A Usability Evaluation of Interface and Design of Web Campus Map

• Main Authors: Lin Husan, 林萱
• Other Authors: Manlai You
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/53647555947749828630

碩士 === 國立雲林科技大學 === 工業設計系碩士班 === 95 === With the development of technology, information can be captured easily on the Internet; campus spatial information is no exception. A web campus map featured with characteristics of web maps and thematic maps provides campus spatial information for rapid and easy search. Users use a web map by means of the map interface. A poor design in the interface usually causes difficulty in using the map. This study can be divided into 3 major stages: 1) An investigation and analysis of existing web campus maps; 2) An evaluation of the operation modes and interfaces for web campus maps; 3) A re-designing and evaluation of a web campus map. First of all, a total of 28 foreign and domestic web campus maps were collected and analyzed to conclude that all web campus maps consist of three main components: map presentation, campus information, and operation functions. In the operation functions, the application of different operating modes and interfaces would result in different efficiencies of usability and different levels of subjective satisfaction. Therefore, in the second stage of this study, simulated testing on 3 different operating modes was conducted: 1) Continuous control with continuous display; 2) The discrete control with continuous display; and 3) The discrete control with discrete display. The participants’ total time of accomplishing a task, frequency of button clicking, and subjective satisfaction were recorded and analyzed. The result shows that “continuous control with continuous display” is better in performance and also with higher subjective satisfaction. Based on this result, 3 operating interfaces of the panning function were further compared: 1) Combined-panning buttons; 2) Distributed-panning buttons; and 3) Scroll bar. The result shows that the scroll bar design has better efficiency and higher level of subjective satisfaction. Finally, following the results of the previous two stages, the campus map of National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (YunTech) was redesigned and evaluated as a case study in the third stage of this study. The result shows that the new version of the YunTech web campus map that we designed has high level of subjective satisfaction in each of the three main components: map presentation, campus information, and operation functions. In conclusion, the results of this study in its analysis, experiments, and design all could be useful references for further research and practical applications of thematic web maps.