Learning Portfolio

Four Types of Credibility

bdelfs — Mon, 31 May 2010 07:13:33 +0000

Presumed Credibility – CSIRO. This is a government organization for researching and releasing data on scientific topics. As a government funded group, you might presume the credibility of this source, but as it is funded by the government, findings may only be released in support of actions a government wishes to pursue.

Surface Credibility – Monsanto. On first overview this website appears very professional and easy to navigate, almost mimics the look of many scientific sites. Even includes titles such as ‘who we are’, ‘biotechnology’ and ‘sustainability’ to encourage likability and credibility. Green colour scheme makes you almost think it is an environmental protection group, not that of a company simply selling products.

Reputed Credibility – YouTube. Constant linking and mention of, through millions of other sites has effectively endorsed YouTube’s credibility as the most user-friendly video sharing site, and probably the easiest place to start looking for a clip.

Earned Credibility – sccaOnline. The communications and arts website of my university has provided useful and seemingly unbiased information for my learning over the last 4 months. Reliable, easy, and consistent source of information on design and communication principles, inside lecture notes, readings and links. Links it provides have proven to be valid sources of information.

Future of Web Credibility.

bdelfs — Mon, 31 May 2010 05:45:02 +0000

With such a large number of organizations online, website design may have a greater impact on perceived credibility, than the ‘offline perception of an organisation’ (Long, 2003). Such as with non-profit organizations.
As many popular sites become interactive, the credibility of the many sites it links to may become influential, not just the home site itself. Association to credibility by link or display.
In some circles, users may increasingly judge a site to be more credible on its lack of adhering to common design principles, as they learn to associate those professional sites with money and corrupted information.
As it becomes easier to make websites, such as blogs, including information such as number of hits or comments, will become an influential factor on peoples perception of credibility of an article. Proof of identity may be overtaken by popularity, earned credibility outweighed by presumed credibility.
In a faster paced world, speed of providing desired information (Fogg,2003, p.169), will persuade peoples perceptions of a site as ‘usable’.
Popularity may become the main source of influencing any earned credibility in communication between users.
In regard of popularity, websites that display brands or logos of popular products, may influence likability of a site and hence eventually its credibility.
A site which quickly displays reviews or information of new popular products will earn higher traffic, which will increase perceptions of reliability and hence credibility over time.

References

Fogg, B. J. (2003). Credibility and the World Wide Web Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do (pp. 122-181). Amsterdam: Morgan Kauffman Publishers.

Long, M. M., & Chiagouris, L. (2006). The role of credibility in shaping attitudes toward nonprofit websites. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 11(3), 239-249.

Wikipedia – credibility?

bdelfs — Mon, 31 May 2010 05:03:35 +0000

If I were to assess Wikipedia on Fogg’s “key elements that increase reputed web credibility” (2003, p.165), it would fare quite badly. The site does not display any awards or credentials, is not a link in any other sites that I have judged as believable, and is not recommended by a friend – in this case, condoned as a reputable source by my university. This may be explained for numerous reasons.

Wikipedia is a website, which has been designed to allow any user to publish, update and comment on any information in its catalogue. This has serious ramifications for trustworthiness, as there is no control of who (expertise), includes information, and whether some data has been changed for individual advantage. Wikipedia has been known to include a high proportion of inaccurate articles, which may take some time to be corrected, and accurate articles could conceivably be adjusted at any time.

Although the site is a very useful place to start searching a topic, due to its wide scope of contributors (hence its huge popularity), to reference the information from its pages directly could mean including a number of errors- both accidental and purposeful, in your final works.

References

Fogg, B. J. (2003). Credibility and the World Wide Web Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do (pp. 122-181). Amsterdam: Morgan Kauffman Publishers.

Web Resource Credibility

bdelfs — Mon, 31 May 2010 04:37:47 +0000

As a student who relies on the Internet for access of much of the information I need for learning, it becomes important to assess each item for accuracy. As the compiling of large amounts of current information in a website such as databases, usually requires funding, one needs to assess whether each source is influenced by academic learning or for sole profit purposes. Fogg (Fogg, 2003), says there are two main dimensions – trustworthiness and expertise – which are generally combined to evaluate sources (p.122).

Although some sites may include many apparent elements of these two criteria, such as certificates, labels and appearance, they may actually be sacrificing factual data for the sake of increased interactivity (Stoerger, 2007), especially when funding is involved. The same applies for specialist websites, such as a science site, which may have perceived expertise (Koh & Sundar, 2010), but has questionable credibility when one links findings of articles to its supporter’s profits.

Macmillan, in Stoeger (2007), believes government/education-mixed sources are more likely to place more emphasis on accurate intellectual property than for-profit entities. However, these sources also need too be assessed for trustworthiness and expertise in your final decision in applying the information to learning if you are to produce valid works, and not be detrimental to your overall learning as a student.

References

Fogg, B. J. (2003). Credibility and the World Wide Web Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do (pp. 122-181). Amsterdam: Morgan Kauffman Publishers.

Koh, Y. J., & Sundar, S. S. (2010). Heuristic Versus Systematic Processing of Specialist Versus Generalist Sources in Online Media. Human Communication Reasearch, 36(2), 103-124.

Stoerger, S. (2007). I’m not a doctor, but I play one on the web: Credibility, funding, and interactivity features on health organization websites. American Society for Information Science and Technology, 44(4), 1-5.

Performance Load Examples.

bdelfs — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:45:06 +0000

Kinematic load reducing – Automatic coffee machines. For those who desire consistent, high quality coffee, but who may be put off by performing the complex manual task of grinding, packing, filling, frothing and cleaning up – now just press a button. Allows people in different businesses or at home to make coffee quickly and easily so they can concentrate on other tasks.

iMovie features examples of reducing cognitive and kinematic loading. Mentally, projects are easy to look at as all video files are easily found in one library, recognizable as picture thumbnails to locate events quickly , and dragging the mouse over the project lets you see the footage arrangement visually in your sequence automatically. Physically includes many automatic functions such as the import option displaying as soon as a camera is connected and, if automatic import is chosen, imports all footage into stored events for you – far less daunting than viewing all your footage in one big group, and rewinds the camera tape for you. Also saves projects automatically.

Elsevier is an online database which stores science journal articles in one simple location. Includes science category listing to group the masses of listings into easier sub-sections. Also includes key word and advanced searching for browsing information. Abstract appears with each listing for quick analysis.

Image References

Automatic coffee machines for retail clientele. (2010). Coffee Machines, from http://www.mycoffeeshop.com.au/index.asp?menuid=100&artid=21&gclid=CObZsuat-6ECFQTDb

Elsevier. (n.d.). Tree logo. Elsevier home page, from http://www.elsevier.com.au/

Gorog. (2007). The main iMovie window. apcmag, from http://apcmag.com/review_apple_imovie_08_perfect_in_some_ways_lacking_in_others.htm

‘Chunking’ Information & Psychology

bdelfs — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:28:24 +0000

Q1 and 2 Combined.

The authors talk of cognitive loading affecting user performance. Psychology has studied these mental processes in great depth, and their knowledge can be useful if you apply it to communicating design. Psychology says there are two main components of cognitive architecture – working memory and long-term memory(Ghinea, 2006). Understanding these two components may help you design and communicated better.

Too many elements processed in your working memory at the same time may overload it, making communication of ideas or design ineffective. In ‘chunking’ information, related elements, such as pictures or words, are represented in an “alternative modality, as visual and auditory”(Ghinea, 2006) elements.

Chunking information may help designers produce items which are clear and easy to understand, or appear simple to learn. This is especially effective where the receiver of information may have low motivation(Spector, 1993). Websites based on general browsers may find it effective to restrict mental processing. Many popular television programs are designed for minimal mental comprehension, to be easily accessible to a larger (possibly tired at night-time) audience.

However, presentation may need adjusting for expert receivers to utilize cognitive resources, as long-term memory becomes the basis for learning in these transactions. This component of the cognitive may assist learning or increase positive experience, if catered for in more complex designs. If a receiver of your work sees it as too simple, they may become unattentive, hence restricting communication.

References

Ghinea, G., Chen, S. (Ed.). (2006). Digital multimedia perception and design. London: Idea Group Publishing.

Spector, J., Polson, M. (1993). Automating instructional design: concepts and issues. New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications, Inc.

Performance Load: analysis

bdelfs — Sun, 30 May 2010 16:40:20 +0000

Design should minimize the degree of mental (cognitive) and physical (kinematic) activity, needed to accomplish a task for its users (Lidwell, 2003). This article states decreasing such ‘resistance’ (Spector, 1993), results in tasks being “accomplished successfully”(Lidwell, 2003). Is this theory a bit general though, in the broad scope of ‘design.

Varying cognitive and kinematic loading may be required for optimal results in some contexts. Spector, 1993, says that higher, or experienced, learners may benefit from “less structured transactions”(p.171). In driving automobiles, Desmond, (Desmond, 1998), found that automation of tasks can cause complacency problems such as fatigue, boredom and reduced motivation. Decreasing these loads may increase motivation for many learners, but not all the time.

Ghinea (2006), in a study of multimedia perception, found that formats and presentations should be varied to “levels of user experience”(p.220). Reducing cognitive load may be successful in many instances, but could loose effectiveness and possibly have negative consequences in some learning (p.220). Not everything should be easy, and/or automated as the authors generalise. For optimal performance, you may need to vary loading depending on context.

Another design consideration that should be addressed on loading in both types, is the safety of simplified tasks in matters of security, ie bank information online, automatic remote controlled weaponry. To simply rush to ‘minimize’ restrictions may be too broad a term. Desmond also addressed this issue saying “the more powerful the technology, the greater the potential for both bad and good applications.

references

Desmond, P., Hancock, P., Monette, J. (1998, March 25-28). The Impact of Automation on Driver Performance and Subjective State. Paper presented at the Automation technology and human performance, Norfolk, VA.

Ghinea, G., Chen, S. (Ed.). (2006). Digital multimedia perception and design. London: Idea Group Publishing.

Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2003). Aesthetic-Usability Effect. In Universal Principles of Design. Massachusetts: Rockport.

Spector, J., Polson, M. (1993). Automating instructional design: concepts and issues. New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications, Inc.

Consistency Examples

bdelfs — Sun, 30 May 2010 14:21:02 +0000

Whether you want to copy, paste or select, many programs are functionally consistent with their design of keypad shortcuts. Short-cuts to familiar functions, such as Command+C will copy a selected item to paste somewhere else in Final cut pro, Photoshop, Microsoft Word and on most websites, allows the user to quickly navigate or use a new program, based on previous memory of actions, enhancing the usability of a design.

The online video streaming application YouTube, has been designed to allow people on almost any computer to view posted videos without having to download any special software, or even permanently download the video itself which would take storage space on hard-drives. Videos uploaded to this site are already controlled in terms of consistent file size which allows quick temporary download times on most internet connections This sort of external consistencies allows many websites to include the application in their own page and makes the youtube brand a very accessible and popular product.

The green and red phone symbols, for calling and ending calls respectively, on almost all current mobile and home telephones, is a great example of functional consistency. Most people now recognize these symbols by shape and colour (related to traffic light colour consistency), to be for starting and ending calls, and will have little difficulty in performing the most basic function of making a call, regardless of technological aptitude. This design element is probably an important feature to incorporate in phone designs for commercial success aesthetically, as people will be recognize that they should be able to easily use a new product.

Image References

Computer keyboard shortcuts. (2008). Computer Hope, from http://www.computerhope.com/shortcut.htm

Malik, H. Youtube plugin. Gizmodo, from gizmodo.com/…/03/ Youtube%20iPhone%20GI.jpg

Strauss, P. (2010). giant button cell phone for seniors. technabob, from technabob.com/…/11/ giant_button_cell_phone.jpg

Consistency

bdelfs — Sun, 30 May 2010 13:08:06 +0000

From their book Universal Principles of Design (2003), Lidwell, Holden and Butler state that designers should use consistent design in aspects of aesthetics, functionality, and internal and external systems, to enable easy learning and efficient transfer of knowledge in use of a product. However, there may be more depth in the application of consistency than discussed in this book, that would have several implications in many designs.

Addressing aesthetic-consistency, although an “instantly recognisable” (Lidwell, 2003) design with its positive associations (eg. Mercedes Benz), can be beneficial, could such repetition actually detract from aesthetic judgement in some cases? In reference to Starbucks vs unknown coffee shops, Underhill (Underhill, 2007) says the unknown factor of some products may entice people, as they could “exceed the known entity, in terms of uniqueness and creativity.”(p.73)

The article mentions incorporating consistently used symbols to make designs work with peoples existing knowledge, to enhance ‘usability’ and ‘learnability’. This may be true in many designs such as record and play buttons (p.46), but to remain consistent with other designs may be detrimental in some cases such as with software design, where products are quickly outdated by new and improved versions of technology (Welie, 1999) and some studies found adhering to popular design guidelines resulting in “good usability, remains unjustified.(p.614)

Using internal consistency within a system may, as the authors mention, enhance trustworthiness and usability, as the centralised structure will provide control for the user(Lawrence, 2007). However, Lawerence also says a scattered approach could provide “more spontaneity and flexibility within your design”(p.151), and could be more exiting. Would that encourage ‘learnability’?

To say system designs should be ‘externally consistent’ as much as possible (Lidwell, 2003), may also be lacking in reach, as it does not mention that though the option may present itself to adhere a common design standard, this may ignore needs of the user (eg. Online form filling), and sometimes beneficial to remain completely internally consistent (Spool, 2005), to create more usable designs.

references

Lawrence, D., Tavakol, S. (2007). Balanced website design: optimising aesthetics, usability and purpose. London: Springer-Verlag.

Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2003). Aesthetic-Usability Effect. In Universal Principles of Design. Massachusetts: Rockport.

Spool, J. (2005). Consistency in design is the wrong approach. User Interface Engineering, from http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/09/15/consistency-in-design-is-the-wrong-approach/

Underhill, B., McAnally, K., Koriath, J. (2007). Executive Coaching for Results: The Definitive Guide to Developing Organizational Leaders. San Francisco: Berrettt-Koehler.

Welie, M., Veer, G., Eliëns, A. (1999, 30th August – 3rd September). Breaking down Usability. Paper presented at the Proceedings of Interact 99, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Aesthetic-usability examples

bdelfs — Sun, 30 May 2010 11:14:50 +0000

iMovie 8.0 is a simple video editing program from Apple, for amateur movie makers. This program is not only simple to use in a functional way, with the way it automatically guides you through such procedures as importing footage from your camera, it also looks easy to use. Editing has been split up into minimal on-screen areas, such as the library with thumbnails of each clip, inside easily recognizable areas. Border toolbar lines split up the screen into boxes for easy perceptual separation of functions, while simple images or thumbnails are used to help the user see tools or different clips easily.

Aside from the actual phone itself, the box that the new iPhone comes in is an example of aesthetic-usability at work, with its sleek looking packaging and simple imagery, titles and layout. The box, with a life-size picture of the phone on top, leaves no second guessing. The quality printing does not stop there, with the box looking like it is covered in matt black leather, is always enticing to take a look inside. Under the lid the products inside are unveiled in apparent logical sequence, making starting up for the novice at least seem straight foward, the phone by itself, lifts up to the cleaning cloth (more positive association) and then the charger and wiring.

A website that uses principles of aesthetic-usability quite well is the photo sharing domain Flickr. Well spaced out photos and blue titles against a generous white background not only sells the images but makes the site look attractive and appear very easy to navigate. Home page reads from top left to bottom right, starts with the flickr homepage link icon(on all pages) and then to sign up and search bubbles, with minimal distractions, making the site inviting to people to start sharing photos.

References

Gerber, B. (2007). iPhone box. The iPhone, Many Hits, Few Misses, from http://www.tomsguide.com/us/the-iphone,review-968-3.html

Upload and organise. (2010). Flickr Homepage, from http://www.flickr.com/

Gorog. (2007). The main iMovie window. apcmag, from http://apcmag.com/review_apple_imovie_08_perfect_in_some_ways_lacking_in_others.htm