tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139866612012-01-23T20:28:10.556+11:00Multimedia & interface design for digital learningDorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.comBlogger841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-32318790239549033752012-01-19T17:40:00.002+11:002012-01-19T17:42:15.658+11:00

Would you believe me if I said you could study HCI at Stanford this semester? For free? From home. No really. http://www.hci-class.org/ I'll be there - sitting up in front. Oh, and there's also the Open Classroom Material from last year. Thanks, Stan.

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-60519374096318844722011-12-31T17:46:00.002+11:002011-12-31T17:54:51.438+11:00

by nejron  You don't need to tell anyone who works in learning the value of reflection, and the coming of a new year is the best possible excuse to start looking back.  And who can resist the superlative? Best lists are simply the bestest fun. There's so much to learn from the ground breakers, game changers, success and failures in design, from incredible new approaches to user interfaces to

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-43615679592735941392011-11-23T13:50:00.001+11:002011-11-23T18:54:24.605+11:00

FrancoToile is a showcase in presentation simplicity. It's a resource for French language learners, created  in Canada that leverages what web video has to offer to expose learners to the various sounds, dialects and slang of native French speakers from diverse communities across the globe. The video library is a work in progress with new videos being addedand a great resource for language

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-36151286259294462532011-11-09T13:32:00.000+11:002011-11-23T18:54:54.027+11:00

The 2011 Learning Technology Research Fest, held annually at the CoCo Research Centre in Sydney,  was as stimulating and spirited as last year, and this year's roundtable menu featured two sessions on learning interfaces.  These roundtables emphasized the general agreement that this area needs special attention and gave some glimpses into the future of learning interfaces... The first

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-73384977400925390942011-11-07T16:31:00.000+11:002011-11-23T12:02:28.505+11:00

Award winning classroom in Tokyo. Credit: ScarletGreen  "Learning environments for the 21st century",  chapter 2 in a new book on educational facilities released by the OECD gives you a few glimpses into the historical evolution of the classroom and looks at what education will need by way of learning space in the 21st century.  Although it's about physical space, author Christian Kühn makes

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-32033017784909749572011-10-31T16:33:00.003+11:002011-11-23T18:55:11.658+11:00

It's not too late to join an amazing adventure:  CrowdTV, whose first project is a group-created documentary film that anyone can take part in by writing parts of the script, submitting ideas, graphics or audio, and then voting on the ideas you like best!  The concept and title have already been selected democratically.  If you earn enough contribution points you get an Assistant Producer credit!

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-89742605778320372392011-10-29T14:24:00.004+11:002011-10-29T14:58:41.681+11:00

The folks at UX Magazine have agreed it's the right time to put Learning Interface Design into the spotlight.  See the article "Say hello to Learning Interface Design".

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-61875699768603269172011-10-26T16:00:00.003+11:002011-10-29T14:25:20.613+11:00

Join in the upcoming Learning Technology Research Fest - an energizing and informal free event in Sydney that brings together people at the cutting edge of learning technology research. There are two roundtables on learning interfaces this year, including one (which I will be chairing) called "Designing Interfaces for Learning: Towards best practice in the multimedia design of educational

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-36606047212068812922011-10-20T17:59:00.000+11:002011-11-23T18:55:44.178+11:00

Photo credit: Torley "What have we learned in the last ten years about learning in 3D virtual environments?   Are they worth the significant resources required to build them?  Do students learn better in them, and how do teachers feel about them?  Mikropoulos and Natsis conducted a review of the research over the last decade to help us find out.  Here is an informal summary of their findings.

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-75513755400764035992011-09-21T13:22:00.002+10:002011-09-21T13:37:54.275+10:00

How often is the content for an eLearning experience written to specifically embody the language, values and philosophies of the discipline that is being learned?  Dr. Lucila Caravalho of the CoCo Research Centre presented her work in this area looking at informal learning in the fields of engineering and design, and there were lessons to be learned for Learning Interface Designers... The

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-48798640210533459612011-08-17T11:15:00.000+10:002011-08-17T11:15:34.674+10:00

MIT is launching a new Centre for Mobile Learning as part of their world-renowned MIT Media Lab.  The centre sprung from Hal Abelson's work with Google on the educational tool App Inventor which allows anyone to create apps for Android mobile phones.  These guys will certainly be worth keeping an eye on.

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-43547955383438121642011-08-02T14:41:00.001+10:002011-08-02T14:42:36.916+10:00

See Alice Taylor, Channel 4 Education Commissioner discuss "How games can become teachers". This lecture is part of the "Do Lectures" series which is kind of like the TED lectures gone camping. Their beautifully art directed website explains: "Ideas + Energy = Change" and hosts talks from activists, designers and technologists the likes of Tim Berners-Lee.

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-44719029386155919702011-07-28T09:34:00.007+10:002011-07-28T10:12:32.534+10:00

What a delighter to find my weekly helping of "A list Apart" this morning came topped with the title "UX for Learning".  A List Apart is an impeccably produced online publication from the makers of some of the industry's best websites and books on websites.  The latest post by Tyler Tate shows that  Learning is beginning to slide its foot in the door with a larger design audience. Tate

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-15377483662397116642011-07-21T15:01:00.001+10:002011-07-21T15:02:56.609+10:00

Check out this highly informative, expertly crafted (and so pretty it's like dessert) new web publication: The Web Standards Sherpa.  "Journeying towards best web practices."  Everything here can be applied to the design of web-based learning environments.

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-8646606556032100192011-07-15T13:34:00.002+10:002011-07-15T14:31:57.867+10:00

The global design scene has been nutty for the promise of HTML 5 for a while now, but can we use it for building elearning activities today?  Find out in the recent trial and report published by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework... The Interactive e-learning using HTML5 trial just released a report that shows how 5 online learning activities, originally created in flash, could be

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-67157310339283816462011-07-03T10:27:00.000+10:002011-08-04T16:59:47.320+10:00

Design is about details.  But then it's also about deadlines.  As such, I have developed this tenet to keep me focused... "I vow to cultivate the discipline to not spend time on the details that don't matter, the patience to spend time on the details that do, and the professionalism to know the difference." Thus today I will not double proofread my chats, or spend hours crafting email witticisms

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-34305533942223740062011-07-01T15:22:00.005+10:002011-07-01T15:37:33.543+10:00

Clark Quinn, author of Engaging Learning: designing e-learning simulation games recently gave a masterclass in Sydney.  He introduced categories of educational games, how they differ from scenarios and simulations, and made suggestions for how they can best be used for learning. Although the information he shared is primarily for instructional designers of elearning, rather than for interface

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-46531374757017195902011-06-29T16:02:00.000+10:002011-06-29T16:02:26.999+10:00

For utterly standout and inspired design, check out the work of Naughtyfish. Including... The greed poster and the Africa poster for something immediately different, captivating, raw and effective. The Ordinary Day booklet for an inspiring approach to the use of photography that privliges mood and sophisticated emotion over the usual canned and oversaturated stock landscapes. And Sweet Little

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-74264456660076644082011-06-12T13:49:00.001+10:002011-07-01T14:10:27.268+10:00

Health Month is a fabulous game that leverages online social behaviour and technology to turn healthy living from a chore into a pastime.  "Live healthier, for fun!" is the tagline and the whimsical and clean website lives up to the promise.  If this game gets "eating your greens" trending or causes tofu to go viral, I'll buy a cow for my backyard.  Health Month is the Brainchild of Buster

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-53937012289034749232011-06-02T16:21:00.001+10:002011-08-17T11:38:19.433+10:00

Powerpoint going stale in the cupboard? Boss banging on your door for a Prezi template?  I hear ya.  But how can you create a consistent look and feel to represent your organisation that isn't too restrictive, and in a program that breaks all the rules?! Prezi has a growing bank of reusable prezis but these are pretty content specific.  So how to make a compelling and generic

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-63820714244423620022011-05-26T21:21:00.004+10:002011-05-26T21:37:35.200+10:00

picture credit: Yamaggio You get one of those sudden urges to learn how to poach an egg or make an origami jedi master and what’s the first thing you do? I’m guessing, being the modern nerd that you are, you google for a video demo.  We’ve taken to using resources like YouTube to teach us things. Why are we drawn to learning by watching and when does it actually work? The research into using

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-22128746597889287102011-05-06T13:20:00.004+10:002011-05-06T13:23:07.617+10:00

The Knowledge / Network / Learning site provides a reviewed and selected list of interesting digital tools available for learning. "The applications range from simple email (Gmail) to sophisticated visualisation applications (Manyeyes), including examples of all the standard applications which are usually discussed (blogging – Posterous - and wikis – Springnote - for example) as well as many

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-56037019167926964692011-04-30T13:55:00.006+10:002011-05-06T13:28:57.895+10:00

The promise of graphics that can change on the fly as users adjust them or enter data is delightfully web-appropriate.  People do it, but it's not excessively common-place for the same age-old reasons of browser incompatibility and scripting required.  The famous HTML5 "canvas" tag aims to allow browsers to handle interactive graphics natively.  Nice!  But what about Scaleable Vector Graphics?

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-57814042236032101192011-04-16T09:26:00.000+10:002011-04-16T09:26:00.167+10:00

According to psychological studies, even small differences in distance and spacing can have a strong impact on a person's sense of security and their attitude towards what they are doing. The studies triggered different emotions by asking subjects to do something as subtle as drawing dots on paper closer or farther apart.  The difference in the distance between a person's dots statistically

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-77645590525356096412011-04-06T20:29:00.006+10:002011-07-22T00:12:00.679+10:00

Nielsen and Loranger’s book, Prioritizing Web Usability is a world of value and a bookshelf essential, but what does it have to say about designing for learning on the web?  The Nielsen Norman Group offer detailed reports on specific genres like e-commerce, but, nothing yet on education.  Nor does the book showcase any educational sites or make reference to these in user studies. This, of

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-58040871805400165612011-02-24T12:49:00.007+11:002011-04-08T10:09:24.366+10:00

When it comes to education, the slide presentation is harder to dodge than a bullet.  So PowerPoint haters are loving Prezi.  Its worth a play, not only because it's such an 'outside-the-box' take on presentations, but also because of the way they've innovated the user interface and handled user training.  Most applications take well understood user interaction standards and put them together

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-23949977324037224572011-02-06T10:28:00.000+11:002011-02-06T10:28:14.306+11:00

IconFinder. The secret you almost don't want to share. Having access to free or cheaply available sexy icon sets can create that polished look even when you have the least amount of time.  IconFinder is great as it turns out high quality stuff.  It's not like sifting through free clipart websites.  It's top notch.  Go swimming in glorious icons. 

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-36004743242291396432011-01-06T12:14:00.001+11:002011-01-08T10:51:35.913+11:00

We talk a lot about testing designs, technology and interaction, but what about the words?  Educational websites, like university and research sites can be most susceptible to writing styles and jargon that don't communicate well to their audiences.  So don't miss the A List Apart article by Angela Colter on "Testing Content" for strategy on making sure your site's content is doing its job.

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-68508598142643679882011-01-05T11:39:00.013+11:002011-04-08T10:51:01.722+10:00

It's not enough to make your design easy to use, you have to make sure it looks easy to use too. Information foraging theory helps explain how good visual design can increase the users who stay on your site. According to the theory, on the web, we are all "informavores" who act like animals hunting for food in the wild.  This theory stacks up to the user research and supports usability

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-67000011578769491822010-12-08T10:59:00.008+11:002011-10-28T13:15:54.773+11:00

A recent article in Scientific American Mind features research into how the decoration of office space can make people more productive. Is it inspiration posters, indoor camp grounds and an in-house beer fridge vs. the veneer cubicle? And what can this tell us about online spaces for work and learning? The feature article in the October issue of Scientific American Mind entitled "Cubicle,

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-33802720417995864062010-08-19T17:34:00.001+10:002010-08-19T17:44:25.536+10:00

I want to keep up with everything I'm supposed to know as a digital designer, but lets face it, that's a dung load. In a field that never stops morphing at light speed, that means web design standards, photography techniques, video technology, mobile device design strategies, constantly new versions of software packages, ways of incorporating new online social trends, graphics manipulation, font

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-72233267447400068662010-07-03T06:05:00.003+10:002010-07-03T06:38:59.873+10:00

A British television-style series "Next Generation Learning" is available on youTube.  This government initiative to boost and improve the use of technology for learning states "It is our ambition to utilise the benefits of technology to create a more exciting, rewarding and successful experience for learners of all ages and abilities, enabling them to achieve their potential. Only one in five

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-13941333217985170902009-12-09T16:51:00.012+11:002011-04-08T10:49:31.719+10:00

Far from being in conflict, it turns out that "pretty" and "usable" are the siamese twins of good usability. Research continues to prove that attractive things are, literally, easier to use. How is that possible? Well, it all comes down to emotion and the brain... Designers (and users) have intuitively known for centuries that if it's "gorgeous", "inviting", or "fun", it just seems to work

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-35569676857034719152009-11-20T15:52:00.004+11:002009-11-20T16:05:38.080+11:00

This site is such a treasure, I almost want to keep it to myself...Public Domain Vintage illustrations lovingly scanned are available at Vintage Printable. Beautiful! (And thank you thank you thank you).

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-67632932240439463592009-11-16T12:33:00.000+11:002009-11-20T16:15:40.656+11:00

From the desktop to the classroom, teachers are dabbling in DIY animation cause, heck, why not. Be it 2D, 3D or stop motion, animations, and the act of animating, can become a central part of learning, even, apparantly, in primary school. One favored tool is xtranormal STATE which turns text into a 3D animated movie and it's completely free. Write your story, pick your characters and get

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-29756661686147695242009-11-13T09:21:00.006+11:002011-07-01T14:11:51.898+10:00

Online games for kids that teach skills in math, science and language arts are available for free at arcademicskillbuilders.com. This University of Kansas based initiative also features a plethora of other online teacher resources via 4Teachers.org (just check out the drop down at the top right of the screen). Kudos to the folks at ALTEC, U. of Kansas.

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-20427007013770128732009-10-22T12:18:00.007+11:002009-10-22T12:37:20.921+11:00

Dip into expert knowledge on learning design at the design principles database:The Design Principles Database (DPD) "is a place for you to learn from the wisdom gained by dozens of researchers who have designed, enacted with students, and studied the use of technology for learning. This wisdom is translated in the DPD into pedagogical Design Principles"."browse or search the dpd for design

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-17727340915201381642008-08-28T13:54:00.010+10:002011-01-05T13:54:36.319+11:00

As designers, how can we but revel in that glossy eye-candy rich artifact: the design magazine. We're looking for fun, information, inspiration, the new, the bold, the beautiful and a font of fabulous ideas. So is it me, or does it feel like instead we're bombarded with a stream of photoshop tutorials, technology ads, free cds, buzz-word infiltrated articles and layouts that are "so hip" its

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-21485463715314928782008-07-23T15:43:00.000+10:002008-07-23T17:09:35.992+10:00

We graze in digital vapor all day, but there's plenty we can't let go of in the analog world. The crispy satisfaction of a magazine, the "new smell" that runs along the inside spine of a book, the scratchy novelty of an old recording, or the unpredictability of a limited edition screen print. Let's face it, life full-digital lacks a luster and a good 200,000 years of humanity. So let's

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-68121824991405762072008-07-16T13:26:00.005+10:002009-11-13T13:02:09.948+11:00

Quickie: Here's a nice example of high quality instructional Flash video put out by an educational institution. This video-based flash site helps non-technical academics learn how to use audio visual teaching equipment easily. The information is in comfortable and navigable bite-size chunks, and the use of narrated dual-video make these how-to's fun and easy to follow (it's like airline safety

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-81059491170499157412008-07-08T12:28:00.008+10:002011-01-05T12:18:27.330+11:00

When you want to build an online teaching tool fast, but you don't have a design and development team, you might turn to ready-made tools for the job, like Adobe Captivate, and you'll probably call it "Rapid E-learning". Business, in particular, loves the promise of anything that sounds fast and cheap, so buzzwords like "Rapid E-learning" take off like wildfire. This quick and dirty approach,

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-64782608807924473392008-06-05T09:53:00.010+10:002008-06-06T11:45:39.244+10:00

E-learning and podcasting seem to go hand and hand these days, and as a designer of elearning you may be asked to launch a podcast or two. There are resources out there, but the job of initiating your podcast can still be confusing, and you'll likely face mysteries that are time consuming to unlock. However, once it's set up, the podcast is easy to maintain - so save yourself time and take a

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-77313155721301684502008-05-30T09:46:00.003+10:002008-06-12T16:11:39.388+10:00

Check out the upcoming Third International Conference on Design Principles and Practices to be held in Berlin, Germany from 15-17 February 2009... According to the conference organizers...This conference is a place to explore the meaning and purpose of 'design', as well as speaking in grounded ways about the task of design and the use of designed artifacts and processes. The conference is a

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-49806712904217052812008-04-23T09:08:00.007+10:002008-04-23T13:38:40.419+10:00

Guest writer, Heather Johnson gives us the low down on the 2008 eLearning Symposium to be held in Austin this year...On April 23, industry experts will be gathering for the 2008 eLearning Symposium in Austin, Texas. Presenters are scheduled to discuss both the technical and non-technical facets of eLearning. Therefore, the assembly should be of interest to corporate trainers, educators and

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-15000342427290607402008-02-28T16:10:00.017+11:002011-04-08T10:39:09.276+10:00

Georges Seurat accomplished all the sophistication of his masterworks with just dots of light (do I hear pixels?) and perfect mathematical shapes (do I hear vector shapes?). Can we look back to breakthroughs a century old to better understand today? Meet the man who was way ahead of his time in this addition to 2-minute design histories. Design inspiration, in as quick as you can cook a pack of

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-23486038928245132882008-02-01T11:39:00.000+11:002008-02-01T12:20:24.285+11:00

As we know, you can't separate a learning experience from the "user experience" if it's taking place online. Since usability, interaction design, and all elements within the study of Computer-Human Interaction are so foundational to design for elearning, why not check out the ACM Special Interest Group in Computer-Human Interaction (SIG-CHI). SIG-CHI will sponsor a variety of excellent

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-80282212575363392072008-01-23T14:23:00.000+11:002008-06-12T16:11:39.390+10:00

Clever patterns, elegant fabrics, swirly colours of psychodelic goodness - we’ve all seen his work, heard a thing or two about the Arts and Crafts movement, maybe even confused him with the same-name talent agency, but really, who is William Morris? Welcome to 2-minute design histories. Design inspiration, in as quick as you can cook a pack of instant noodles.Born outside of London in 1834,

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-68586733006225462402007-12-06T11:36:00.000+11:002007-12-06T11:58:43.440+11:00

The Fluid project, described as "a collection of rich, reusable, accessible user interface components that can be used across web applications" has announced the release of Fluid 0.1 - The Fluid component library and User Experience (UX) Toolkit.Fluid 0.1 is available for download at:http://fluidproject.org/index.php/downloadsFluid 0.1 contains:The Reorderer, a JavaScript library for sorting DOM

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-71438472480119365762007-12-05T10:28:00.000+11:002008-06-12T16:11:39.390+10:00

Ever wondered how Japan seems to have cornered the market on cute? The genius behind the classic Hello Kitty and the multiplicity of Pokemon is no accident. It turns out cute can be deviously calculated and even research-based. If you're still skeptical, check out the "Designing Cute Interactive Media" Workshop being held as part of the ACM conference on Designing Interactive Systems..."

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-57004437538142189432007-11-16T17:33:00.003+11:002011-04-08T11:47:17.407+10:00

It's important to remember that generally people don't know what to tell you. This is why it's essential to ask the right questions. If you don't have one already, keep a design questionnaire in order to extract essential information from your clients up front. What do they love, what do they hate, what are they all about and what are they really hoping to get out of this project. How can you

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-34908931112338906882007-11-08T16:28:00.001+11:002007-11-08T16:34:36.961+11:00

Happy World Usability Day! Bet you didn't know Usability had it's own day. Well it's less like acne awareness month and more of an opportunity to host usability themed events all over the world simultaneously. Many of these events and conferences are entirely free. And sometimes they get pretty creative. It's not just usable it's fun...The beauty of it is, you don't have to travel. There's

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-59773055209839222162007-09-05T09:00:00.000+10:002008-06-12T16:11:39.391+10:00

Ever wanted to make an image bigger, smaller or better composed, but scaling stretched it out of proportion and cropping cut out the good bits? The answer is in a breakthrough technique called "seam carving", and it's the future of Photoshop and the dynamic Web."Seam carving for content-aware image resizing", by Ariel Shamir and Shai Avidan, is like "smart" cropping and it's virtually invisible.

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-39930517335517823882007-08-29T15:39:00.000+10:002008-06-12T16:11:39.392+10:00

Let's face it, a stunning photograph slapped on the front of a web page or brochure can say professional like nothing else. People are used to seeing high impact imagery and they respond to it. But at $80 bucks a pop it's a hard sell in a low-budget university world. Well, I may finally have the answer...So, my iPhoto library is packed with desperate outdoor adventures snapping hundreds of pics

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-72694837510834865522007-08-10T15:23:00.000+10:002008-06-12T16:11:39.392+10:00

Anyone who works in design understands the very real importance of the visual, from aesthetics and colour choice, to information design and orderliness. They also know how often these aspects of the user experience are underestimated, neglected, or scoffed at for their lack of quantifiability. The commercial sector, with its dependence on marketing, understands the sometimes, irrational

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-91644100141292829012007-06-20T10:48:00.000+10:002007-08-10T16:07:33.317+10:00

If computer-supported communication tools provide so much promise for learning and group collaboration, why are there so many failed attempts? Is technology to blame? Not according to the research. This paper looks at the causes behind why online collaboration and learning don't always go as planned.Below is a summary of key points from the article:"Identifying the pitfalls for social

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-79112513911154779412007-05-31T09:55:00.000+10:002007-08-10T16:05:09.397+10:00

If a web 2.0 interface makes intuitive use of Ajaxian finesse, folksonomies and wikinomics, these wild innovations may be where Web 3.0 will take us. These approaches to interface tools make a mouse and keyboard look like a rock and chisel. Enjoy the time warp....The Wii may be a nascent stepping stone into the future of HCI tools, but with the I/O Brush from the MIT Media Lab (a wooden paint

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-20572802053659161732007-05-25T10:11:00.000+10:002007-08-10T16:03:31.965+10:00

While usability and open source software has come leaps and bounds with newer developments (Joomla, Alfresco, ruby etc.) sporting squeaky clean UI's, the nature of the OS development pattern has often left usability experts out of the mix, and shiny nav bars don't translate to ease of use. FLOSS is an ongoing attempt to bridge this gap.FLOSS Usability, initiated by the non-profit, Aspiration,

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-39155804478279242062007-05-17T12:33:00.000+10:002007-05-25T10:46:15.537+10:00

eLearning: Driving Instructional Design with Emerging Technologies Linking design and technology to enhance the potential of online training. This conference will be held in Sydney in June, including the post-conference workshop: "Best Practices in collaborative learning and managing net-based teams". More information at the Ark Group website.The Ark Group regularly pull together industry

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-12289947521244100062007-05-10T14:11:00.000+10:002007-08-10T16:05:09.397+10:00

Online collaboration tools like email, chat, discussion forums, web conferencing, shared whiteboards and screen sharing can promote collaboration in effective and unique ways. But what are the pros and cons? When do online tools work better for collaboration and when don't they? William Horton provides some answers.In the context of putting together readings for a workshop on collaborative

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-90987876394089973912007-04-26T10:10:00.000+10:002007-08-10T16:03:31.966+10:00

Why is it so many learning management systems seem to be stuck in the tar pits when it comes to the user experience? Let's hear it for the folks at the Fluid project who are attempting to tackle this mammoth problem.As any designer working with elearning software is keenly aware, as technically robust and feature-full a system may be, it always seems to be the interface design and usability that

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-2749314720050097832007-03-30T11:46:00.000+10:002011-10-21T13:18:56.679+11:00

Since bandwidth availability has improved, the last few years have seen more videos and screencam/screencast tutorials on websites, for both marketing and training purposes. They're getting easier to make and deliver, with more sophisticated purpose built software, some of which is cheap or even free. Tutorials featuring a video capture of screen activity, have been a stock elearning item in the

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-16332819096364572382007-03-23T11:01:00.000+11:002008-06-12T16:13:18.826+10:00

There may be 50 ways to leave your lover and 100 ways to skin a cat, but what web designers are worried about these days is the perpetually increasing number of ways in which users might be viewing their sites...From computer ubergeeks to "12:00 Flashers" (every appliance in their house flashes 12:00*), users are coming at websites in a growing variety of ways. They may be using a screen reader

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-29762598775819482692007-03-16T15:39:00.000+11:002007-08-10T16:05:09.399+10:00

Understanding the difference between data, information, knowledge and even wisdom, and how a designer can participate in the transformation from one to the other, is a critical part of creating learning experiences.Allow me to coin a phrase (originally invented by my endocrinologist, Dr. John O'Dae) -- we're now living in a society characterized by data-rich ignorance. Have you ever spent hours

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-63466231223743945122007-03-14T11:38:00.000+11:002008-06-12T16:13:18.826+10:00

Adobe Captivate (previously Macromedia) is a handy no-programming-required training development tool for creating subtitled/narrated tutorials, simulations and demonstrations. We've used it for simple, try-it-yourself software training tutorials and how-to's to help students use our LMS, CMS and wiki.Here's a contract job opportunity in Sydney for a developer with Captivate experience. This was

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-42448354794847890232007-03-06T15:19:00.001+11:002011-01-05T12:23:28.991+11:00

HCI, User Expereince, User-centred Design, Usability, Information Design, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Accessibility and Univesral Design...it gets hard to know where one starts and the other ends. The usability of all this termenology is sorely lacking in good information design. There seems to be so much overlap, and redundancy and is there really difference among them? If so

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-75335810062225167842007-02-25T10:12:00.000+11:002011-01-05T13:54:36.320+11:00

Just because you work in the design field doesn't mean you've had the benefit of formal training in Information Arechitecture. As elearning and visual designers, IA is a critical issue we deal with on every project, tied in with user-experience, HCI and usability. It's also true that despite the undeniable value of having a professional information architect on board (all the more so the larger

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-2641796993333149402007-02-21T15:11:00.000+11:002007-03-09T15:47:00.924+11:00

Reprinted from an email announcement made by Andrea Barett, member of the Elearning Network of Australasia._______________________*elearning Instructional Designers**RWD Technologies *is expanding its elearning practice in Australia,and is seeking experienced Instructional Design professionals forpermanent and contract roles.We have a number of projects and these roles offer

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-84551403981201440952007-02-14T14:12:00.000+11:002007-03-09T15:54:24.598+11:00

[All the credit for this post should go to the folks at TemplateData for spotting this first!] A team at the University of Melbourne has released a report that looks at just what kind of technology First Year students (Freshman) are using and how they are using it. The aim of First year students' experience with technology: are they really

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1164755824861811322007-02-09T10:10:00.000+11:002008-06-12T16:13:18.826+10:00

With all this talk of AJAX, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript and XML, is Web 2.0 just the catch phrase of the day, or is their something elearning visual designers can gleen from all the hype?So the definition is debateable, but for many it's the idea that the web will gradually converge into a platform for web applications. If you develop your own interfaces, the technology side of Web 2.0 is probably

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1164173613891325452006-11-22T15:34:00.000+11:002008-01-24T15:09:01.557+11:00

To launch the "2-minute Design History" series (see previous post) we start, where it often begins: with colors. You may be familiar with the physics of optics, the cultural connotations of color, the psychology of color, or maybe even the varied spellings of the word colour, but what very few of us ever stop to ponder is the material itself. The pigments, the paint, the oils, the ink, the raw

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-56975108891591607762006-11-01T11:00:00.000+11:002007-08-10T16:09:14.249+10:00

Recently I was asked to design a new Interface for the popular open-source community and learning management system, Sakai. Herein I include some of the challenges, take a look at the before and after screenshots, and provide an update on progress and current usage of the final product the "Amistad" skin.In June, I had the opportunity to work on a project for CARET (the Centre for Advanced

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1161916449532740272006-10-27T11:54:00.000+10:002008-06-12T16:13:18.827+10:00

and the solution to the chicken and egg question...As designers and innovators in the digital age, we tend to get stuck chasing the cutting-edge. Sometimes aiming always for this edge, we witness design that mimics the current fashionable idea of what defines this newness, but really just pretty much looks like everything else they're putting out these days. Things get stale.What we sometimes

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-37418213118894389812006-03-23T10:54:00.000+11:002012-01-12T13:36:58.426+11:00

When asked to redesign the Interface for the popular open-source community and learning management system: .LRN, I encountered the joys and challenges of working with a globally open source development team. Herein I include some of the story, screenshots, and an update on the progress and current usage of the final product "Selva". In May of 2005, I attended the Open Software Forum of the

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1133319936029706912005-11-30T13:52:00.000+11:002008-06-12T16:13:18.827+10:00

Graphics can be purely decorative, emotionally evocative, informative, or as is often the case with elearning, they can be explanatory. The goal of an explanatory graphic is to help the user to understand or learn something. An explanatory graphic can be a map showing you how to get to the train station, a diagram of the digestive system, a graph showing rate of change, a weather map charting

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1129253286977730722005-10-14T11:25:00.000+10:002007-02-09T15:35:06.975+11:00

A two-day interactive workshop exploring real-life elearning issues and practices Date: 1 - 2 December 2005Location: Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney ElNet, the Elearning Network of Australasia, proudly presents our exclusive annual interactive workshop Elearning Essentials. This two-day workshop will take a small group of participants through a comprehensive series of elearning strategies and

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1124927727435105452005-10-05T09:55:00.000+10:002007-02-09T15:35:38.825+11:00

The Web Accessibility Network for Australian Universities (WANAU) will be holding a Web Accessibility Forum this October, with speakers from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Vision Australia and others.Registration is free.Find out more at the WANAU website.When: 18th OctoberWhere: Sydney (Australian Catholic University, North Sydney campus)

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1126674299130445732005-09-14T14:59:00.000+10:002007-02-09T15:38:32.460+11:00

Prism, a free-access, fully-refereed academic journal on public relations and communications will be publishing a special issue on visual communication. This could be a handy spot for publishing any initial research, thoughts, discoveries or case studies in the area of audio-visual design for e-learning. According to the specs, possible topics include: What new research approaches can be

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1126064651780163022005-09-07T12:55:00.002+10:002011-06-03T13:27:38.384+10:00

The following is a summary of the information, principles and research findings presented by Richard E. Mayer on the 1 Sept 2005 at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. For further information on Mayer's work, please see the references at the end of this article. People learn better when multimedia messages are designed in ways that are consistent with how the human mind

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1124257123615067062005-08-17T15:05:00.000+10:002007-02-09T15:37:44.887+11:00

Exciting news for elearning designers in Sydney. Multimedia learning guru (and I don't use that over-used epithet lightly), Richard E. Mayer will be giving two seminars at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Dr. Mayer has published a wealth of research-based koweldge on multimedia learning (such as his key work for designers: Multimedia Learning). Mayer's is exactly the kind of work that is

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1120109641122621862005-08-12T15:32:00.000+10:002007-08-10T16:05:09.402+10:00

Interaction design is one of the primary duties of any elearning designer. The design of interactivity is often shared by the instructional designer, who thinks up and describes interaction types, and the visual designer who brings them to life and adds to them. Either way, good interaction design is essential to good elearning, and is inextricably linked to the interface and multimedia

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1120103850679040692005-07-15T13:55:00.000+10:002007-02-09T15:40:48.014+11:00

"Meaningful student learning may be dramatically enhanced as a result of vigilantly employing state-of-the-art design techniques, which reduce cognitive load. After examination of the current research in this area, recommendations are made for more innovative use of color, text, illustrations and multimedia when designing and building web-sites for online instruction." Article: The design

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1120466442803646932005-07-04T18:02:00.000+10:002008-06-12T16:13:18.829+10:00

At what point was usability extracted from the design process and repackaged as something very different, or even oppositional? What we now call usability has always been an essential aspect of design itself. The difference between design and art, is that design serves an explicit function. A painting can be beautiful or evocative, can have abstract meanings and solicit different responses

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1120095792050537202005-06-30T11:41:00.000+10:002008-06-12T16:11:57.249+10:00

“The current mindset in many educational institutions is to rush to host poorly designed web-sites, which instead of enhancing the learning process, may, in fact, actually impede student learning” (see reference at bottom) It’s my own experience that, even today, too many people are ignorant of the real importance and impact of design on the effectiveness of elearning. There’s an archaic attitude

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13986661.post-1119853525760844602005-06-27T15:39:00.000+10:002007-08-10T16:05:09.403+10:00

There's a percentage of digital designers out there gradually sliding into employment positions in which their design skills are set to tackle, not public websites or corporate intranets, but elearning environments. Learning programs, training applications, web-based classrooms, virtual learning environments and all the associated acronyms from LMS and CBT to (spare me the metadata) SCORM, IMS

Dorian Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11875754541814427197noreply@blogger.com3