DMASC:
THE PROJECT
The medium
of the web offers us more possibilities for data on real consumption
patterns than any other medium before it but the application of
that data to maximum advantage in the context of web design requires
particular care with data collection. It also requires visualization
tools that allow the designer to examine individual movements,
as well as aggregate traffic, in ways that can be controlled and
appreciated by the designer.
The development
of the DMASC system (Direction Mapping and Sequence Chart) allows
site designers to view user movement through their site. Using
colour and arc curvature sequence,
direction and duration of visits can be visualized.
The DMASC
charts have been employed to track traffic through a static html
site and also through a database driven website (dDMASC). See
the Gallery for chart examples.
The DMASC
project is run by Dr
Stephen Sobol (steve@sobolstones.com)
and Catherine
Stones (c.m.stones@leeds.ac.uk) at the University of Leeds, UK.
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