As our iBooks must be treated as something intended for Education purposes, I decided to do some research into what sort of depth students at Level 3 go into when actually studying the subject I'm creating my iBook about. I want to make an iBook that's relevant and can actually be used - covers the appropriate subjects within the category.
Not only that, but what content are they looking at in order to revise and study a subject? Is it engaging? What designs and concepts work and which don't?
Content covered at Level 3
I found a website called www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level by it being the very first result upon googling "A-Level Revision. This is not a website that I'm familiar with (personally, I didn't take 'typical' A-levels and never revised!), and I was actually looking out for sites that are more well known (both in popularity and for reliability) such as BBC Bitesize. It seems like a relatively large organisation (stating on their site 4.7 million users annually) that can be relied on.
I navigated;
A-Level ---- Geography ---- Natural Hazards
http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/geography/natural-hazards
and then found the categories 'Formation of Volcanoes' and 'Volcanic Hazards'.
These are two subjects I'll make sure to cover in my iBook, and I have bookmarked the page for to access information when writing those categories.
I will obviously expand hugely and not focus purely on those categories. These are just ones that I'm going to make sure are covered.
Existing A-Level Revision Material
I had a browse on the iBook store to see if there were any existing A-Level revision guides - on both the subject of Volcanoes/Geography and general subjects (e.g. maths). I wanted to identify any patterns and similarities, and see if there is any correlations with the rating/responses to the book.
**Commence the most painfully boring set of books I've ever come across.**
I could not find one 'enhanced' (Apples name for books that you really can interact with through the inclusion of games, sound, video etc) iBook that was really aimed at those studying their A-Levels. There is plenty of revision guides, but nothing that stands out as particularly engaging or exciting.
They're all very text heavy, with little focus on design and more about the content. I understand this, as their sole purpose is to educate, but I feel as if the readability of these books could be greatly improved through some consideration on a few points - e.g. the amount of text on a page, the colour of that text against the background.
example of the amount of text spread across two pages
iBook: Physics Unit 1: The Rooster Revision Guide (sample)
The inclusion of diagrams help breaks up the text slightly, and I like the style they're in. They're walking the line between real images and childish cartoons, and they work. They're the typical, textbook style diagrams, so I may continue this into my own iBook.
What I'd change is the extent of text. Those 2 pages up there contain 6 headings, and I would at least break that up into a maximum of 2 heading per page, with some of them just covering 1 on each page. This would allow room for more breathing space and the enlargement of graphs and diagrams.
There's also room for exchanging out flat images for something more interactive.
example of diagrams that could be transformed into something more interactive
Main things I noticed:
• Great depth into each subject
• Appropriate imagery to match each category
• Links (that work) to outside sources (e.g websites explaining more information)
• Narrative. Whilst there is no obvious story, each category runs on from the previous, but you're still able to pick up and read from anywhere within.
Areas to be improved:
• Readability
• Amount of information on one single page, to be reduced
• Turning images to interactions - e.g. mini games
• Add more interactions - e.g. mini quizzes at the end of each subject
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