Analysis of the usability of a preliminary design for an EDM metadata mapping tool

Abstract

Europeana aims to bring together metadata for cultural heritage objects from institutions throughout Europe, to increase their visibility and accessibility. This project requires that metadata created and stored in a multitude of different formats and variations to be normalized into a single, standard format, which is soon to be EDM. This constitutes a massive effort on the part of institutions and aggregators, and any system that can ease the process of converting millions of metadata records could be very beneficial to these cultural institutions. This research explores the usability of a potential design for a metadata mapping tool intended to assist in the creation of a mapping specification from a local schema to Europeana’s EDM format. The design incorporates five components necessary to consider when creating a quality mapping of elements. In order to ascertain usability, a prototype system was created, and a cognitive walkthrough was conducted to identify usability issues. While the design could be a viable option, usability issues must first be addressed, including how metadata information is presented and how the tool handles complex mapping situations.