Interim Report pt. II

My interim report has finally been and gone! I was first on yesterday and talked in depth through my dissertation and how i came to the idea i came to.

The questioning i faced from Martin(Amos), Jane (Brooks) and Scott(Smith) was brilliant i seemed to be able to answer all questions faced with a great degree of knowledge apart from one which i had not considered before.

Jane asked me "Your prototype uses participants who are seeking out information, is there a difference in opinion if the users are seeking programs from a list." i.e. The start menu in Windows. which did raise a question to be included within my dissertation, and see wether there is a change in opinion from information gathering menu's and program listsing menus.

Aside from that all was well and hopefully a large chunk of of the 75 marks will have been acheived.

p.s. : The interim report counts for 75/500 marks.
Chris (Luggage)

Interim Report Pt. I

I have just been fiddling around making sure that my interim report was finished before i had to present it tomorrow @ 3.00pm (edit- i'm first on! at least i get it out of the way!).

As i have been researching deeper into my subject i have come to the realisation that there have been many other in depth articles about the subject matter that i am trying to recreate, but only few who have accomplishe their task using the internet as their medium, i.e. Mtei and Zaphiris used the internet but Kiger, humanfactors.com and The university of Michigan used things such as programs, and in-car radio's.

Therfore my experiment is a little bit more niché than i had once thought and also leaves me even more set in my ways that one day if accomplished properly i could carry this on to make it into an official study (or at least an ongoing study hosted on the internet which could calculate results without too much trouble).

In closing then, presentation tomorrow, wish me luck!!

Chris (Luggage)

Meeting With Andy

My dissertation supervisor (Andy Smith) and i got together again today to have a look at some papers from Lancaster University and books concerning the issues of Analysis planning.

Martin Hammersley's book on Ethnography (Chapter Nine) showed me how to deconstruct questioning to give qualitative data and quantative data, and also how, why and when to use this data to find what i need from it.

The other major talking point was the use of RUFDATA in Experiment Design, RUFDATA stands for;

Reasons & Purposes,
Uses,
Foci,
Data & Evidence,
Audience,
Timing,
Agency.

Chris (Luggage)

First Post

This blog is basically going to act as a reflective diary for the duration of my 3rd Year Dissertation @ Blackpool and the Fylde College.

I'm Chris, i'm 20 and am currently studying Internet Media Technology @ Blackpool and the Fylde College. This is my third year (or honours year) and therefore i am to undertake the supposedly gruelling task of writing a dissertation.

My dissertation subject is "Length vs. Breadth in Menu Navigation" and i want to understand how people react to different architectures in menu navigation and also which style they prefer.

As the story unfolds i will post blogs on where my research took me and why i am to undertake the task i am doing.

More posts to follow!

Chris (Luggage)