Visualising data using the ActionMapper: a proposed interactive event logger for user interface evaluation

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