Expanding the Frame: Realising Engagement Through an Interactive, Visualisation-Based Search in Digital Humanities Research Environments

Abstract

AstheDigitalHumanitiesexpandsitsmodesofinterrogation,ithascontinuedtodevelop new ways of researching and exploring text. As a result, visualisations have risen to prominence as scholars have begun to explore concepts behind Moretti’s Distant Reading and Jocker’s Macroanalysis. While the study of these types of visualisations has largely focused on their ability to provide higher-level insights, little exploration has been conducted concerning their effectiveness within the context of a learning or research environment. Drawing on discussions from fields of psychology (specifically the role of working memory), education (modes and frameworks of learning), and computer science (usability and interaction design), this thesisattemptstodiscovertheeffectsofinteractivevisualisationscomparedtostandard keyword search approaches on a user’s engagement with the overall system, as well as the effect on learning as a direct result of engagement. Centred around an 18th century manuscript detailing the expenditures of the Royal Irish College at Alcalá de Heneres, this thesis presents the design and implementation of the Alcalá Record Books and discusses a case study that was conducted to explore the effects of the visualisation-based search. Ultimately, this thesis advocates for the inclusion of an interactive, visualisation-based search as a complement to existing keyword searches, highlighting the advantages such searches bring to engagement, learning, and overall satisfaction with the system as a whole