Last revised: August 8, 1997
Interactivity (from Robert Zielinski)
radio, film, books, etc) because of increased interactivity
a. a dialogue
b. user talks to system; system talks back
c. Ideally, "(e)very interaction should be designed with the
goal of the system learning something about the user so that it
can in turn provide a specific and relevant response."
d. "System talking back" is not simply displaying particular
text, graphics, etc.
e. "The system talking back must evolve into the computer's
capability to evaluate a student's progress against a stated
learning objective then sequence the learning based on that
evaluation."
a .Monologue presentation in which the user passively
acquires information, while the system is not learning about the
user.
b. Frequently uses metaphors common to everyday life:
textbook, assembly line
c. Uses common computer widgets (standard inteface--buttons,
etc)
d. Linear presentation with minimal branching
e. minimal data collection
f. Designer
i. establishes instructional objectives
ii. determines sequence of events
g. User controls pace of presentation
h. Computer acts as a glorified slide or video projector
i. Low-level interactivity is appropriate for teaching a
process
a. User takes more control in acquisition of content
b. Computer reacts to control--does not enter a dialogue with
the user
c. Often uses forced metaphors (game shows)
d. Non-linear presentation with some branching
e. Designer establishes instructional objectives and defines
content
f. End user controls pace and sequence of events
g. Computer is still a presentation device
h. Appropriate for building reference tools
a. User is an active participant
b. Content drives metaphors
c. Seemingly infinite branching driven by what system learns
about user
d. Designer
i. Establishes instructional objectives
ii. Determines standards to judge mastery
iii. Sets criteria for determining path user follows
e. End user controls pace at which content is presented
f. Computer
i. Active participant in delivery of information
ii. Collects information about user to create a path of
instruction
a. Authorware is a presentation (or authoring) program
b. Developing pieces generally requires using other programs
(Photoshop, Premiere, etc) in conjunction with Authorware
c. Icon-driven interface
d. Flowline metaphor
e. Though different from HTML, many of the operations
possible with Authorware can be created with HTML
f. Authorware presentations can be translated (with
Shockwave) into a format that allows them to be accessed on the
web
a. Prototypes are rough sketches of what your project is
going to do
b. Allows working with functionality of a piece before
investing too much time in aesthetics
c. Shows places where interactivity needs more work
d. Prototype gives a framework on which to develop aesthetics
e. When developing sophisticated interactions, expect to
spend much (if not most) of your time revising your prototype to
ensure your project meets your goals
f. Developing in teams
a. Project began with a research paper I wrote in a UA film
course
b. In another course, I learned the basics of Photoshop,
Premiere, SoundEdit 16, and Authorware and began putting the
piece together
c. Advantages
i. Combine analysis with film clips and graphics
ii. Turn paper into an interactive lecture students can
use outside class
d. Major difficulty: transferring a linear term paper into an
interactive format:
i. Less control for author
ii. Need to make things intelligible regardless of the
order in which they are viewed
iii. Need to re-do much of research in order to get
information and graphics required by multimedia
iv. Film clips and disk space
Comments: emrich@u.arizona.edu