E-Learning Dissertation.
Design Brief:
- To plan, design, and deploy a multimedia product on a subject chosen by the individual.
The subject of usability and accessibility is a personal favourite, therefore when the chance to study a project based on e-learning towards a specific demographic emerged it was willingly accepted. The projects primary aim was to create an introductory computer course aimed specifically at the elderly user and was to be delivered on CD-ROM.
- The production of an academic report.
The reports aim was to give the reader an insight into the product, why it was chosen, the tasks involved in its completion, each decision making process, why certain decisions were made over others and a critical analysis on its success.
Due to its complexity the project had to be divided up into the following tasks:
Planning:Due to the scale of the project and the constraint of time, strict planning had to be undertaken. Using Microsoft Project crucial tasks were divided up and put into a Gantt chart to be printed and kept as a useful reference guide.
Research:As this project was directed at one specific user, it was imperative that research was undertaken. Research was split into two kinds, primary and secondary.
Primary research entailed going and helping at an existing Learn Direct course which catered for these users, in order to gain a better understanding on how these users learn, what their requirements are, and listen to any suggestions they may of had.
Secondary research dealt more with academic findings and research papers written about the elderly. Topics researched and used included general information about the elderly, statistical data on the health issues they face (poor eyesight, colour blindness, hearing), and most importantly what requirements as a designer do I need to be aware of.
As these issues were detrimental to the overall success of the product they had to be considered carefully before development had begun.
Development:Findings collected from research were temporarily implemented into the product. Features implemented included: the autorun feature to eliminate the first hurdle of starting up the course, the text enlarger tool that reduced the issue of readability, and enabled users to increase text size as desired, and a multiple choice test at the end of the section to provide feedback on how well they are doing.
Testing:At this point, the course was designed specifically around the research, however despite this, there was no real guarantee that if an elderly user was to use this computer course, that it would be beneficial to them, therefore physical testing by the end user had to take place.
Re-Development:The end process in which errors and alterations were made before publishing the final product onto a CD-ROM.
Skills and software used:
- Adobe Photoshop.
- Primary & Secondary research.
- Project and time management.
- Report writing.
- Screen capture and narration.
- Macromedia Captivate.
- Adobe Illustrator.
- LINGO.
- Macromedia Director.
- Microsoft Word.
- Microsoft Project.
Final Product
You may view the E-learning dissertation and a sample of the report below.
View Silver Surfers
Application (2.31mb)
View Dissertation Report (287kb)
Please note: You will need Macromedia Shockwave to view the animation. You can install it by visiting the official Macromedia Shockwave site.
