Learning Hci in the Lost World

Instead of a formal examination, HCI students completed part of their assessment in a local video game parlour. It is one of the few places where a large group of students can experience participant observation of technology in its everyday situation of use. In this paper we discuss some of the useability issues that were identified during the evaluations as well as the pedagogical insights that resulted for the students and staff involved. It was clear that while the students could identify specific problems, they had difficulty, describing and critiquing the structure of the interaction in the various games and moving between general useability principles and specific examples in context. However, their experience demonstrated vividly the differences between evaluating technology inside and outside of its everyday context and between observation of, and participation in, the use of the technology being evaluated.