Use of a keystroke log file to evaluate an interactive computer system in a museum setting

Abstract

Multimedia evaluation and evaluation of public space learning environments are complex processes. The typical challenges of public space design and implementation, such as the inability to really know the user as well as the lack of access to the setting for long term evaluation require the evaluator to use a series of tools and techniques. This paper discusses the results of using a keystroke log file to identify the use and visitor usage patterns of the sophisticated interactive multimedia system installed at the Wexner Learning Center of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The findings of the evaluation include the identification of four typical sessions, a series of engagements with the technology and with the content and the need for other evaluation techniques to determine the cause of some of the exhibited behaviors.