Evaluating interface design through user data collection A study at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

This paper examines the effect of user interface and graphic design elements on the visitors use of a program. In order to study these effects members of the The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) Interactive Media Group (IMG) altered the interface of an existing program and compared user data before and after the change. The MIA developed it's third in a series of interactive projects in early 1991. The project "From Silver to Silica: A History of Photography" was conceived as an interactive program about the museum's photography collection. Forty photographers and over 300 works of art are included. The project was intended to be located in the photography galleries in the close proximity to the works of art.