VNET 5: Advancing user-centred product creation in interactive electronic publishing

• Forschungsstelle: EU FRP
• Projektnummer: 00.0425-2
• Projekttitel Englisch: VNET 5: Advancing user-centred product creation in interactive electronic publishing

Schlüsselwörter (Englisch)

Usability evaluation; inspection methods; hypermedia design

Alternative Projektnummern (Englisch)

EU project number: IST-2000-25465

Forschungsprogramme (Englisch)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.2.3 Multimedia content and tools

Kurzbeschreibung (Deutsch)

Siehe Abstract

Partner und Internationale Organisationen (Deutsch)

Coordinator: ACIT (D)

Abstract (Deutsch)

For the period considered, the contribution of USI to the VNET5 project consisted in three main activities:
1. Competence development and coaching of IST projects (WP2)
The support offered to the ASH project was reported and documented in a coaching report. USI received from ASH the report presenting and discussing the results of the user testing. The report was studied and analysed. The coaching report was conceived and written after having reflected and brainstormed about the report of results and the experience done during the onsite usability coaching. USI coached OPENDRAMA project (ist-2000-28197). A coaching report was delivered. Moreover, USI partly contributed to the coaching activities for CHERI project, lead by POLIMI. USI supported the user validation activity of the OPENDRAMA project(ist-2000-28197). Further usability material, VNET5 best practices were asked by the project and USI provided what was needed. Review of user requirements, design documents and user validation strategy for OPENDRAMA project was carried out.
USI reported success stories from usability coaching. The relevant results of the coaching activities that turned out to be more successful and significant for showing the usefulness and effectiveness of VNET5 project were selected and presented.
2. Studies of generic user requirements for electronic publishing (WP3)
USI contributed to the definition of the questionnaire about generic user requirements for the interactive electronic publishing industry (IEP). The questionnaire mainly aims at surveying and assessing how generic user requirements for electronic publishing have been considered by IST projects. At TEC lab, two PHD thesis and case studies on task analysis and scenario-based requirements (for web sites) are being carried out and tutored. Extensive research in the practitioners and academic literature about the approaches to scenario-based requirements analysis and elicitation has been initiated.
USI contributed to the delivery of D3.3.1 'specification for the set-up of an on-line user community'. USI gathered contact addresses of potential participants to the online community about generic user requirements for electronic publishing.
Contacts obtained for more than 100 potential users interested in the on-line community on generic user requirements for electronic publishing. Promotion and dissemination on the top internet search engines of the user requirements community.
3. Dissemination of results to the IST constituency (WP4)
USI contributed to the revision of the prototype of the new release of the VNET5 web site. The web site has been analyzed under the following respects: content, navigation, layout, tagging and titles. For each dimensions, comments and suggestions for improvements have been elaborated and communicated to the other relevant partners for the task (PBD and ACIT).
USI organized and managed the overall organization of the usability VNET5 workshop in Lugano, held in June 4-6 2002.. Technical organization of all the needed material and equipment for the success of the workshop was carried out. USI also contributed to the workshops by holding the sessions about usability inspection methods together with POLIMI. USI refined, extended and assessed the work-group session material on best-practices for inspection methods for usability evaluation.
Organization, promotion and delivering of the industrial workshop: 'usabilità e siti web: dalla teoria alla pratica' (in italian). The event was held at the largest yearly informatic fair in Lugano Ticino Informatica (http://www.ti-info.ch). More than 20 professionals and educators interested in the theme of web usability attended the workshop.
The exploitation plan for Università Della Svizzera Italiana was defined and reported. The exploitation strategy consists mainly in using intensively the results and usability resources offered by the VNET5 network in teaching activities (off-line and online) in higher education courses, seminars and workshops.

Datenbankreferenzen (Englisch)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 00.0425-2