Title:	EDITOR MUSICAL: A CASE STUDY OF INTERFACE USABILITY FOR CHILDREN
Author(s):	Maria Júlia Benini , Irene Karaguilla Ficheman , Marcelo K. Zuffo , Roseli De Deus Lopes , Leandro Leonardo Batista
ISBN:	972-98947-7-9
Editors:	Kinshuk, Demetrios Sampson and Pedro Isaías
Year:	2004
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Music composition interface, GUI cooperative design, distributed cognition, icon efficiency test.
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	319
Last Page:	326
Language:	English
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Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	EDITOR Musical is an edutainment software developed to complement Art classes in Brazilian schools. Brazilian public schools rarely include music classes in their curriculum due to the lack of music instruments and unspecialized art teachers. Nevertheless, government public policies for digital inclusion are spreading computer labs in public schools. The software program, developed by the Laboratório de Sistemas Integráveis - Universidade de São Paulo, offers highly interactive interfaces for music composition both in individual and collaborative environments. We believe that this computational tool surpasses the barrier of needing to acquire music instruments; it will allow schools to directly initiate music education and indirectly support the cultural inclusion of their students. The method applied to the graphical user interface (GUI) usability evaluations was user-centered and occurred as part of the user-interface usability inspections. This paper describes only usability evaluations that went along with the EDITOR Musical GUI design, from the premise that it could be used, in a cognitive-distributed approach, to enhance system interaction efficiency. As efficiency we understand the GUI capacity to allow the best transfer of knowledge to the user with the costless cognitive effort when manipulating the interface. The techniques, complementing traditional guidelines to develop software and laboratory test experiments, have shown to improve usability and acceptability in projects involving children. Implemented with users’ support, it also contributes to avoid redesigns and enhance software acceptability.
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