• Dapper.net & Tutorial Video at http://www.dapper.net/dapperDemo/
  

  On Information Design

  • Who are the users?  The users for the tutorial are advanced web authors to provide an brief overview of the dapper tool.  Users must know the definition and uses for terms such as RSS and XML.  Users are also assumed to have a working knowledge of YouTube and how to search for a video using the site.

  • Information chunk (gestalt principle, amount information).  The information is chunked in a roughly 5 minute module.  Because of the short time for instruction, the author has provided information for a fairly specific audience.  Entry knowledge is assumed and the instruction only shows a brief simple example highlighting the main features of the tool.  The video simply familiarizes the user with the dapper interface.

  • Relevance (graphics, content, reading level, text).  The video was a screen capture narrated with a voice over.  The screen was sized down to allow it to be displayed within the content area in the Dapper template.  This made the text hard to read at times but still gave you an idea of how to navigate the site.  The graphics were the exact graphics that a user of the dapper site would encounter.  This  

  • Labeling (visual with text).  The video had standard controls at the top of the video.  It had a distinguishable color contrast from the video so that the controls could easily be located.  The "next Demo" link looked like it could have been part of the screen capture and it did not stand out visually.  I think that the first time I watched this video I actually thought that there were no additional tutorials and was disappointed. 

  • Consistency (visual, text).  The video was a screen capture of the Dapper site so there was no difference from the video example to actually using the site.

  • Detail (too much on one page or one screen).  The short 5 minute module was a tolerable length for new users.  There are more tutu rials available for those users that are interested in more examples.

  On Interactivity

  • Orientation (Can you find the path, and know your way around?)  The introduction tutorial link is located on the homepage right under the search feature.  On the video page the video controls are easy to find.

  • Navigation (Branching)  The navigation for additional videos is not easily distinguishable from the screen capture.

  • Functionality (Does it work?)  The video played with ease and did not require any additional browser plug-ins for me.

  • Information access (Multiple entry and exit? Logical path?)  There are multiple ways to navigate to the video tutorial.  One link is located under the main search feature on the homepage.  There is another link under a heading for "New to Dapper".  Additionally, there is a link in the footer under the "Help" heading.  This tutorial should be easily located for multiple users scanning the homepage for 3 separate logical headings.

  On Screen Design

• Attractive (first impression).  The Dapper site design is simple, clean, and inviting.  I was particularly attracted to the Dapper logo.

Resolution.  The Dapper site does not use an abundance of graphics which helps readability.  So the colored/shaded boxes do not require a high resolution to be viewed as intended.
Color.  I like the blue color theme.  I think that it models after yahoo.com's color theme which is one of the highest volume sites by visitors.
Lay out.  The layout is atypical for me.  I am used to seeing navigation at the top of the screen.  However Dapper utilizes a large logo and search feature as the majority of the top of the homepage.  The navigation is then dispersed in the footer in a light gray.  This makes it harder to find, but i think that this was intentional by the designers.  The search is going to be used primarily by new users and users who are looking to determine what Dapper is.  This layout makes the likelihood of users to search the dapper applications.
Readability.  The dapper pages are very easy to read.  The text background contrast is high enough to make everything very readable.  However, the video tutorial uses a minimized screen and makes the text too small to read at times.  The video also has no way to zoom in on the text if a user can not read the text which can cause frustration and inhibit learning.