15/6/00
Time for a test drive
Access OnLine's Dr. John Eklund is part of a team that uses IT pros and even schoolchildren to performance-test web sites, CD ROMs and other software. He gave a thumbs-up to the conference proceedings of AusWeb2K and 1998's WWW7 in Brisbane
Dr. John Eklund, the Director of Educational Technology at Access OnLine in Sydney, is part of a team that evaluates electronic products such as websites and a wide range of instructional, recreational and information software before their release onto the national and world markets.
Established under the 'Creative Nation' program, the firm is to the tune of a million dollars a year through the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs. But in two years it will be expected to become self-sustainable, a goal that Dr. Eklund confidently predicts will be achieved without the need for further capitalisation.
There are two main aspects to Access OnLine's work -testing the suability and performance of web sites and other software products and undertaking consultancies for software developers and designers to assist them achieve best-practice standards.
"As with insurance, it's not essential to have your products properly tested before their release, but it's highly advisable," he said. "To not do so is to risk large losses if anything goes wrong, as it often can."
The organisation's Access Testing Centre (formerly known as the Australian Multimedia Testing Centre) utilises the skills of permanent staff as well as drawing on the knowledge and enthusiasm of some thirty part-timers recruited from the undergraduate IT population of Sydney universities. Other testers are chosen from the targeted demographics of the software manufacturer, for instance teenagers to test games or business executives and administrative staff to report on office-based products.
Testers work with a wide range of computing equipment - more than 150 machines, according to Dr. Eklund - and diverse programs to ensure that new products will perform as promised under all possible conditions.
He estimated that a high number of programs exhibited around 35 pages that incorporated bugs ranging from spelling errors to more serious malfunctions.
Access OnLine also coordinates the annual Schools Web Challenge, a nationwide competition that is open to web page designers at both the primary and secondary levels.
"Some of the work we've seen is nothing less than amazing," he reported. "In fact it can even rival some of the efforts of the multimedia developers we've worked with."
Access OnLine is a principal sponsor of the current AusWeb2K conference in Cairns. Dr. John Eklund spoke with SCU's media officer, Robin Osborne.
Steve Ball, XML/scripting specialist from Canberra-based Zveno Pty Ltd, with the World Wide Web Consortium's Head of Offices, Bob Hopgood.
Southern Cross University's Head of Law & Justice, Assoc. Prof. Brian Fitzgerald, shows Tony Barry from the Australian National University's Library the recent book 'Digital Futures' that he co-edited. It is published by Prospect Media (www.prospectmedia.com.au)
AusWeb2k, the Sixth Australian World Wide Web Conference, Rihga Colonial Club Resort, Cairns, 12-17 June 2000 Contact: Norsearch Conference Services +61 66 20 3932 (from outside Australia) (02) 6620 3932 (from inside Australia) Fax (02) 6622 1954