Matrix design question

[I][edited from support email][/I]

I'm a MediaLab user interested in designing a study that uses a matrix search methodology. Is this type of study possible in Media Lab or perhaps in DirectRT?

Let me explain further with a simple example. I want to present four different types of information (columns) about four different people (rows).

Subjects would simply see the matrix itself, with row and column labels. If they clicked on the cell 1,1, then they would see the information associated with that cell. They would then view that for a period of time, and close it down to view information from another cell. After a set period of time, or a set number of allowed searches, they would then be taken to a different survey where they would complete some items about the information viewed in the matrix. The question is, can MediaLab or DirectRT present
information in this matrix like form, can either of them measure the amount of time a subject spends with different pieces of information, and can they track the order of a person's search (telling us what they looked at first, second, third, and so forth)?

Actually, there is an item type called the "web tracker"--you can create a matrix in html with links to other pages. The webtracker item type will record which links are followed and for how long. Do you have any experience with HTML?

[I][edited from support email][/I]

This is great. Thanks Blair. I played with this some over the weekend, and the webtracker is going to provide exactly what I need. Thanks for your help.

Just in case it helps, here is an example of a simple numeric matrix where each cell contains a number. Each number has a link associated with it that can be tracked by the WebTracker item type in MediaLab. In this particular example, the subject could click on multiple numbers and MediaLab would track every one. The links of course could be changed to have the subject taken to a different URL or file/html page.

Note, an alternative approach could be done using a custom item but that would require v2008 or later, for an example, see:

[URL="http://www.empirisoft.com/Support/showthread.php?t=940"]www.empirisoft.com/Support/showthread.php?t=940[/URL]