Week 2 – Learning Activities +
Journal Entry
Watch: “The Story of the Seven Blind Men and the
Elephant”
The video “The Story of the
Seven Blind Men and the Elephant offers valuable insight into how each person
or user has a unique experience and each experience can be combined to be
reflective of the whole. It highlights the importance or value of being mindful
of every “users’” perspective. This is demonstrated when the final man in the
story compiles each opinion to form a complete understanding of the experience.
As mentioned at the end of the video: “Put all parts together to form an
opinion” and in the case of the design process I believe this means considering
all points of view before carrying out development.
Read: ‘Design thinking’ – Steven Bell
This article talks about a
new thinking process for professionals to undertake in order to better
understand their customers, clients, service users etc., the way their services
accommodate people and how to problem solve – design thinking. Bell
Bell, S. (2008) Design
thinking. http://stevenbell.info/pdfs/ALdesignarticle.pdf
Do: Observe and interview one (1) individual using an information system. What questions will you ask? What tasks will you
observe them doing? Why?
For the ‘Do’ activity I chose to observe and interview
my sister using the Gold Coast Libraries catalogue to find a copy of Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Step-by-step process/
observations/ discussion…
1. Title search Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2. After all fields search went to subject audiobook.
3. It came up with no audiobook results so I asked what
my sister would do if she suspected there were audiobooks in this title but the
results weren’t coming up. She of course was being smart and went to do a
google search but I instructed her to borrow it from the local library.
4. She then went to advance search and entered the
title author. She went outside the library website to check the spelling of
authors name. A multitude of
results came up and among the different types of materials was an audiobook in
that title. I then instructed my sister to borrow the material.
5. The subject found that the borrowing link was not
clear on gccc site – needs clarification or maybe more explanation.
6. New window -> click on borrow -> login.
7. Clicked download – went to open and it prompted for
either windows of the computer to open a program or web service. No help
offered.
8. Sister did a search how to open .odm files (zenway
site) and download overdrive.
9. I prompted my sister to go back to the library site
to get answers – there needs to be more guidance here.
10. I told her to head back to overdrive ->
downloaded to windows -> picked operating system.
11. Clicked on program -> agreed and installed ->
went to file folder -> clicked on
file overdrive, opened as default -> mad a new folder for audiobooks.
12. I prompted my sister to download the files.
At the end of the task my sister said she regretted
helping me with the task – siblings…
Following the task I found
that I probably offered too much direction and while I was viewing the user, my
own feelings and assumptions were being transcribed. I should’ve followed up
the observation with an interview asking about how my sister felt about
different steps or processes. In my observation I should’ve also paid more
attention to the facial expressions and body language of the user as opposed to
the steps taken in the task.
Journal Entry - Week Two: What you have learned about
the role of the user and the user experience in database design and
development? What does this mean for information organisation? In your own
database design (which you will do for assignment 3) how might you go about
finding out user needs? You might also like to include some of your findings
from the observation/interview with the user your interviewed.
Through the learning
activities carried out this week and the in class content several discoveries
were made regarding the role of the user and the user experience in database
design and development. The key points I found were:
-
users play an
integral role in design and development because their views on services or
products encourage improvement and innovation
-
each user has a
unique experience and each perspective has to be considered in the design
process
-
there are a
number of tools that can be used to find out about users’ experiences including
interviews, observations and when in the investigatory role it’s important to
remain impartial
Information organisation
will be reliant on the role of the user to remain relevant. Services and
products will be developed to suit users so experiences organisations are
considered valuable. A good representation of the value of companies
considering user experiences is demonstrated through Stephen Anderson’s User
Experience Pyramid (see Figure 1.1 below).
Figure 1.1 Stephen Anderson’s
User Experience Pyramid.
For Assignment 3, when
constructing my own database, I will use several methods to find out about user
needs including:
-
online research
about what people look for in a database
-
iinterviews
-
observations
-
review elements
of what makes up good user experiences and verify these against what users have
said about their experiences with databases and database content
Some elements I may
incorporate into my database that were of issue in the ‘Do’ activity include:
-
clear
instructions/ clear help guides
-
make sure
formats correspond correctly or how users expect entries to correspond
-
maybe a “did you
mean?” component in case search entries are misspelled
I think when developing my
database content will also be a key consideration.
References:
User Experience pyramid [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://contrast.ie/blog/make-it-meaningful/
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read:
Downey
Melbourne Hobart Perth
Melbourne
Hobart
Perth
Melbourne
Hobart
Perth City
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 4 – Learning Activities +
Journal Entry
Watch: Watch the
following two videos (“The right way to wireframe” – 1:34 min and “The
right way to wireframe” – 3:12 min)
demonstrating the process of how two different designers go about organising
the web site layout and information architecture for the same website using
wireframes.
The process of organising
the website layout and information architecture for the same website using
wireframes was fairly similar across the two different designers. Both
designers undertook a rigorous planning stage mapping out their ideas and while
aesthetically there was some differences in terms of colour scheme the content
placement was very similar. It probably would’ve been easier to compare the two
processes if the 1:34 video ran slower and each phase was earmarked similar to
that of the three minute video.
Read:
Garrett, J. J. (2011). The elements of user experience:
User-centered design for the web and beyond. Berkeley , CA
McManus,
M. (2009). What is information architecture? [Web log post]. Retrieved
from: http://www.maya.com/the-feed/what-is-information-architecture
Do: Visit the 3 local council websites listed below:
Take notice of the way information is organised on
each. What menu options are available on the right? What tabs are along the
top? You should also find and look at the site map to see the overall high
level information architecture of the site. How is this arranged?
Menu options on the right:
Under a section titled ‘I want to…’ several options are listed and deal with
council related issues locals would want for information on including parking
permit applications, parking fine payments and pet registration renewal. Each
link focus is outlined in detail.
Tabs along the top: Options to
view other council websites and search the council page are available along the
top of the page. Just below those are links to the ‘Contact Us’ page and the
‘Site Map’.
Site map (IA)/ arrangement:
The site map is displayed in a three column list form with subject headings
shown in blue text with related links following the respective heading in black
text. The font colours are similar and being able to distinguish between a
subject heading and a related link can be challenging as you scroll down the
page. Despite this, the site map is in depth and has multiple options for users
to select from.
Menu options on the right:
Below the website search bar is a section titled ‘Popular Links’. The options
listed in this section have blue headings that are followed by small ‘blurbs’
detailing the content related to the heading. Links include: ‘Employment’, ‘Pay
Online’, ‘Salamanca Markets’ and a ‘Customer Service Charter’.
Tabs along the top: The tabs
along the top include ‘Home’, ‘Contact Us’, ‘Site Map’ and a link displayed as
a Japanese flag that connects to details regarding Hobart’s sister city Yaizu.
I thought this was an interesting addition to the links at the top of the page.
Site map (IA)/ arrangement:
The site map is displayed as a single list with major headings larger in size
to the related subheading links that are listed below each respective major
heading. There are also indented links below some of the subheadings. Important
website links are presented in the list first. Each major heading is followed
by a comprehensive list of links to information.
Menu options on the right:
Tabs along the top:
Site map (IA)/ arrangement:
On each Council website, try to navigate to the
section about pet ownership. Consider:
·
How did you get there?
·
What decisions did you need to make
to find the information?
·
How did the language differ on each
site?
·
What if you wanted a cat or chickens
instead of a dog?
Lastly, of the three Council sites, which do you feel
has the best information organisation? Which provided you with the best
information? Which provided you with the best user experience? Did your answer change
for these questions? Why?
Steps taken/ decisions made to find pet ownership information:
Steps taken/ decisions made to find pet ownership information (animals
other than dogs):
Steps taken/ decisions made to find pet ownership information:
Steps taken/ decisions made to find pet ownership information (animals
other than dogs):
Steps taken/ decisions made to find pet ownership information:
Steps taken/ decisions made to find pet ownership information (animals
other than dogs):
Language comparison between council sites:
Which council site has the best information organisation? Why?
Which site provided the best information? Why?
Which site provided the best user experience? Why?
Did the answer change for each question? Why?
Journal Entry – Week Four: In this entry
you should critically consider the key points you have learnt about
information organisation for websites and information architecture from this
week's activity. You might like to focus on: How does information architecture
impact on information findability? What needs to be taken into consideration
when designing a website's information architecture? How does this then
translate into the final website? You might also like to address some of the
questions posed under the 'do' activity.
A number of
things have to be considered when designing a website’s information
architecture including:
-
classification and hierarchy
- labels and
tagging
- navigation
and wayfinding and
- search
(Thompson, 2010)
The goal is to
make information as “findable” as possible. If these facets aren’t utilised or
aren’t managed correctly then information architecture can have a negative
impact on the findability of a website.
Not only this,
but I believe the organisation of information, and in turn the findability of
information, on a website can be dependent on the following factors:
- the needs
and wants of the user
- aligning
with the company’s strategic goals
- the context /
content
- elements
that make up good user experiences including ease of use and credibility
(Morville, 2004)
Information findability
can be influenced through information architecture and organisation because of
the considerations that have to be made and balanced. If there is imbalance,
particularly if user needs aren’t being carefully considered and the focus is
on organisational “wants”, information won’t be clear and navigational
challenges will arise. This view stems from the right hand menus of the council
websites that were analysed as part of the ‘Do’ activity. I felt, as a user,
the Melbourne City Council was more in touch with community needs as the topics
addressed in the menu were relevant and put in understandable terms. In
comparison, the Hobart City Council website seemed to have more of a focus on
advertising the council and local attractions as opposed to informing the
community about important council related issues.
References:
Morville, P. (2004). User Experience Design. Retrieved from http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000029.php/
Thompson, M. (2010). Explain IA Poster [Image]. Retrieved
from http://userallusion.com/blog/2010/10/explain-ia-poster/
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cambridge , Mass.
Cambridge , Massachusetts
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 6 – Learning Activities +
Journal Entry
Watch: “Resource description”.
Thoughts?
Read: Two resources outlined in weekly
learning materials. Notes will be presented as scanned documents.
Zabel, D.
& Miller, L. (2011). Resource description and access (RDA): An introduction
for reference librarians. Reference
and User Services Quarterly, 50(3), 216-222. Retrieved
from: http://rusa.metapress.com/content/wrg1501514721g7n/
This article talks about the history of RDA, how it operates, how it differs from the AARC2 cataloging code, why its implementation is being considered and the associated challenges of it's implementation. What I found most interesting is the focus the RDA code has on users through association with FRBR principles (FISO) even though there have been reportedly no studies of users involved in the defining of these principles (Miller, 2011).
This article talks about the history of RDA, how it operates, how it differs from the AARC2 cataloging code, why its implementation is being considered and the associated challenges of it's implementation. What I found most interesting is the focus the RDA code has on users through association with FRBR principles (FISO) even though there have been reportedly no studies of users involved in the defining of these principles (Miller, 2011).
Park, J. & Tosaka, Y. (2010). Metadata creation practices
in digital repositories and collections: Schemata, selection criteria and
interoperability. Information
Technology and Libraries, 29(3), 104-116. Retrieved from: https://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ital/article/view/3136/2750
Do: This
week complete the Week 6: Resource Description activity attached. In this you
will have to activities that explore the key issues associated with ISBD and
also compare AACR2 and RDA. This sheet will also assist you in starting to
consider various aspects of resource description for Assignment 3.
How many areas
of description are there in ISBD, irrespective of type of material? What are
these areas?
Eight - based in ISBD (G). Title and statement of responsibility area
(1), edition area (2), material (or type of resource) specific area (3),
publication, distribution, etc., area (4), physical description area (5),
series area (6), note area (7), standard number (or alternative) and terms of
availability area (8).
Compare
what is said about ‘Sources of information’ in ISBD (G) and any two of the
particular ISBD formats
Search the
QUT library catalogue for the book by Robin Mason titled ‘Globalising
education’. How should the record be displayed according to ISBD(M)? How many
of the areas of description are used?
Now search
and view the record for the video ‘Lantana’. Compare the QUT record for this
item with the record held in the Brisbane
City
Have they
been described at the same AACR2 level? To what extent can you check whether
they follow ISBD?
Look at and
compare the two records below for the same illustrated childrens’ book, using
AACR2 and RDA respectively. What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses
of the presentation of each of these?
First as a
user and then as an information professional, consider - do you have a preference? If so, which one
and why?
AACR2
Kontis, Alethea.
Alpha oops! : the day Z went first / Alethea Kontis ;
illustrated by Bob Kolar.
1st ed.
1 v. : col. Ill.
Chaos ensues when Z thinks that it’s time for him to
go first in the alphabet for a change.
Kolar, Bob, ill.
RDA
Kontis, Althea, author.
Alpha oops! : the day Z went first / Alethea Kontis ;
illustrated by Bob Kolar.
First edition.
37 unnumbered pages: color illustration ; 28cm.
text rdacontent
unmediated rdamedia
volume rdacarrier
Chaos ensues when Z thinks that it’s time for him to
go first in the alphabet for a change.
Kolar, Bob, illustrator.
Journal Entry
– Week 6: In this entry you should critically
consider the key points you have learnt about resource description from this
week's activities. You may consider reflecting upon what do you think are the
key factors in considering how you will structure bibliographic resource
description and the standards you will use? From what you have read and learned
- what do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of using RDA over
AACR2? Consider what this move to RDA means in regard to the evolution of
information organisation.
From this week's activities I've learned several things about resource description.
From this week's activities I've learned several things about resource description.
No comments:
Post a Comment