1. What is it about the design of the wiki and Moodle that you liked or disliked?
Moodle's initial, uncluttered interface is appealing and belies its complexity. Pages are divided into 3 columns making the information in them appear orderly and there is a breadcrumb trail near the top of each page so you always know where you are on the site. Links and text are easily distinguishable. Icons are used in addition to text headings. Information is divided into boxed categories which makes it easy to find. I like the way it is easy to navigate around the Moodle.
The UTS Library IS Wiki also has a nice uncluttered look about it and consists of 2 menu boxes: Navigation and Toolbox which are terms I don't really understand because they don't seem to relate to the information within. There are also menu tabs at the top of the screen which are easily distinguishable from the boxes. This wiki is really only a place to store Research Help Desk-related information so its design is appropriate to its function, although a little static and uninviting. Its only additional feature is a search box.
2. What features do wiki and Moodle have in common and what are the differences?
Both the Moodle and wiki examined require a login and password. Moodle is a course management system and thus contains many more features than the wiki, eg it has its own wiki, blog and chat. It also recognises its users' course enrolment details while the wiki is not personalised in any way. Anyone (who can log in) can easily add content to the wiki but user-generated content is restricted in the Moodle. Another big difference is that the wiki allows users to revert to a previous version if needed. The features of both are determined by their purpose, ie the wiki as a collaborative document has a simple purpose while the moodle is a complex course management system.
3. Is the presence of likeable features also a combination of the design tips for usability, sociability and sustainability, as advocated by Preece and Kim?
Good usability is always a likeable feature on a website because it makes it "pleasant and effective to use" (Preece, 2000, p.27) and supports the goals of an online community, eg to interact and perform tasks without high error rates and frustration with the software. Both Moodle and wiki are examples of good usability. Sociability design features provide a likeable online environment by enabling members to easily gather together and "start talking among themselves" (Kim, 2000, p.xiii). They also support the purpose of an online community by ensuring members can communicate easily and appropriately, eg by making use of a mediator to keep members "on task". Moodle provides more sociability features than wiki and is more 'likeable' as an online community. Moodle features are also more sustainable than wiki's. Moodle caters for defined communities while the wiki usually requires voluntary contributions from a community whose purpose may be weak or ill-defined.
References:
Kim, A. (2000). Community building in the web: Secret strategies for successful online communities. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press.
Preece, J. (2000). Online Communities: Designing usability, supporting sociability. Chichester, UK: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
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