Evaluation for Group A5: Agneev Guin

The following is an evaluation of the app prototype of group A5.

User group

The user group consists of Tourists from all backgrounds. The group focuses on everyone carrying mobile devices who are eager to learn about the nearby places of interest. 

"The feeling"

The pluralistic walkthrough of the app is quite appealing as it's user centered approach doesn't allow any unnecessary stuff, thus focusing on its usability. The augmented reality section will be quite useful while riding on the ferry, however the use of the map view is constrained while in the ferry as the first time tourists might not be able to relate to the map. The information along with the interest points might help the tourists choose their next destination point. 

Interaction and over arching structure

The one touch selection to display the details of the tourist spots seems simple and easy to operate. There are no unnecessary options to mess around, thus focusing on the easy to grasp capability. 

Primary and secondary functions

The main function, to use the Augmented Reality,  is the main focus of the design prototype. The AR is the catchy part where information for the important points is easy to capture from your current location. The secondary function, to see the map view, is more valuable to those part of the target group who are on the shore. 

Design/composition

An interesting splash screen of AR and Map is a clear segregation. The heuristic approach of having a layout to provide the user an impression of a first time user for a fresh app helps keep the design simple. The design is thus, quite appealing. People might want to explore more based on the simple nature.

Suggestions for improvement

• The tag AR or Augmented Reality may not be clear to all. The app seems quite attractive once someone is using it but it might be a bit of a confusion for the first time users. 
• The impression that its a tourist guide can be explained more.
• The settings for AR and GPS on/off might not be required. It can be like Google maps that if GPS is disabled, it will popup a message to enable.
• The pop up window should remain open even after moving away the mobile device. Else the user might have to hold it that place and direction to get all the info.
• In case more info needs to be provided like information about the place or public transport timings to reach there may be provided with easy to grasp icons. 
• Ratings may be provided based on previous tourist travelers.

Help

No further support is provided or needed for any tricky stuff.

Sketches

The sketches clearly justify their plans. The pop up information shows that they cover a part of the screen. This needs to remain even after removing the device is moved. They have even provided an idea of the settings section to describe the possibilities.

Summary

The usability of using a mobile device to explore the nearby places has been widely explored. The simplicity provides a good user experience focusing primarily on their target groups.

Prototype Design [Group Post]

Design Sketches:

For the product we design the paper prototype for the interactive operation interface.

Start Page:

The start include the Welcome message and main functions.

Main Functions:

• ACTIVITIES IN Djurgården
• FERRY TRIP

ACTIVITY:

• Photobooth
• game

Below the category of  activity, there are selfie and games function

Selfie:

It uses an height-adjustable camera to take selfies.

Users can apply filters to the photos, generating electronic postcard with the selfie just taken, with several postcard formats available

It can print the postcard immediately or send an e-postcard via email or twitter.

Our persona Mariana takes her children in a stroller, so the adjustable camera will increase the usability among users of various heights.

Our another persona are from a foreign country. We think it will improve their travel experience if they can get free souvenir as it gives them something memorable which they can share with friends when they return to their country.

Game:

FERRY TRIP

Below this category we offer information of places of interests on Djurgården.

We use an interactive map as our main page to organize information. The sketches below serveas a low-fidelity prototype.

There are several choices on the top. When clicked, the spots of that kind will be lighten up by different color or brightness.

Users can know more about a spot on the map by clicking on the particular dot.

The Conceptual design is as follows:

For the information of the Museum we provide introduction of current exhibitions illustrated with pictures, opening hours and entrance fees.

For the restaurant part, taking users’ requirements into consideration, we will mainly include the cuisine type and the opening hours. We also offer the reservation information (if the restaurant needs reservation) so that they can know whether restaurant will be avalible when they visit. Besides, we also give the information of approximate fee per person.

As you noticed, there is a pink heart at the bottom, which means you want to go there. Then the corresponding spot will be marked out in the main interactive map, making users’ next decision easier if they want to go to the spots not so far away from each other. We believe this can help users minimize memory load. Recognition rather than recall makes the product easier to use.

As for the information we provide, we use the heuristic of minimalist, tailored to be the most information users want to get, avoiding to mess up users’ mind.

We will make the height of touchscreen adjustable, so that children can choose activities together with parents. On the top of the screen there is a camera for our selfie function.

This children-friendly product has two main functions: activities and infomation.

Of course our product support Swedish and English at the same time, to match the system between real-world. We will use simple vocabulary, and put graphic icons beside texts to make children can understand as much as possible.
Moreover in case gloves do not work with touchscreens during winter, we will be adding a joystick and buttons to navigate the menu and play the games.

Reading Seminar 2 Notes: Agneev Guin

Chapter 10: Introducing Evaluation

The example on the HutchWorld Usability Study clearly states that any number of usability tests cannot give a real scenario perspective. No system is ever perfect. The integration of the HutchWorld with the real clinical environment gave some insights on the natural setting. Also, one important aspect is "if users don't like a system, it doesn't matter how successful the usability testing is: they probably won't use it."

Chapter 11: An Evaluation Framework

The evaluation needs to address all aspects and can be captured as a data in the design process. Thus the evaluations are classified as Objective and Subjective, Quantitative and Qualitative and Laboratory and field or naturalistic studies.

The DECIDE framework focuses on the goals and applies the logical and practical implementation which are to be dealt while planning an evaluation. The acronym DECIDE expands to the steps carried in the process.
1. Determine the overall goals that the evaluation addresses.
2. Explore the specific questions to be answered.
3. Choose the evaluation paradigm and techniques to answer the questions.
4. Identify the practical issues that must be addressed, such as selecting participants.
5. Decide how to deal with the ethical issues.
6. Evaluate, interpret, and present the data.

The focus of the framework on the practical issues constitutes of users, facilities, schedule, budget and expertise while the ethical issues focuses on the code of ethics, informed consent and deceptive experiment. The reliability, validity, bias and scope can only be observed using the data captured.

Question:
Is it necessary to tell the users that they are being logged? Should double blinding be a general aspect of evaluation?
What if the ethical aspects cannot be met?

Reflection for Reading Seminar 2 - Evaluation [Pavithren]

Chapter 13 introduces us to the different ways designers can evaluate their design. It also emphasizes the importance of conducting evaluation through the Why, What, Where, and When of evaluation. Evaluation allows us to collect information on how the end user will use our product. We can conduct studies in a controlled or uncontrolled environment. This could depend on whether we want to test a hypothesis and perform statistical analysis or determine how the product is going to be used.  With the emergence of big data, now we can collect massive amounts of data and perform data analytics to aid us in the design process. For example, in android smartphones or software on computers, prompts may be shown to the user asking about collecting anonymous data for improving the software. Some of the data collected could be tracking crashes, analyzing user behavior etc. One importance aspect of conducting evaluation is to respect user privacy and confidentiality. When researchers might have to obtain a CITI certification and permission from universities’ institutional review board(IRB) prior to conducting the study.

Chapter 14 delves into the mechanics of evaluation studies such as laboratory studies and field studies. For example, a researcher might want to evaluate how kids learn using a computer or a tablet. To achieve this, they might observe their touch patterns or gaze using eye tracking equipment. The data collected from these techniques could then be used to further improve the way the kids are taught using a computer/tablet. Tools such as IBM SPSS helps researchers analyze data and reach conclusions much easily. Another interesting thing highlighted in this chapter is the possibility of discovering surprising findings during a field study. During a controlled study, there may be certain restrictions on the user’s behavior or interaction with the product, but when maybe its tested in the WILD, researchers might come across interesting findings they wouldn’t have anticipated.

Chapter 15 introduces heuristic evaluation which is based on a set of guidelines/checklist created by some researchers to test UI and so on conform to well-known principles. This is a much cheaper and quicker option as compared to hiring users to testing the product. Walkthroughs are another method of conducting testing without the involvement of users. It involves going through a task in the product and identifying problematic features. Data collected from software or websites such as user behaviors and errors encountered could be useful in improving future versions of the software and could also be used for customizing the product per user’s preferences.

All in all, evaluation is an important aspect of user-centric design which helps to improve user experience.

Questions

How do I identify users who might not be acting normally during a field study after they realize that the researchers are observing them? The Dillema: If I inform the user that he is participating, he might not behave naturally. In the other hand if I record data without informing the user, its an ethical issue as I have not gotten their consent

With the increased usage of Big Data to perform analytics, will researchers be missing out as they are merely interpreting data and there might be misinterpretation of data?

Given our time constraint, can we look at previous research work done in this field and support our design ideas using them?