Implications for Multimedia Authoring

"Information Architecture for the World Wide Web" by P. Morville & L. Rosenfeld

Chapter 1: Defining Information Architecture

The authors define Information Architecture (IA) as a complex disciple with multiple definitions. They liken it to the structural design of shared information environments. They describe it as the process of organizing and labeling information to make it searchable and findable. it is the process of making data useful by placing it in a framework that facilitates access.

The authors address the challenges surrounding language and representation that impact IA, describing the relationships between words and meaning as being largely subjective to the individual. I've often struggled with how to label categories of a website and now understand why that is. Is the label appropriate and understandable for the intended audience? Does it truly describe the content encompassed in that area? Organizing information for other users poses challenges that often are not understood by users - especially in the case of well-designed websites. The time and effort that goes into IA are invisible and unnoticed as they occur behind the scenes.

I especially like the section on "Why Information Architecture Matters." Having worked in a corporate setting, there is a constant rush to complete IT projects as quickly as possible. The least amount of effort, in my opinion, is devoted to analysis and design. As long as the functionality is there and the information is somehow accessible (albeit inefficiently), project managers feel they've achieved their goals. If only they knew the future costs that users and the organization would incur because of the poor planning of a site's information design. These costs include:

• The cost of finding information
• The cost of not finding information
• The value of education
• The cost of construction
• The cost of maintenance
• The cost of training
• The value of brand

As an Instructional Designer/Trainer I have been asked to teach classes on how to search for information on company Intranets. Our director is now concered that we will need to teach classes on how to use a Shopping Cart program where parents register their daughters for camp and other Girl Scout events. I can't help but feel that training in the context of web sites should not be necessary if the Information Architecture is well thought-out. This leads to Chapter 2, which describes information architecture as a blend of context, content and users. Without considering all three factors and representing them in a site's design, chances are your site will incur some of the aforementioned costs in the future.

Chapter 2: Practicing Information Architecture

The practice of Information Architecture involves the relationships between users, content and context.

Context refers to the organization for which the site is being built. Each organization has a mission, goals, strategy and culture that the site's design should reflect. The design must also reflect the limitations of the organization as set by the physical and technological infrastructure, budget and policies and procedures.

Content is defined as the "stuff" that makes up a site. Important considerations surrounding content include ownership, format, structure, metadata, volume and dynamism.

Users refer to the people who will use your site. It is critical to take into account their goals and preferences. If you do not target your audience properly, your site will remain untapped.

Interaction Design IV:

“Engaging Students in Active learning: The Case for Personalized Multimedia Messages” by Roxana Moreno and Richard E. Mayer

The authors set out to test the hypothesis that personalized messages in a multimedia learning environment can enhance learning by promoting the elaboration of the materials and reducing processing load. The results found that personalized messaged resulted in improved problem-solving transfer ability and retention.

The authors’ assumption that self-referential language promotes the elaboration of instructional materials stems from psychological research which claims that people recall information better when it is encoded with respect to themselves then with respect to other frames of reference (Rogers et al., 1977). The authors predict that personalized dialogs will encourage learners to actively search for meaning (Anderson & Pearson, 1984; Doctorow, Wittrock, & Marks, 1978). Their second assumption is that “personalized messages are more consistent with our schemas for communicating in normal conversations and therefore require less cognitive effort to process” (725). Familiarity may also attribute to the easy in comprehending personalized prose, and Reeves and Nass (1996) provide evidence that people have a disposition to apply the same dynamics from human-human interaction to human-computer interactions.

The experiments required learners to view either a self-referencing or neutral multimedia simulation on lightning formation. The results showed that students who viewed the self-referencing version generated significantly more creative solutions on transfer tests. This may also be attributed to the idea that students are more motivated to understand material when they are more personally involved in their learning. When they are motivated to learn they form a mental model that can be applied to new and challenging situations.

Interaction Design IV:

"Defining Virtual Reality: Dimensions Determining Telepresence" by Jonathan Steuer

The objective of the article is to define virtual reality as an experience rather than a technology as a means of comparing virtual reality to other types of mediated experiences.

Steuer uses the terms presence and telepresence to define virtual reality as they relate to human experiences. Presence is defined as the sense of being in an environment, as dictated by sensory inputs and mental processes (75). It is a natural perception of an environment. Conversely, telepresence is defined as presence in a mediated environment or virtual world. A virtual reality is defined as a real or simulated environment where someone experiences a mediated environment.

Factors that influence telepresence include:

• The combination of sensori stimuli employed in the environment
• The level of interactivity afforded by the environment
• The characteristics of the individual experiencing the environment.

Five variables that help induce a sense of telepresence include the scope of sensory information, level of controls, the ability to modify the environment, task difficulty and degree of automation.

Two major dimensions that impact telepresence are vividness (i.e. the ability of a technology to produce a sensorially rich mediated environment) and interactivity (i.e. the degree users can influence the form or content of the mediated environment). The breadth or number of sensory dimensions employed in a mediated environment affects vividness. Speed (i.e. response time), range (i.e. number of possible actions at any given time) and mapping (i.e. the way human actions are connected to actions in a simulated environment) all impact interactivity.

Engagement is motivational factor and is described as a "critical factor in engendering a feeling of first-personness" (88).

Interaction Design IV:

My Room Revolution: Engaging Students through Personalization

http://www.nick.com/games/nick_games/letsjustplay/ljp_myroom.jhtml

Nickelodeon’s "My Room Revolution" game is designed to get players moving by having them execute physical challenges in their bedrooms via the instructions of a virtual buddy. The game is situated in a virtual bedroom that players customize to match the layout of their own bedrooms. Players then receive instructions from a virtual buddy to execute physical tasks which increase in difficulty as the game progresses. One of the key design strengths of the game is that all instructions and feedback are delivered using personalized messages throughout the game. As a result, players are more engaged in the activity and feel as if they are directly involved in the experience.

The game begins by having users customize a virtual buddy who demos and outlines the challenges players must execute. All instructions and feedback are delivered through the buddy who speaks to the player in 1st and 2nd-person points of view. For example, if the player’s bedroom layout will interfere with his ability to complete the physical challenge, the buddy explains this to the player and asks him to rearrange the room. The buddy “speaks” to the player to help him complete each step of the challenge and also offers positive feedback when the player completes a challenge. All in all, the use of personalized dialog serves to engage the player in the overall experience.