Snapshot Serengeti Talk

Make Finished and Next Image 1 Button

  • LanceSnider by LanceSnider

    I've only been only the side since the weekend, but I'm in love!

    I'd like to suggest a minor change that I think could improve classification speeds as well as keep users working for longer periods of time. After each image, the citizen scientist needs to click "finish" then "next capture" to go to the next image. Why not make finish and next just one button?

    Do they really need to be separated? I'd be very curious to see the numbers on how many times a user clicks "finish" without clicking "next capture." I guess that would just be the average number of images per session minus one. If the average session is 50 images, then the user only needs the buttons to be separated 1 in 50 times. Would it mess anything up if when a user was done, they left mid image?

    Every click takes time. The time it takes to click the button may be tiny, but multiplied by thousands or millions of images, it can add up.

    From a usability standpoint, it's basically saying "you're done, would you like to do another one?" It puts in the users' mind that they have the option to leave after every image. If you immediately moved from another image as soon as the previous was finished, it would be hard to ever stop. Each new discovery is just too exciting.

    On the other hand, by making them click to start an image, they're committed. It may make it feel less appropriate to stop mid image. The mystery of what might be in the next, unseen image might be all the incentive needed to keep people clicking.

    Because there are good arguments for both methods, it might be worth at least an a/b test to see which results in longer sessions and quicker identifications.

    Sorry for the novel.

    Posted

  • parsfan by parsfan in response to LanceSnider's comment.

    I think the main advantage of the "finish"/ "next capture" is that after finish you can click on "Discuss" to ask about the previous classification/ share a humorous photo/ ask for an ID or report an anomaly etc etc. This can't be done before finishing the classifying, as the whole point of the exercise is to get multiple unbiased eyes on each image.
    Glad you're enjoying SnapshotSerengeti, it is totally addictive! A lot of the fun happens in the Discuss page 😉

    Posted

  • LanceSnider by LanceSnider

    Ah, that makes sense. I can handle an extra click for that. 😃

    Posted

  • kosmala by kosmala scientist

    Yep, parsfan is exactly right. The suggestion to minimize clicks is also right on. We had to strike a compromise between having as few clicks as possible and allowing people to share/talk about the images -- but only after they'd already been classified.

    Posted