ICT Prototyping Phase 6 Evaluation
STYLE GUIDES
th
20 June 2000
Executive Summary
The Style Guides yielded a very positive response from the public despite a number of known
content and usability problems. Oyster will address the most significant problems that arose in the
next phase of the project. These included usability of the motif/principle screens, presenting objects
related to people mentioned in the system, providing further examples of buildings in the style,
usability and design of the quiz screens, and clarification of the content development for remaining
style guides. Oyster will focus on providing the Museum with guidance on how to prepare content
for the remaining style. Content production will need to be carefully managed to ensure that content
errors do not arise again.
The visitors gave the Style Guide a score of 4.0 out of 5 (Good) for enjoyment.
V&A staff gave the Style Guide a score of 4.0 out of 5 (Good) for enjoyment.
From the Evaluators' perspective, despite the content problems encountered in populating the
prototype, the enjoyment ratings are good, and will yield even better scores when this device is
retested after the next build.
Introduction
Brief for the Device
The Rococo & Palladianism Style Guide is one of nine devices that will appear in the galleries.
They will be primarily accessed from screens across the gallery space. They devices will operate
differently from terminals in the Study Areas where all Style Guides will be directly linked together
to form a complete guide to styles in the British Galleries. The following objectives for the device
are those taken from the original Evaluation Strategy for the ICT.
• To teach visitors in an easy and simple way the names and characteristics of the style terms used
to describe decorative arts objects in the galleries through worked examples.
• To give them a chance to test and apply their understanding in a quiz.
Brief and Overall Methodology for Evaluation
The museum wishes to assess how the content and design of the interactive might be improved.
In particular:
The programme should be easy for general visitors to use.
The language level and tone should be appropriate for visitors.
Visitors should enjoy using the interactive.
Visitors should be able to name at least one thing they have learned about style.
The style terminology should be clearly explained so that visitors are able to give their own
definition of one of the styles featured on the prototype and identify styles in relation to objects
in the galleries.
The testing of ICT devices is different to other testing undertaken for the British Galleries because
information from public testing has been combined with evaluation by Project staff working on the
device together with data gathered from testing with the wider Museum staff. The advantage of this
methodology is that visitors offer a user perspective that cannot come from staff. Project staff
involved in its development pick up on content errors and some of the subtler navigation and
technical issues that a first-time user may not notice. The wider Museum staff frequently, but not
always, respond as people who are very familiar with the general subject matter of the device.
Description of Prototype Device
The prototype device was constructed according to the "Review Stage 1 - Content and Concept
Report". The device differed from the report in the following ways:
• Several images of objects included were not the intended final images. This included the use of
several black & white prints.
• The 'Interior/Exterior Screens' did not include functionality to show specific details in the views of
buildings and rooms.
• The 'Related Style Screen' did not give details for related styles.
• Only options for a Rococo Quiz and a Palladianism Quiz were implemented. Options for the 'Local
Quiz', that combines questions from both styles and the 'MegaQuiz' which uses questions from
all Style Guides, were implemented.
Description of Public and Staff Testing
Hardware and Software
Testing was conducted on the prototype test rig using two 15" screens connected to PIII 500's
under Windows NT with 128MB RAM. Screen resolution was 1024x768 with 24bit colour.
Server architecture utilised a Sun Ultra5 running applications through Apache under Solaris 7.
Database architecture was Oracle 8.0.6 with Java served through NewAtalanta ServletExec 2 and
Sun JDK 1.2.1.04
Test conditions match those specified in the original System Architecture Definition Report. The
exceptions to the definition were:
• Recent updates and patches to previously specified version of server architecture (JDK,
ServletExec, Solaris, Oracle)
• Replacement of Netscape Enterprise Server to Apache
• Switch to a UNIX based server to increase the stability of Oracle database.
The software program was run through Internet Explorer 5.5 running in kiosk mode.
Methodology and Environment
The test was carried out in the Best of British Gallery near displays of objects in the two styles
focused on in the interactive (Rococo and Palladianism). Two 15” touch screens, both with the
same programme on them, were used so that interviews with up to four people (two to a screen
maximum) could be conducted. The screens were placed on a small table with stools for visitors
to sit on. Interviews were conducted by the evaluator and the Device Manager on the 12 April. At
other times they were conducted by the Device Manager.
A combination of observation and interview was used in order to see how visitors used the device
without direction. Afterwards visitors were asked about observed behaviour as well as about
previously defined issues.
Visitors were invited to test the programme. At the time of invitation it was indicated to them that
there were Palladian and Rococo objects in the displays around them. The locations of these
objects, which were not in full view of visitors when using the programme, were not specifically
identified. Observations were made of the visitors’ use of the programme. When visitors indicated
that they had had enough of using the programme they were interviewed.
A small group of V&A Museum staff were also interviewed. The findings from the staff survey are
presented separately from the visitor survey.
Visitors were asked:
How did you find using the interactive? Any particular problems?
Can you name anything in particular that you have learned about style?
Did you look at the display while using the programme?
Can you point to something in the display which is either Rococo or Palladian in style?
Would you have been able to do that before using the style guide?
How would you describe either Palladianism or Rococo to a friend?
Do you think that this programme is for ordinary, general visitors or for academic, specialist ones?
How would you rate your enjoyment of the interactive on a scale 1 to 5 where: 1 = Very Poor, 2 =
Poor, 3 = OK, 4 = Good and 5 = Excellent?
Any other comments?
Description of Sample
Number of people
Gender
Age
English as first language
Visitors
44
Staff
13
Male = 21
Female = 23
Under 25 = 8
25-34 = 3
35-44 = 11
45-54 = 4
55+ = 18
Yes = 33
No = 11
Male = 3
Female = 10
Under 25 yrs =
25-34 yrs =
35-44 yrs =
45-54 yrs =
55 plus yrs =
Sixteen people were interviewed in a group of two. Visitors were from : UK (32);
USA (4); France (3); Israel (2); and one each from Holland, Taiwan and Thailand.
The thirteen staff were from Ceramics and Glass, Research, British Galleries
Project (2), Freelance in Education Department, Prints, Drawings and Paintings (3)
Visitor Services work experience students (2), Records and Collections Services,
Bethnal Green Museum and unknown (1 each).
Findings from the Public and Staff Testing
VISITORS
Usability
The design of the home page was found to be rather confusing by some visitors – specific
problems mentioned were the need for it to be titled, lack of clarity about what to touch to get to
one of the styles.
The programme was felt to be generally rather slow, particularly when the screen went white in
transition between screens and also on the quiz.
There are some difficulties with the usability of the quiz. The quiz button was not noticed by some.
One visitor did not notice the timing option, while another wanted the time taken to be notified
at the end of the quiz. One visitor pressed the star at the bottom of the screen before
answering the question. Text sometimes ran off the screen (e.g. question 2 in the Palladian
quiz).
The function of the MORE OBJECTS button was initially unclear to a number of visitors (eight).
Visitors liked the animations of the details into the whole objects. However with subsequent objects
visitors sometimes had problems finding the relevant detail and requested that the details be
highlighted.
Content (Audience Relevance)
Forty-one of the forty-four visitors (97%) thought that the programme was pitched at an ordinary,
general museum audience. This is most satisfactory.
Only eight of the forty-four visitors (18%) looked around at the displays while using the programme.
This is not a surprising outcome because the position of the test made it very difficult to see the
displays directly as they were to one side of the test set-up.
Around two thirds of the visitors (68% of sample, n=30) felt that they could attempt to identify
something in the gallery as Palladian or Rococo after using the programme. Some visitors
identified more than one item. The outcome appears below:
Correct identification of a Palladian object: 19 visitors.
Incorrect identification as a Palladian object: 5 visitors
Correct identification of a Rococo object: 11 visitors
Incorrect identification as a Rococo object: 6 visitors
Visitors identifying a Chinoiserie object as Rococo were counted as giving a correct response
because Chinoiserie can be considered as a sub-set of Rococo.
The 30 visitors who identified Palladian or Rococo objects were asked if they could have made
their identification (correct or incorrect) before using the programme. Twenty-two of them
(73%) said that they would not have been able to try to do so before using the programme.
Eight visitors thought that they would have been able to identify objects before using the
programme. Overall, considering that visitors were asked to test the programme, and were
not necessarily motivated to attend to information about Rococo or Palladian styles, this is a
satisfactory outcome.
Thirty-two visitors (73% of sample) felt that they had learned particular things about one or both of
the styles from the programme. This is satisfactory.
Twenty-eight definitions of the two styles were offered by visitors - fifteen for Palladianism and
thirteen for Rococo. This level of response from a sample of 44 visitors may appear low.
However, it is not commonplace for people relaxing in a leisure situation, such as browsing
around a museum, to be asked, all unawares, to define relatively complex artistic concepts.
Also, in this test situation, visitors did not have the ‘real thing’ before them while they were
learning about it from the programme. This response rate is, accordingly, felt to be relatively
high.
Fifteen visitors (34%) felt that the programme had educational value.
The text and content of the quiz was criticised by some visitors. People wanted more feedback,
particularly when they had got something wrong (three visitors). Some questions require
visitors to select a set number of items but the number required is not currently stated as part
of the question, which was confusing. One visitor pointed out that an image of Chiswick House
itself should not have been among the selection of objects from which to choose furnishings for
the house. Another complained about double negatives in some quiz questions. One visitor
who tried the quiz before looking at the rest of the programme was defeated by it suggesting
that perhaps it should be flagged more clearly as better to do after looking at other parts of the
programme.
Two content errors were spotted by visitors – the mistaken inclusion of a William Morris textile and
the image of the girandole being upside down.
Visitors wanted more information. There were six general requests for more information and four
requests for more information about dates. Overview descriptions of the styles were requested
by three visitors (these were given but were clearly not noticed by these visitors) and two
visitors wanted explanations of the names of the two styles featured. In addition four visitors
requested more Palladian objects.
There were some specific problems with technical words used in the programme (e.g. pediment
and commode) and general problems with the relation of text to image on-screen.
Visitors wanted to know where they could find the things featured in the video, be it V&A objects or
buildings.
There was some confusion over shells – a couple of visitors thought that they featured in Rococo,
while in fact they are identified as typical of Palladianism.
Visitors gave that programme an average score of 4.
Score of 1
0
Score of 2
0
Score of 3
3
Score of 4
34
Score of 5
7
Technical
• There seem to be particular technical problems with the quiz. Visitors could not
exit the timed quiz once they had started it, a Rococo question came up in the
Palladian quiz, in the Palladian quiz a double touch was found to stop the timing
function, and the whole programme crashed while one visitor was using the
quiz.
• Another technical problem occurred a couple of times with the animation of the
pediment into the mirror, where it appear to go through the mirror rather than
stopping.
STAFF
Usability
A significant number of staff (eight out of 13) felt that the images in the quiz were too small to be
able to see the details and two requested a zoom facility for the quiz.
Like visitors, staff wanted details on the objects to be highlighted.
The function of the MORE OBJECTS button was not clear to some (four out of 13).
The animations were liked, but those for of symmetry and asymmetry were felt to be a bit slow.
Content (Audience Relevance)
There were ten correct identifications of Palladian objects, four correct identifications of Rococo
objects and one erroneous identification of an object as Rococo. Three of the ten staff said that
they would not have been able to try to identify an object before using the programme while
one thought she would have been not quite ready to do so.
There was particular praise for the quiz from eight of the 13 staff, suggesting that this is particularly
appealing to specialists.
Staff wanted more examples of the buildings/interiors.
There was a strong desire for images of relevant objects as well as portraits in the people section.
The links between text and image on-screen were not always felt to be good.
There were a number of specific criticisms, many of which seemed to come from the high level of
knowledge of staff, e.g. querying whether drip work was really rocaille.
Surprisingly, there was only one request for the locations of the real objects.
The staff gave the programme an average score of 4.0 (the same as visitors).
Score of 1
0
Score of 2
0
Score of 3
3
Score of 4
7
Score of 5
3
Technical
There were problems with staff not being able to quit the quiz when they wanted
to, with it crashing (questions 7 and 8 on the Palladian quiz).
In addition the screen kept highlighting at odd points for one member of staff.
Evaluator’s Conclusions from Public and Staff Testing
Potentially, this programme has great communicative strengths. The visitors perceive that it is targeted
at them; two thirds of the sample felt confidant enough to try to identify objects after using it and three
quarters of them said that they had gained this confidence because they had used the programme.
Considering the difficulties in using a prototype programme that is not fully developed, this is a
remarkable achievement. Specific areas for improvement are listed below.
• The function of the MORE OBJECTS button should be clarified, perhaps by re-naming it.
• The design of the home page should be reviewed to make it clearer.
• Details on whole objects should be highlighted to make them easier to spot, particularly on the
second or third example of a detail where there is not the benefit of the detail animating into the
whole object.
• The programme should be speeded up, particularly on the quiz. White screens should not appear
when there is a transition from one screen to another.
Sort out the technical problems with the quiz, especially not being able to quit the timed quiz.
• Consider making the quiz button more prominent.
• Check the quiz for text that runs off screen.
• Give more feedback in the quiz, particularly when a wrong answer is selected.
• Make it clear in quiz questions the number of items that are to be selected.
• Get rid of double negatives in quiz questions.
• Remove the image of Chiswick House from the selection of furnishings for the house.
• Consider flagging the quiz as more suitable to do once visitors have looked at the rest of the
programme.
• Sort out all image/content errors.
• Review the inclusion of shells as solely a Palladian motif as they are also used in Rococo design.
It may be helpful to visitors to refer to shells in the Palladian context as ‘scallop shells’.
Consider giving more information about dates.
Ensure that the overview descriptions of the styles are sufficiently prominent and review the content
to give clearer explanations of the names of the styles.
Consider whether more Palladian objects could be shown.
Review the text for technical words and amend so that these are avoided or explained
The relation of text to image on-screen should be reviewed throughout the programme to ensure it
makes sense.
Consider giving information about where visitors could find the things featured in the programme,
be it V&A objects or buildings. This might be addressed in the case of V&A objects by the use of
a museum number in the caption.
Amend the animation of the pediment into the mirror so that it no longer appears to go through the
mirror.
Enlarge the size of images used in the quiz wherever possible. If the small size is due to too many
images on-screen, consider offering less images.
Speed up the symmetry and asymmetry animations.
Consider providing examples of more buildings/interiors.
Provide images of relevant objects as well as portraits in the people section.
Brief for Phase 6 - Rococo & Palladianism Style Guide
Against each recommendation, included here are items for redevelopment in Phase 6.
ACTION 1
• The function of the MORE OBJECTS button should be clarified, perhaps by re-naming it.
• The presentation and design of detail/motif/design principle screens needs discussion with Oyster.
The existing MORE OBJECTS button does not work.
• The Museum needs to decide whether separate text will be required for each of the two/three objects
used for each detail.
• In the next phase, Oyster to redesign of this aspect of functionality to deal with
navigation issues of how to get from detail to object, and object to object.
• Redesign of this aspect of functionality should also consider whether different text
(content and instructions) should be different at each stage of navigation (detail to
object, and object to object alongside).
• Redesign should clearly separate instruction text from content text and allow for
captions that include object description and date.
ACTION 2
• Details on whole objects should be highlighted to make them easier to spot, particularly on the
second or third example of a detail where there is not the benefit of the detail animating into the
whole object.
• The Museum should also decide whether the additional objects visible after the initial animation need
to be adjusted to indicate the position of the detail.
• In the next phase, Oyster to decide with the V&A to decide how this should be
approached. The simplest option is to have a flat highlight of each successive object
after the initial animation. This should be implemented in the next prototype.
ACTION 3
• The design of the Style Hub Page should be reviewed to make it clearer.
• In the next phase, Oyster to ensure that instruction text on Style Hub pages indicates
that visitor can click one of the 6 motifs.
ACTION 4
• Consider flagging the quiz as more suitable to do once visitors have looked at the rest of the
programme.
• In the next phase, Oyster to remove the quiz button from the home page and the style
hub page making it accessible only after a visitor has seen either a motif, people or
building.
ACTION 5
• Sort out all image/content errors.
• The Museum needs to provide content to Oyster to assist with the correct implementation of this and
other Style Guides. Oyster should suggest the most suitable way of the Museum providing content
so that its place in the device is understood.
Consider whether more Palladian objects could be shown.
• Review the inclusion of shells as solely a Palladian motif as they are also used in Rococo design. It
may be helpful to visitors to refer to shells in the Palladian context as ‘scallop shells’.
Consider giving more information about dates.
Review the text for technical words and amend so that these are avoided or explained
• The Museum needs to ensure that written content clearly specifies where it is to be
used. Museum should also describe what each detail animation consists off. The
Museum should consider including thumbnail images in content tables that
highlight the details of animations and details in each object.
• Oyster should suggest the most suitable way of the Museum providing content so that
its place in the device is understood.
• A revised device map and content table are included in the rebrief.
ACTION 6
Amend the animation of the pediment into the mirror so that it no longer appears to go through the
mirror.
Speed up the symmetry and asymmetry animations.
• Oyster should in the evaluation of the whole phase specify the functionality behind
the animations (details of Flash animations). This will allow the Museum to create
these in future.
ACTION 7
• The relation of text to image on-screen should be reviewed throughout the programme to ensure it
makes sense.
• Text must at all times clearly relate to images visible. Captions for objects could include a Museum
number and need to be clarified by the Museum.
Museum to ensure that all written content clearly relates text to images. Museum to
clearly specify captions required for each image.
ACTION 8
Button highlights throughout the device need to be clarified such that if a button is active, it is not
highlighted. If a visitor is in a particular area such as the PEOPLE area, this option should be
greyed out.
The position of buttons at the bottom of the screen should not alter throughout the programme.
In the next phase, Oyster to ensure consistent functionality in buttons. If a visitor is in
an area, that button should be greyed out.
Oyster to ensure that positions of buttons do not alter as visitor moves around this
device.
ACTION 9
Consider giving information about where visitors could find the things featured in the programme, be it
V&A objects or buildings.
No action to be taken here since providing specific locations was not thought to be a
desired option from the outset.
ACTION 10
Ensure that the overview descriptions of the styles are sufficiently prominent and review the content to
give clearer explanations of the names of the styles
All text on the Style Hub screen should be written similar to "Palladianism is…" i.e. put the Style name
at the start of the sentence.
Museum to ensure that all style descriptions on Style Hub page make the style name in
question the main clause of the paragraph and give clear explanation of source of
style name.
In the next phase, Oyster to review the prominence of style definitions on the Style Hub
pages.
ACTION 11
Consider providing examples of more buildings/interiors.
There should be more than one option of building available in the Interiors/Exteriors Screens.
Museum to ensure that writers of future style guides are requested to source more than
one building. There will be three buildings per style.
ACTION 12
Provide images of relevant objects as well as portraits in the people section.
The images used on the People screens should include examples of objects by the person. There also
needs to be an initial Person Hub Page rather than defaulting to the first person available.
Oyster to keep the existing functionality for People pages.
Museum to ensure that each person Page contains objects by that person as well as
portrait. Where not portrait exists, a silhouette image will be used.
IN the next phase, Oyster to tell the Museum how these should be presented. Museum
suggested a composite image would be easiest to implement. Oyster will look into
whether the functionality used in the Thomas More device for showing 4 images per
page by user selection can be implemented here.
ACTION 13
Consider making the quiz button more prominent.
The design and position of the Style Quiz button needs rethinking.
Initial screens of quiz need and design/position of quiz button need to make it clear the quiz should be
done after reviewing other parts of the programme.
The quiz button design and position will not be altered in the next phase. The quiz
button will be removed from the home page and style hub pages (see earlier point).
ACTION 14
• Check the quiz for text that runs off screen.
• Give more feedback in the quiz, particularly when a wrong answer is selected.
• Make it clear in quiz questions the number of items that are to be selected.
• Get rid of double negatives in quiz questions.
• Remove the image of Chiswick House from the selection of furnishings for the house.
Enlarge the size of images used in the quiz wherever possible. If the small size is due to too many
images on-screen, consider offering less images.
In the next phase, Oyster to ensure that length of quiz question fits design (make more
room since there is plenty on the screen at the moment). Oyster to ensure no text
runs off-screen.
Museum to ensure that wording of all questions is clear of any ambiguity/double
negatives and specifies how many quiz answers are required of the user.
Museum/Oyster to ensure that no misleading quiz answers (like the Chiswick House
image) appear in the quiz.
ACTION 15
st
In the untimed quiz, need to give more feedback in the quiz while taking the 1 choice as the answer
that is scored.
In the next phase, Oyster to rework the quiz such that the current options to retry
questions in the untimed quiz are removed and the feedback simply provides the
correct answer. This will avoid people always getting 10/10 in the untimed quizzes.
ACTION 16
The scoring of the timed quiz should be based on the total time taken to complete the quiz as opposed
to the existing number of correct answers.
The design of quiz screens should be reconsidered to account for a more prominent timer (since this
will be the mechanism of scoring). The existing stars used for correct answers should be replaced
with ticks.
In the next phase, Oyster to redesign the scoring system so that it incorporates a
timing element for the timed quiz.
Oyster to ensure that timer is more prominent on quiz screens.
Oyster to indicate correct quiz answer by tick mark or cross. Remove the existing
stars/blanks design.
ACTION 17
The existing navigation to a main quiz screen before starting a quiz needs to be clarified by the
Museum so that the visitor knows which quiz is which before attempting one.
Navigation to quiz clarified by device map. All navigation to quizzes will be through a
single quiz introduction screen.
The originally intended "Terminal Quiz" will be removed from all Style Guides. The
MegaQuiz will only be accessible from the Study Areas.
ACTION 18
The Related Style Screen needs to be correctly implemented.
Oyster to implement related style as for gallery terminal by content table.
Oyster to note that style terminal operation in study gallery is different (related style
links to Style Hub Page for selected related style).
ACTION 19
• TECHNICAL BUGS
• The programme should be speeded up, particularly on the quiz. Blank white screens should not
appear when there is a transition from one screen to another.
Sort out the technical problems with the quiz, especially not being able to quit the timed quiz.
The existing transition from Style Hub Page to detail screens needs to be corrected to remove the
current flash of the screen that appears before the transition is complete.
Remove the star that appears when you start the timed quiz.
Oyster to correct all these bugs.
Notes for Development Phase 2 - Full development of this and other Style Guides
• Oyster need to specify how content is to be provided (size, naming etc) in a way that enables accurate
and speedy instantiation of other style guides. This is expected in the OSCG document at end of
Evaluation of Development Phase 1.
• The difference between Gallery instantiations of Style Guides to those appearing the Study Areas
should be clarified in the evaluation of the Prototyping phase.
• The Megaquiz will only be accessible from the Study Areas.
Notes for 2
nd
Round of Testing
• Check redesign of navigation and text for object/detail screens in relation to redesigning the MORE
OBJECTS button.
• Check usability of new quiz screens.
• Size of smaller quiz options.
APPENDIX 1 - Quotes from Visitors and Staff
Quotes from Visitors
Usability
Navigation praise (29 comments)
Easy (18 visitors)
Fine / pretty good (6)
No problem (5)
Navigation Problems (4 comments)
How do you get to the other style? Home or Other Style?
Visitor had difficulty getting from Palladian buildings back to object.
On Rococo: Why do you put buttons for People etc. on the right when all my previous pressing was
on the left?
Visitor could not get back to Rococo.
Quiz (14 comments and observations)
It needs to say ‘select three’ or say how many to choose. (5)
Visitor did not notice quiz option.(2)
The quiz swipe is too slow when you are correct.
Visitor pressed the star on quiz before selecting object.
The quiz clock should tell you how long you took.
Visitor did not notice quiz timing option.
On Palladian quiz, Q2, the text was off the screen.
Touch screen (8 comments and observations)
Like the touch screen (5)
Occasional touch screen failures (2)
You are not always sure what to touch
Transitions revealing details (8 comments)
Liked moving from detail to whole objects (5)
Should move from whole thing to detail (2)
Liked the details (graphics)
Indication of details (5 comments)
You should highlight the ‘terms’ on the mirror so you can see them.
Visitor could not find ‘term’ on engraving (wrong image).
You need to highlight or arrow the mask on the mirror.
You need to highlight or arrow the columns on the mirror.
Home Page (5 comments and observations)
Visitor used Home button to get out of Rococo programme.
Home page should have a title.
Visitor had problems finding out what to touch in order to choose a style.
Visitor did not know how to return Home.
First screen is confusing.
‘More Objects’ button (5 observations)
Visitor hesitated over using ‘More Objects’ button / did not understand it. (3)
Visitor touched content table instead of ‘More Objects’.
Visitor did not see ‘ More Objects’ button.
Didn’t realise you could touch the picture on the screen instead of the object button (2)
Visitor did not realise had to touch screen to see more objects
Complaints / requests (4 comments)
Pity you can’t have printouts (2)
It needs more and better colour.
The animation made me feel a bit queasy.
Comments from computer novices (2 comments)
Interesting. I would like to sit down for the day because I know nothing about computers. I didn’t
feel I needed more time to get used to the programme.
Very nice and straightforward considering I know nothing about computers.
Speed (9 comments)
I thought the computer had stopped / was confused / surprised when after selecting a style / object
the screen went white for a long time (7)
Movement from detail to object is slow (2)
Content
Learning about style (34 responses)
Rococo is curvy with natural forms (5 visitors)
The differences between the two styles (3)
Symmetry & asymmetry (3)
Reminders of the difference between styles (3)
Knew most of it already (2)
Rococo has acanthus leaves (2)
The following 16 topics were mentioned once: Lord Burlington, time periods, pediments,
recognition of Rococo, that there were different styles, Palladian columns and architecture, the
origins of Palladian style, about Palladio, Thomas Johnson and Rococo, the name Rococo,
Rococo is for smaller objects, Palladian Terms, Rococo is watery and rocky, would recognize
rocaille, the acanthus leaf is an old motif, and, Palladian shells are symbols from Greece and
Rome.
Visitor definitions of Palladianism / Rococo
Palladianism (15 definitions)
Was done by one or two architects
Is empire era - very Egyptian, heavily decorated with lots of interest
Is classical with masks, shells and columns
Is symmetrical with columns and terms
Is symmetrical, elegant, gracious, heavily ornamented, abundant and with masks and pediments
Is very classical, matched, with columns and triangular pediments
Is symmetrical with shells and pillars
Is Greek in origin and has pillars and masks
Is more simplistic - Rococo is more elaborate
Has straight lines and Rococo is elaborate
Has symmetry
Has columns, shells on top, and is more rectangular and symmetrical
Is grander than Rococo
You see if you go to look at Chiswick House - lots of columns
Is a copy of an ancient Greek and Roman architecture by Palladio, circa 1530. It mostly uses
friezes, pediments and columns.
Rococo (13 definitions)
Has ornate curly forms and is not angular
Is really intricate
Is curvy and leafy
Is not symmetrical. It has curves and holes.
Is curvy and Palladianism is symmetrical with shells and columns
Is lop-sided and curly whirly
Has lots of curls and twists
Is very elaborate furniture with gilt
Is elaborate, gold, European (not British)
Is intricate, elaborate, detailed and curvy
Is ornate
Is a combination of gold and porcelain - very elaborate and decorated
Is fussy with lots of natural motifs, acanthus leaves and S and C shaped curves
Requests for further information (24 comments)
Generally - give more details / information (6)
Would like to have more dates (4)
Give more Palladian objects and their details (4)
The programme should give an overview description of the styles somewhere (3)
Give more Palladian buildings (2)
Where did Rococo come from? And why did it disappear?
Why is it called Palladianism?
Sometimes its hard to tell the difference between the two styles.
I was confused by dates for Palladio being earlier than those for Palladianism.
I thought shells would be Rococo - not Palladian.
Educational value (15 comments).
Very interesting / informative (11 visitors)
Good for students.
Labels don’t tell you much - this is a good opportunity.
It keeps your attention.
It’s nice to rest and learn at the same time.
Text matters (10 comments)
It’s the right amount of text / information. (3)
Can you have it in French / other languages? (2)
I had problems with the language (pediments).
You need a glossary - a commode is not a small chest of drawers in the USA.
The text is too simple - it’s aimed at children.
I would rather have descriptions under the big picture.
The mask text does not relate to the detail picture which comes up next.
Clock text comes up under detail of clock and this very confusing.
Location of ‘real things’ (6 comments)
You should say where you can see the real things (3)
What is a chocolate pot? Who designed it? Where in the V&A can I see it?
I assume the pedestal table is at Chiswick house (explained to visitor that it was in the gallery).
You should say where it is!
Where is St. Martin’s in the Fields?
Quiz (3 comments)
Give more feedback on the quizzes
Get rid of the double negatives in the quiz
Visitor was defeated by the programme because he tried the quiz too early (perhaps give a warning
that visitors will need to be sure of a few things before starting the quiz)
How do you know the correct answer? It should explain errors. (2)
Chiswick House is not an object so can’t go in itself for its quiz.
Content errors (2 comments)
The girandole is upside down (2)
The Morris textile should not be in the programme.
General (1 comment)
I paid more attention to how things were happening than to the content
General
General Praise (5 comments)
Pictures / graphic are superb / good .(3)
The details are beautiful.
I liked the symmetry demonstration.
Technical
Quiz
Could not abandon quiz when I wanted to - had to go to end. (2)
A Rococo question turned up in the Palladian quiz.
There is a time problem on Palladian quiz - it can be triggered by double touching and it stops the
clock
A child crashed the programme on Palladian quiz. The Home button was still active.
Other
The pediment reverses through the object instead of stopping. (2)
The programme slipped to highlight mode on Palladian columns.
Quotes from Staff
Usability
Quiz (12 comments)
The entire range of images is too small to see details. (8)
You could have a zoom facility on the quiz images. (2)
Need to sort out the objects for Chiswick House.
Didn’t notice symbol for right or wrong.
Navigation (9 comments)
• Good (7 staff)
• Why does the button order on the bottom of the screen change instead of doing a highlight?
• It would be good to go back to the first Rococo screen without going Home.
Details (5 comments)
• Use highlights on details in images (e.g. rocaille, S and C scrolls). (3)
• Like the way detail fits into the whole object.
• Annoying not to be able to go back from object to detail.
More Objects button (5 comments and observations)
• Staff member hesitated over ‘More Objects’ button (3)
• This button is confusing because it goes to detail of the object you have just seen.
• Person kept getting the same object when touching the button.
Speed (4 comments)
• Symmetry / asymmetry is slow - I wondered if the other half would appear. (2 )
• There are long pauses between screens.
• The related style section went too fast.
Praise (3 comments)
• Liked the animations (3)
Touch Screen (3 comments)
• Did not always activate.
• Quite fast.
• The yellow box was confusing.
Buttons (3 comments)
• Not always clear where the back button will take you.
• Nothing happened when I touched the object caption.
• It was a surprise when no object information came up.
White screen (2 comments)
• White screen is confusing.
• White background is hard on the eyes.
Content
Particular things learned about style (7 responses)
• Names of the styles
• Palladianism has masks
• I picked up key words
• Rococo is not symmetrical and Palladianism used shells.
• Venus came from a shell
• Asymmetry is Rococo
• It was a good memory prompt.
Definitions (13 responses)
Palladianism is:
• ornate but symmetrical - more balanced with less movement.
• grand - straight corners and often heavy.
• based on the Villa Rotunda.
• symmetry and shells.
• based on Palladio’s work and using classical forms.
Rococo is:
• asymmetrical and ugly.
• expressed in a variety of media -curvilinear, asymmetrical, natural form.
• lighter, more applicable to moveable objects and more fantastical.
• shell and natural forms.
• asymmetrical with natural forms like shells and leaves.
• asymmetrical, detailed, over the top.
• eighteenth century with natural forms - often marine, rocaille and S and C scrolls.
• asymmetrical, natural forms, fantastical.
Criticisms / ommissions (9 comments)
• Need more objects.
• You should not say ‘a’ rocaille.
• You need to compare French and English Rococo - visually.
• Is ‘drip work’ really Rocaille?
• Gravelot print is not the most typical.
• Not clear that related style (?to Palladianism ?) would be Rococo.
• Would like Chinoiserie to be dealt with under Rococo.
• The images were mixed up.
• Say Rococo was French.
Praise (8 comments)
• Quiz is enjoyable / great (2)
• The information is broken down into categories you can make sense of.
• Good - very visual.
• It makes you look at details.
• Liked the asymmetry animation.
• Great pictures.
• Not too much information.
People section (8 comments)
• I expected images of Palladio’s buildings as well as his portrait.
• Biographies should have more than just portraits.
• Link Palladio to Palladianism.
• Provide links from people to the things they designed.
• Have an introduction screen to ‘People’ - link them to specific objects.
• I did not realise that ‘People’ had more than one person.
• Would have preferred a de Lamerie object.
• Expected to see a whole piece of silver for de Lamerie.
Text Matters (4 comments)
• The captions do not always relate to what is shown.
• ‘Masks on table’ - confusing text.
• Some vocabulary seemed specialised.
• Longford table: Caption mentions shell and its not there.
Building/interior screen (3 comments)
• Needs more buildings examples. (3)
Suggestions (3 comments)
• You could have had a quiz about spotting Palladian things in Rococo interiors.
• You could design each style section in the format of each style.
Quiz (1 comment)
• Change the double negative questions.
Real things
• Name the location of real objects.
Technical
Quiz (3)
• Programme crashed on Q7 and Q8 of Palladian quiz.
• You need to be able to give up and leave the quiz when you want. (2)
Other
The screen kept highlighting.