A key aspect of SCARLET involves finding out what people think about the content and use of Augmented Reality. By seeking feedback at an early stage we intend user experience to continue to inform project development.
Using the pilot course, ‘Beyond the Text: The Book and its Body’ we have developed SCARLET content around 10 key editions of Dante’s Divine Comedy. In recent weeks 9 students at the University of Manchester have selected and researched a Dante book from the University’s Special Collections for their first course essay. At the same time they’ve been able to access SCARLET content via iPads in the reading room of the library. Our first opportunity to discover their thoughts on using SCARLET to support their research will be during a focus group session on 16th November 2011. A discussion about content, usability and use of mobiles for research will help us to assess the strengths and limitations of using AR within the context of teaching within special collections. A future blog post will outline results from the session.
We have also made the SCARLET demonstration channel available so that everyone can sample limited content. We’re eager to hear your views so please take a minute to trial this and respond with comments via our short survey.