Understanding the Use of The Vistorian: Complementing Logs with Context Mini-Questionnaires

The Vistorian is a web-based visual analytics tool including four different interactive visualizations. It allows digital humanists to analyze complex geolocated and temporal networks of individuals. A research prototype is now available to researchers. The challenge we try to address is: could we improve our understanding of how digital humanities research prototypes are being used " in the wild " ? Standard usage logs are insufficient since they do not capture users' intent or the reasons why they might struggle with a prototype. Here, we designed a novel lightweight combination of usage logs and mini-questionnaires attempting to consistently capture user intent and usage context. The paper first describes the Vistorian, then introduces our combined log and questionnaire methodology—with design principles and screen mockups. The technique will be pilot tested this summer, and deployed in the fall for evaluation with historians and their students.