Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
A small expert user/producer group of eight candidates, 18-25 years old, was used to
evaluate the product. The choice to use a smaller and more focussed group was made
because it was easier to manage and because, for instance, Virizi (1992) has noted that
80 per cent of usability problems are uncovered with four or five test participants, so the
use of a smaller group was deemed to be a sound one. They were first asked to answer the
questions using a paper map of the selected area and then with a three-dimensional Web
information source, the
Townsville GeoKnowledge
project interactive multimedia product
(Cartwright
et al
., 2003). The questions asked are provided in Table 6.3.
After the tasks had been performed, the candidates were asked to make general comments
comparing the traditional map to the three-dimensional Web product. The purpose was to
determine whether the medium changed their view of the geography of Townsville. Then
general comments relating to product improvement were solicited. The diagram in Figure
6.19 shows how each of these tasks was linked.
Candidates first used the paper map, and then repeated the procedure using the surrogate
walk product. At the end of each section, the candidates commented on how easy it was to
perform these tasks with the artefact used - Easy, Fairly Easy, Moderately Difficult, Difficult,
Hard, Very Hard or Impossible. Once they had done this with the paper map, the candidates
went through the same procedure using the interactive multimedia package. One of the
focus elements of this evaluation was to investigate if perceptions of geographical places are
dependent upon the medium used.
There were definite changes in how the candidates viewed their allocated tasks when using
the paper map and when completing the same tasks with the interactive multimedia product.
Questions relating to the Knowledge section were rated, in the worst cases, as impossible/very
difficult to answer with the paper map. This changed to fairly easy/easy with the multimedia
product. For Comprehension hard/difficult moved to moderately difficult/easy. Application
tasks were rated hard/moderately difficult when the paper map was used and moderately
difficult/fairly easy with the multimedia product. Analysis-related questions were impos-
sible/moderately difficult with the paper map and fairly easy/easy with the multimedia
product. There was no change with the Synthesis tasks. Evaluation-specific questions were
rated impossible/moderately difficult with the paper map. This perception changed to mod-
erately difficult/easy with the multimedia product. In general terms, five of the 'umbrella'
task areas were easier to perform, albeit two of the five tasks only changed slightly, with the
multimedia product, which indicates the effectiveness of 'rich media' products.
Finally, the candidates were asked to comment on how their perception of what constituted
the town had changed once they had used the interactive multimedia product. The ability
to describe the town improved markedly when the interactive multimedia product was
used. Initially, the candidates were either unable to adequately describe what constituted the
town, or they just provided a general 'location of elements' statement. After they had used
the interactive multimedia product, the candidates were able to comment on the structure
of the town, its location by the sea, the fact that it had a harbour and that there were hills
behind it. The general structure of the town - city centre with a few historic buildings and
a suburban spread beyond - was also added to the description. The interactive multimedia
product, with enhanced media attributes, enabled the users to get a better appreciation of
the town. General comments are provided in Table 6.4.
The users commented that with the interactive multimedia product it was easier to imag-
ine what the town looked like and to get a feeling for the topography. The functions of the
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