Why numbers, invites and visits are not enough: Evaluating the user experience in Social Eco-Systems

Abstract

Social eco-systems are often evaluated through quantitative data that is automatically logged and analysed. However, where the user’s experience of social eco-systems is evaluated, more explicit intervention approaches are typical, with questionnaires, focus groups and user testing widely used, directly asking the user about their experience. User experience evaluation thus ruptures the social eco-system, occurring as a separate, discrete activity outside of that system. In this paper, we propose that evaluation should be part of the social eco-system adding value to the user experience. We outline an evaluation approach that has been applied within games-based learning environments where the evaluation is seamlessly embedded. We briefly outline our approach to generating and analyzing data highlighting its potential for social eco-system evaluation