The proposed ActionMapper tool extends previous work on the generic KeystrokeMapper tool to provide an efficient method of logging and visualising a novice user's interaction with a dynamic interface. For any specified task the ActionMapper could generate a graphic representation of both the designer's conceptual model (represented by an Optimum path) and an indication of the user's mental model (represented by the actual path navigated by the user). In this study, the results from two usability experiments have been analysed using the KeystrokeMapper concept. From this a refined version of the tool, referred to as ActionMapper, is outlined. It is argued that the future implementation of the ActionMapper concept as a computer-based tool, which includes the automatic analysis and visualisation of numerous usability metrics, will substantially enhance the evaluation process. By adding event recording functionality in a prototype for a small handheld device, effective usability evaluations could also be conducted in a mobile context.

Multimedia technology offers considerable potential for education though the costs of production of courseware are prohibitive especially in a rapidly changing discipline such as computer science. This paper proposes a cost-effective technique which allows multimedia courseware to be developed quickly and economically. To illustrate this concept, courseware material for an undergraduate Data Communications subject has been implemented.

New computerand communication technologies now provide the educationalist with a wide range of tools for use in the educational process.Many of these technologies such as computer-assisted learning and multimedia have had quite a rocky road to becoming effective tools, It was only after these tools emerged from the initial hype that they truly found a place in education.The Internet is still in this initial hype phase and is in danger of being used superficially.This paper begins the development of a theoretical basis for the appropriate use of Internet tools in computer science education.The proposed selection matrix will help realise the potential of these tools within the context of maximizing learning outcomes.

Presentation techniques for topological networks can be broadly classified as distortion‐oriented and nondistortion‐oriented. Although there has been a growing interest in applying various distortion‐oriented techniques, the application of an earlier example, the bifocal display, has so far been underexploited. This article describes a number of human‐computer interface techniques potentially relevant to the presentation and navigation of topological networks associated with transport systems, and describes a preliminary experimental study of a number of techniques for presenting the London Underground map as part of a real‐time information system for travelers.

Welcome to the Australasian special issue of Interacting with Computers. The seven papers included in this special issue (split over two numbers, four papers included in volume 7 number 2 and a further three to follow in number 3) were selected from 44 papers presented at OZCHI'94, the annual Australian HCI conference.

One of the common problems associated with large computer-based information systems is the relatively small window through which an information space can be viewed. Increasing interest in recent years has been focused on the development of distortion-oriented presentation techniques to address this problem. However, the growing number of new terminologies and techniques developed have caused considerable confusion to the graphical user interface designer, consequently making the comparison of these presentation techniques and generalization of empirical results of experiments with them very difficult, if not impossible. This article provides a taxonomy of distortion-oriented techniques which demonstrates clearly their underlying relationships. A unified theory is presented to reveal their roots and origins. Issues relating to the implementation and performance of these techniques are also discussed.