Graphical Jogthrough: expert based methodology for user interface evaluation, applied in the case of an educational simulation interface

Walkthrough and "Jogthrough" techniques are well known;expert based methodologies for the evaluation of user interface design. In this paper we describe the use of "Graphical" Jogthrough method for evaluating the interface design of the Network Simulator, an educational simulation program that enables users to virtually build a computer network, install hardware and software components, make the necessary settings and test the functionality of the network. Graphical Jogthrough is a further modification of a typical Jogthrough method, where evaluators' ratings produce evidence in the form of a graph, presenting estimated proportion of users who effectively use the interface versus the time they had to work with it in order to succeed effectiveness. We comment on the question: "What are the possible benefits and limitations of the Graphical Jogthrough method when applied in the case of educational software interface design?" We present the results of the evaluation session, and concluding from our experience we argue that the method could offer designers quantitative and qualitative data for formulating a useful (though rough in some aspects) estimation about the novice-becoming-expert pace that end users might follow when working with the evaluated interface. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.