Interactive Learning Aidfor Moloch Horridus

Chris Smith, James Stimpson,

Laura Wallace & Michael Whittaker

Overview

• The artefact is designed as an interactive learning aid.

• The artefact focuses on the Australian “Thorny Devil” lizard.

• The artefact is split into four clear and manageable categories, easy for the pupils to understand.

Technical Information

• The application was constructed using Macromedia Flash MX.

• Each of the four sections is in its’ own layer.

• The artefact consists of graphics, movie clips and buttons.

Navigational Structure

• Buttons on the right hand side link to each section. These are always viewable, whichever page the user is on.

• Buttons are large, clear and bold.

• The artefact is metaphoric, visually resembling a book.

• The tabs on the right hand side resemble the form of bookmarks.

• Visually appealing, due to intended audience.

• Users can reach any page when they are anywhere within the application, through the clear and constant use of buttons.

Organising Principle

• The artefact is divided into clear categories, where each category can be easily found by using the links on the right hand side.

• Each category allocated its own separate section.

• The application is split into two main levels; home and each of the sub-pages.

Target User

• The target audience is Primary school children, aged from 5 - 11.

• It will be used as an interactive, but also independent learning aid, eliminating the need for a teachers’ constant supervision.

• The application caters for a wide age range by the use of colourful, entertaining content for younger children, but also facts and useful information for the older audience.

Navigation System

• “Matrix” structure – can go anywhere in the application from any section.

• “Symbolic” – relationship between link and the corresponding section. The relationship between the sign and the object it stands for is a matter of convention.

• E.g. “defence” – a sword and shield represent the section, but the section does not actually contain weaponry, the symbols are just used as a metaphor.

Interactivity

• Users have full control over the application. Users can go to any point in the application at any time.

• For both the Life Cycle and Photo Album, the design is non-linear, as users can go in any order, rather than “next, next, previous, previous” etc.

Usability

• Links turn red when highlighted, and turn green when clicked, indicating to the user what they have clicked. This is useful for sight-impaired individuals who have trouble seeing the mouse pointer.

• Links have a mouse over function attached to them, displaying an image corresponding with the section, so the user will know which link they are highlighting.

Life Cycle

• Four pages of content.

• Learning through visual clues.

• Includes animations for entertainment purposes for the younger user.

• Navigation within the Life Cycle content through visual aid at the top of the page.

• Arrows on each page link to next section.

• Time within life cycle paired with description.

Fact File

• Facts presented in order of relevance..

• Provides pupil with basic understanding of the lizard.

• Page is laid out in a simple manner, as not to bore the user, but also to present just the important facts.

• Short and manageable chunks results in the content easier to digest.

Photo Album

• Buttons with visual preview of corresponding image listed down left side.

• Careful selection of the most appealing and suitable images, rather than a massive library of potentially overwhelming random images.

• Large next and previous buttons are clear and include mouse over function, letting the user know which button they are hovering over.

• Two ways of reaching destination; through visual clue buttons, or large navigational buttons.

Defence

• The defence page features an animation showcasing the defence mechanisms implemented by the lizard.

• The animation is accompanied by explanatory text.

• Features a Play Again button, eliminating the need to re-enter the section.

• Colourful, enhancing the aesthetics of the application.

Testing• The application was tested on young family members and friends of primary school age

(9 yrs old), as well as fellow peers of similar age.

• Early testing showed that buttons were not large enough, and so were resized.

• Tabs were ‘boring’, and so we added the visual aids.

• The original life cycle guide was structured in an anti-clockwise manner, but it became apparent that it should be displayed clockwise.

• It was suggested that a link back to the home page should be available anywhere, and so this was implemented into the design.

• Fonts were kept constant to achieve momentum.

• The defence animation was slowed down, as it ran too fast for users to read the text.

Conclusion

• The design of the application ensures its’ suitability for the intended audience.

• All problems were resolved during early stages to ensure a successful application.