The field of information retrieval (IR) traditionally addressed the problem of retrieving text documents from large collections by full-text indexing of words. It has always been characterised by a strong focus on evaluation to compare the performance of alternative designs. The emergence into widespread use both of multimedia and of interactive user interfaces has extensive implications for this field and the evaluation methods on which it depends. This paper discusses what we currently understand about those implications. The system being measured must be expanded to include the human users, whose behaviour has a large effect on overall retrieval success, which now depends upon sessions of many retrieval cycles, rather than a single transaction. Multimedia raise issues not only of how users might specify a query in the same medium (e.g. sketch the kind of picture they want), but of cross-medium retrieval. Current explorations in IR evaluation show diversity along at least two dimensions. One is that between comprehensive models that have a place for every possible relevant factor, and lightweight methods. The other is that between highly standardised workbench tests avoiding human users vs. workplace studies.

This paper firstly surveys the search for Patterns and Pattern Languages (PL) in HCI, and examines some of the problems that the search has encountered. Secondly, some aspects of the Cognitive Dimensions (CD) framework are examined and I suggest that there may be a relationship between the two endeavours, to the probable enhancement of the pattern endeavour and the possible enhancement of the expression of the CD framework. The first half of the story To make a single narrative of the two endeavours of patterns in HCI and CDs, I shall have to start by telling two separate stories. However, these stories are not equal. I am an “insider ” when it comes to patterns and an “outsider” with regard to CDs. So the patterns story is told from what I know …

The motivation for this discussion is to look at the cognitive and logical rationales of e-Learning objects, which reside in computer-based e-Learning artefacts. e-Learning objects, the system to which they belong, and the sequence of messages that form a discourse between the system and its environment are inseparable. Altogether, they formulate the “Universe of Discourse” (Wieringa, 2003, p. 14). When we talk about systems, we equally refer the discourse to e-Learning objects because they are the “workers” of the system. e-Learning is “a combination of content and instructional methods delivered by media elements such as words and graphics on a computer intended to build job-transferable knowledge and skills linked to individual learning goals or organizational performance ” (Clark & Mayer, 2002, p. 311). The sciences of instruction, learning, and knowledge are intricate and the “e-” before “Learning” adds another dimension of complexity while paving new learning paths for e-Learning.

Multimedia development can be very time consuming and potentially frustrating for beginners. Similarly, the object orientated (OO) paradigm can be very hard to grasp,

Animation scripts are an integral part of developing computer games: they describe which character animations to play and when to switch between animations. These scripts are often written in text editors which can be an error-prone task since there are multiple variables and conditions that needs to be understood, and text editors gives no indication of how animations are linked together. This paper describes how a graphical user interface, using lines and circles to simulate direction and speed, can simplify the process of creating character animation scripts.