Ευχρηστία και διαδίκτυο

Η αναγκαιότητα χρήσης του Internet στις μέρες μας είναι προφανής ακόμα και για ανθρώπους που δεν έχουν άμεση ή έμμεση σχέση με το αντικείμενο των Ηλεκτρονικών Υπολογιστών. Ο πλούτος της παρεχόμενης πληροφορίας, η αμεσότητα ενημέρωσης οι προσφερόμενες υπηρεσίες και τα εργαλεία που συγκροτούν την έννοια που αποκαλούμε συνολικά διαδίκτυο, προκαλεί δέος. Πολλοί μάλιστα μιλούν για "τεχνολογικό αποκλεισμό" σε περίπτωση που κάποιος δεν προσπαθήσει να προσαρμοστεί και να ενσωματώσει τη νέα αυτή πραγματικότητα στο τρόπο ζωής και εργασίας του. Προφανώς λοιπόν το έργο που έχει να επιτελέσει η επιστήμη της Ευχρηστίας Λογισμικού σε αυτό το τομέα είναι σημαντικό και θα πρέπει να γίνει κατανοητή από όλους μια πιο ανθρωποκεντρική θεώρηση της διαδικασίας σχεδιασμού και ανάπτυξης λογισμικού για το διαδίκτυο. Το Internet έχει αρχίσει να ενηλικιώνεται και πλέον πρέπει να βελτιωθεί με τέτοιο τρόπο ώστε να προάγει μια ευρύτερη ουμανιστική αντίληψη της χρήσης του υπολογιστή με κέντρο τον άνθρωπο και μέσο τον υπολογιστή που έχει σαν πάγιο στόχο να εξυπηρετήσει αρτιότερα, ταχύτερα, πιο ευχάριστα και πιο πλήρως τις ανάγκες του.

University of Patras. (Greek) Articles>Education>Usability>Web Design

Guided Surfing: A Multimethod Assessment of a Layered Hypermap WWW Interface  

A multi-level hypermap interface was created for the display of world wide web pages relevant to an undergraduate class in Sensation and Perception. Assessment of the interface consisted of two experiments. Results indicated that the guides encourage students to broaden the focus of their search. Further, the guides do not appear to be particularly effective for enhancing the acquisition of detailed-factual knowledge. Over all, students subjective reactions to the guides were positive. In particular, they perceived the guides as making the search project more efficient, and providing the learner with 'big picture', conceptual knowledge.

Hall, Richard H. and Eric L. Stocks. University of Missouri-Rolla (1998). Articles>Web Design>Education

Guided Surfing: Development and Assessment of a World Wide Web Interface for an Undergraduate Psychology Class  

Although the World Wide Web has great potential as an educational tool, and many educational practitioners have begun utilizing the Web in many ways (e.g., Dodge, 1995; Logan, 1996; Mounts, 1996; Weiler, 1996), as yet, there has not been much systematic, theory based, research aimed at examining these methods. The principal purpose of this experiment was to begin to address the issue of how best to structure an interface between learners and the vast jumble of resources at their disposal on the Web. The need for the development and investigation of such an interface is indicated by research, which has found that some degree of learner guidance is particularly important in effective web learning (Anderson & Joerg, 1996).

Hall, Richard H. University of Missouri-Rolla (1997). Articles>Web Design>Education>Usability

Opening the Door to Cyberspace: Teaching Web Page Construction in the Classroom  

This article shows how to move students from paper-bound text to hypertext. We explain why the web is an important new communication medium--with numbers and testimony to substantiate our opinion; discuss techniques for teaching web-page construction--samples, HTML coding, and document design; show how traditional resumes, proposals, manuals, and newsletters can go online in the classroom, and examine the benefits of teaching online documentation, including instant gratification, new skills, and problem-solving opportunities.

Gerson, Steven M. and Sharon J. Gerson. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Education>Web Design

Stuckness and Low Vision: How Technology and Socratic Classroom Dialog Changed My Life  

The author shares some stories from her own life that may be useful in helping Web page designers and product developers better understand issues surrounding low vision, hearing loss, and mobility restrictions using her 'art of accommodation.' In this article, she discusses this art as it applies to seven areas: (1) reading structural cues and wayfinding, (2) multimedia, (3) graphics, (4) text design and visual threshold, (5) contrast, (6) glare and size of electronic displays, and (7) mobility.

Reece, Gloria A. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Education>Accessibility>Web Design

Teaching Web Design in the Technical Writing Service Course: Steps Toward a Planned Evolution  

This study uses an online survey of technical communication educators to examine trends in the technical writing service course with regard to web design. Participants for the study were representatives of programs in technical communication in four-year institutions of higher education throughout the United States. The study contributes to research into the function of the technical writing service course in the current technological climate. Identifying trends is one component in an evaluation that will aid effective evolution of this significant course.

Brewer, Pam Estes. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Education>Web Design>Technical Writing

Training Your Intranet's End-Users and Content-Providers  

A technical writer on an intranet team can also play the role of trainer. This paper provides a 'how to' of training end-users and content-providers associated with a web- and PDF-based company intranet. These ideas will be expanded in the session and on the CD-ROM of the Proceedings.

Funkhouser, LaVonna F. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Education>Intranets>Web Design

Using the Web in the Writing Classroom: A Preliminary Study  

Popular opinion maintains that people should be able to locate, collect, and evaluate information on the world-wide web without any substantial instruction. To test this premise eighty students at four disciplinary divergent schools participated in a study to evaluate their performance in retrieving and assessing electronic information. While the author is willing to admit that changes in performance are likely to occur over time, the present study found students (and by extension employee) performance to be relatively poor.

Rubens, Philip. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Education>Web Design>Writing

Web Development: A Missing Link in Business Communication Textbooks?  

This paper compares the treatment of Website development in business communication textbooks to that in technical communication textbooks. Compared to technical communication textbooks, those in business communication give relatively little attention to Website development. We suggest that graduates of business communication courses may require some background in Website development in order to perform or oversee Website development activities effectively once they enter professional positions. Given these situations, we outline core concepts and competencies related to Website development for students in business communication.

Riley, Kathryn L. and John Spartz. Association for Business Communication (2004). Articles>Education>Web Design>Business Communication

WebFeat: A Case Study in Learning through Design in Technical Communication  

WebFeat, a project that involved 40 people from six departments in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington, taught the participating students skills of two kinds: technical skills and process skills. The process skills they learned were how to manage a project, how to work on a cross-disciplinary team, how to do audience and task analysis and define requirements, how to consider life-cycle issues in design, and how to document and deliver a product. The value of the project derived from the fact that students had to integrate the skills they had learned in the separate courses they had taken and from the fact that students had a 'pilot' experience that will help them be effective in the workplace.

Ramey, Judith A. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Education>Web Design

Making Web Accessibility Accessible

when first learning web accessibility and uncovering its secrets, like many things, it can seem daunting and difficult. I think a lot of developers are downright intimidated by web accessibility — maybe even scared to go that route. But why? I suspect the reason is web accessibility is a discipline that lacks accessibility.

Cherim, Mike. Beast-Blog (2006). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Education

Elevate Web Design at the University Level

Let’s face it. Technology moves fast; academia doesn’t. So how should educators teach web design and development—subjects that change constantly? How should educators prepare students for real-world expectations? How do educators stay up-to-date? And how do web professionals help educators to create graduates who fit in and actually know what they’re doing?

Jensen-Inman, Leslie. List Apart, A (2009). Articles>Web Design>Industry and Academy>Education

Brighter Horizons for Web Education

Our young medium is still ironing out a few kinks—perhaps the biggest of which is the way budding web professionals are being educated. Schools that teach web design struggle to keep pace with our industry, and those just starting their curricula often set off in the wrong direction because the breadth and depth of our medium can be daunting.

Walter, Aarron. List Apart, A (2009). Articles>Web Design>Industry and Academy>Education

What Are Web Standards and Why Should I Use Them?

Standards have so much to offer that we at The Web Standards Project (WaSP) consider it necessary to help you learn more about them. This document is merely a starting point; it will give you a solid understanding of what standards exist, why they do, and why you should care about them. Every time we create a piece of the Web, we contribute to the common information space that is the Web. We can build it up, or we can add weight that will tear it apart. The choice belongs to us; the consequences belong to everyone.

Web Standards Project (2009). Articles>Web Design>Standards>Education

Web 2.0 is About Giving Up Some Control

Web 2.0 and social media mean that for teachers a declining part of their job involves telling. An increasing part is listening to the class and facilitating them in having conversations. Teachers should help moderate these conversations and draw new learnings from them. They need to say less of: ‘let’s open up a book.’ and more of: ‘let’s open up a conversation.’. The traditional manager is taught to command and control. Web 2.0 challenges that model.

McGovern, Gerry. Red Canary (2008). Articles>Education>Web Design>Social Networking

Interview: Opera Software’s Chris Mills  

The two main and very closely-related foci of my job are evangelizing open standards and education. I spend a lot of time writing about relevant topics and giving lectures at universities to promote better use of web standards on courses and among students. I believe that the best way to improve the state of the Web is to start with those new to learning the trade.

Armitage, Raena Jackson. SitePoint (2009). Articles>Interviews>Web Design>Education

You Can Get There From Here: Websites for Learners

"Content-rich" is not enough. Most websites are not learner-friendly. As an industry, we haven’t done our best to make our content-rich websites suitable for learning and exploration. Learners require more from us than keywords and killer headlines. They need an environment that is narrative, interactive, and discoverable. Amber Simmons tells how to begin creating rich content sites that invite and repay exploration and discovery.

Simmons, Amber. List Apart, A (2009). Articles>Web Design>Education>Online