Evaluating Web-based perceptual survey methods for assessing quality of experience on Grand Canyon river trips

Abstract

Forty-seven sites along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park were presented to observers at the University of Arizona in one of four different presentation methodologies. The representational validity of the presentation methods for quantification of scenic beauty of locations was assessed by means of comparison among the presentation conditions. Results indicate that in heterogeneous landscapes, such as the Grand Canyon, independent ratings of individual photographs from a common location can not simply be averaged to find the overall rating of the location as a whole. In addition, when assessing the scenic beauty of locations that are constrained by a linear feature (Colorado River), the order of presentation is an important variable to consider in conjunction with the mode of presentation.