawaii Association of Realtors® (HAR) and the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). A member of HBR is one of over 6,000 agents who have also pledged to abide by a strict Code of Ethics created by NAR. In a profession with a long history, beginning before the Digital Revolution, associations have been slow to embrace technological advances.

This usability study evaluated the ease of use and design of an interactive eBook with curated information on benefits for members of HBR. The eBook is a curated resource for information spread across multiple websites and organizations. It provides members with current information on relevant benefits and resources. Taking into consideration the diversity of the target population, the visual design of the content was based upon grids and hierarchies. Images, motion graphics and links were implemented in Adobe InDesign and published through Creative Cloud in order to preserve them across multiple devices. Through this study, the researcher learned about the connection between interactivity, visual design, and user experience. Overall, participants found the eBook to be a clean, simple, and relevant resource. This session details the research, design, implementation, results, and future development of the study.