Another avenue to pursue if you are planning to incorporate dynamic delivery of information assembled on the fly into your tutorial via a database is a Web application server. An application server is a program that handles transactions between a Web browser on a client computer and an institution’s back-end applications that reside on a server. For example, it processes data contained or referenced in a database and delivers that content to the user’s browser in HTML. Supplying many of the same functions that you can achieve with manual scripting, this fairly recently developed tool is designed to tightly integrate several components in a single development inter- face. With a Web application server, the developer does not have to reinvent the wheel
to build a robust interaction with a database. A familiar example of an application server is Macromedia’s ColdFusion (http://www.macromedia.com/software/cold fusion/). Information, including links to reviews, on various application servers is maintained on TheServerSide.com (http://www.theserverside.com/reviews/matrix.tss).
Because application servers can be very expensive, their use may be overkill if your database access is low. Check with your information technology department. One may already be installed at your institution.
Notes
1. OneStat.com, http://www.onestat.com/html/aboutus_pressbox31.html.
2. Nada Dabbagh, “Web-Based Course Management Systems,” in Education and Technology: An Encyclopedia, ed. Ann Kovalchick and Kara Dawson (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2004), 622.
The user interface, the graphical link between the student and a computer program, encompasses every aspect of a user’s possible interaction with a computer. To the stu- dents who use your Web instruction, the interface is the tutorial. Without a doubt, designing and creating your library instruction user interface is one of the major chal- lenges in the preproduction and production stages. Your goal in creating Web instruc- tion is to produce an instrument that will engage students and motivate them to actively learn in an independent environment. The successful creation of the interface requires that a wide variety of elements be brought together so that they mesh to pre- sent the instruction in the most effective manner, requiring the least explanation.
The subject of what constitutes good user interface design has been well studied and discussed. Many of the themes that are being presented here are the result of work accomplished by prominent researchers in the field of human-computer interaction;
in particular the work of Ben Shneiderman (http://www.cs.umd.edu/~ben/) and Jakob Nielsen (http://www.useit.com). These pioneers have been instrumental in estab- lishing best practices for making computers and the Internet more usable for all of us.
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the important usability factors to con- sider and incorporate into a winning interface. We will take a detailed look at
user-centered design
instructional design and content
basic guidelines and principles for user-interface design (adapted for the Web) navigation
screen layout and presentation aids visual design considerations multinational design considerations user accessibility
page optimization
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5 Designing the
User Interface
U S E R - C E N T E R E D D E S I G N
From the beginning, the design process should be focused on your users, or audience.
You are going to be creating a teaching tool for a population that traditionally does not have a high level of comfort in the library world. To many students, the library is a mysterious place, organized with puzzling numbering schemes and a foreign language of library jargon. Acquiring a thorough understanding of the user is a must.
One of the first steps to be taken in the preproduction phase is the audience needs analysis discussed in chapter 3. The results from this analysis will be the starting point for involving the user in the design process. From the analysis you should know
who will be using the tutorial their preferred learning styles
their previous experiences using libraries their prior exposure to library instruction
their base of knowledge in the specific subject area being taught the level of their computer competence
what type of hardware and software they have at their disposal their skill using the Web
what their expectations are from the instruction
Involving the user doesn’t stop with what you discover from the initial needs assessment. To ensure maximum usability of your program, users should be drawn in throughout the development process. How can users’ preferences and opinions be gathered? Assembling a focus group as you begin the design process is one way to hear from users about what they like or don’t like about Web site design in general, previ- ous library instruction experiences, and various instructional methods. The one draw- back to this sort of user encounter is that users can give opinions only about what they already know. If they have not experienced innovative library instruction methods or engaging interactive Web instruction, they won’t realize what is possible. Nevertheless, a focus group can provide a basic picture of what your audience thinks it wants.
Next you will want to develop a wire-frame prototype and have users try it out and provide feedback. A wire-frame prototype is a simple preliminary model of the site, without artwork, that identifies the main navigation and content. Adopt an iter- ative design process, and use testers’ reactions about each updated version to make design adjustments. Several methods that work well for testing usability are discussed in depth in chapter 8.
I N S T R U C T I O N A L D E S I G N A N D C O N T E N T
When initiating a discussion about interface design, it’s not uncommon to think pri- marily about screen layout and visual elements. This is important, of course, but it shouldn’t be separated from the main goal of the project—to deliver instruction effec- tively. The instructional design of the tutorial is the place to begin.