Designing a virtual exhibition using Scalable Vector Graphics

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is an XML‐based vector graphics standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. The National Archives of Singapore recently launched an online virtual exhibition, Colours in the Wind , which was developed using Macromedia Flash, the most widely used format for animated and interactive vector‐based Web content. The current work reports on the experiences in developing an SVG‐based version of this exhibition as well as the exploration of SVG's potential for developing future virtual exhibitions as an alternative to Flash. Observations from the SVG effort are discussed together with descriptions of techniques used and the limitations and problems that SVG poses to developers. A comparative study involving the usability features of the Flash and SVG versions of the virtual exhibition is also described. Results indicate that users are positive towards SVG and suggest the viability of the technology as a development platform.