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HCI 6750 Project: Design process for successful Human-Computer Interface Mamie Aldridge, Ron Barbas, Amon Millner, Yoichiro Serita, Maryann Westfall |
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HCI 6750 Project: Design process for successful Human-Computer Interface Mamie Aldridge, Ron Barbas, Amon Millner, Yoichiro Serita, Maryann Westfall |
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DESIGN IDEA 
Personal information device for Atlanta Botanical Garden
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Phase 2: Design Alternatives Three interface designs (prototypes)
| I. Abstract For garden enthusiasts, the Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG) offers a wealth of flora accessible through direct observation in natural habitats. This naturalistic resource does not offer in-depth information about the various plants observed. A visitor would benefit tremendously from more detailed information at their disposal, and to help navigate throughout the expansive gardens without destroying the naturalistic setting. The proposed system will enable the visitor to gather the amount of information they want about a plant or exhibit. The system will encourage new members to seek out more information, unintimidated by scientific names. The system will also give experts access to detailed information about a plant within the environment. We have focused our efforts towards the membership subgroup. Our proposed system will provide members with customizable information -- level of detail will be controlled by the user. It will support group interactions. It will be easy to learn, use and maintain. It will provide an opportunity for the user to record the information they have obtained. And it will not destroy the naturalistic setting that members come to expect and appreciate. II. Requirements Specifications - Functional and non-functional features that will initially be considered in our design concepts: II. Requirements Specifications -- Functional and non-functional features that will initially be considered in our design concepts:
A. Functional requirements III. Design Space -- maximum and minimum tolerances have been explored with regard to metaphors, technologies, acceptable work-flow, levels of expertise, financial feasibility, and input/output modes. In our design space, we can explore systems that range from playful and creative to serious and scientific in their representations. With respect to metaphors, a serious-based system would display textual information and scientific illustrations like a scientific journal. More playful metaphors could turn our system into a tool that metaphorically digs for detailed information as a shovel digs in dirt to get to a deeper level. A wide range of technologies may be used, particularly those that manage large-space environments; technology must be unobstrusive and allow group experience to be maintained during the visit: 1. membership cards that can be programmable -- collected information can be used to generate a private webpage. 2. information centers -- touch screens located in strategic points throughout the garden for visitor viewing; supply printouts at Sheffield (on-site) Library. 3. wearable computer 4. PDA/tablet 5. sensor-dense environment -- keyed to a patch supplied at entrance, that triggers recording of user's path; generates list of plants along user?s path. 6. wireless-based for negotiating vast physical environment. 7. cellular technology -- user can phone on-site librarian automated hotline for information of plant that they are viewing; feedback within a relatively short time. 8. utilize GPS technology -- place the user in a digital garden. 9. webcam/digital camera technology -- wireless transmission of visuals to information source that can provide detailed feedback. 10. earbuds/players -- audio feedback of site that user is visiting; keyed to ID number of plants. 11. augmented reality -- visor/headgear that provides detailed feedback within user's peripheral vision. 12. cell phones -- user calls on-site librarian and requests more detailed information. 13. traditional note-taking -- user records name, location and perhaps some identifying attributes, and goes to on-site library to research. 14. bar code scanning in conjunction with PDA. Three possibilities were decided upon as acceptable work flow. They are: 1. information is immediately available as user views plant 2. information is tagged and available at the conclusion of their ABG experience 3. information is tagged and available at a remote site Levels of expertise are expected to differ for each potential user of the system. The system must therefore assume that user may have limited knowledge of technology operation In terms of financial feasibility, the system implementation and maintenance would need to be pared down for this non-profit organization. Another option is that the system implementation and maintenance might be possible through government subsidies, research grants (ABG is a testing site for southeastern US), corporate sponsorships, and private donations.
The input output modes included in our design space are:
1. voice recognition might be limited because of the difficulty in pronouncing botanical (Latin) names.
2. optical recognition may be limited due to varying atmospheric conditions (windy, dusk, glare) and physical label conditions (weathered and/or damaged markers).
B. Scenarios (of four selected prototypes) Tom and Kim Wilson, cousins who are botanists, have lived in Atlanta for 3 years. The Wilsons, members of the Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG) for the past two years, have been visiting the garden every other weekend to see new exhibits and receive information on plants of interest. This Saturday, they are especially enthused to attend the garden because they will be testing the ABG information device. The device is a digital camera that links to a computer that displays information about the plants whose pictures were taken. Due to their excitement they leave their home at 9am and head for the ABG. At 10am, Tom and Kim arrive at the garden. They show their membership cards at the ticket booth in order to enter. Once inside the garden, Tom rushes to the courtyard entrance in order to pick up the digital camera. When he arrives at the courtyard entrance, he has to show his driver's license and give the attendant his membership card. The attendant then swipes his membership card through the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader. The RFID tag reader is connected to a computer that runs a program to see if the card was programmed with the sequence that corresponds to the user having paid a cash/credit card deposit when he or she applied for membership. Because Tom's membership card has a valid sequence programmed to it, the attendant hands Tom his cards and the digital camera. Tom returns to Kim and he and she tour the garden.
Each time Tom and Kim observe a plant of interest to them, they take a picture of it. After two hours of touring the garden with the digital camera, Tom and Kim are starting to get tired. They both want to leave the garden; furthermore, they have a desire to take the digital camera with them. Tom then notices that the device has a security feature on it. He also remembers all of the information that he gave the courtyard attendant. Due to these factors, Tom decides that they should return the digital camera. They return the camera to the Sheffield library, and the librarian prints out the datasheets for the plants that they took pictures of by connecting the camera to her computer. The datasheet contains a picture of the plant and information such as the environments that enable the plant to thrive. Once Tom and Kim receive their datasheets, they rush home to call their friends and tell them about their wonderful experience at the ABG.
At 10am, they arrive at the garden. They all show their membership cards at the ticket booth in order to enter. Once inside the garden, they all go to the courtyard entrance in order to pick up the earbuds. When they arrive at the courtyard entrance, they all have to show their driver's licenses and give the attendant their membership cards. The attendant then swipes his membership card through the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader. The RFID tag reader is connected to a computer that runs a program to see if the card was programmed with the sequence that corresponds to the user having paid a cash/credit card deposit when they applied for membership. Because all of their membership cards have a valid sequence programmed to them, the attendant programs their earbuds to a specific frequency, hands each of them their cards, and gives each one of them a set of earbuds. Dave, Chris, and Amy then take a tour around the garden. Each time they are observing a plant of interest to them, facing the plant, the devices synchronize with a sensor located near the plant. Once synchronization occurs, the devices each play audible information about the plant, such as the climate and soil type. A button on each device allows the user to request more information or stop the device at any time.
After two hours of touring the garden with the earbuds, Dave, Chris, and Amy are starting to get tired. They all want to go back to their dorm; furthermore, they all have a desire to take the earbuds with them. Dave then notices that the device has a security feature on it. He also remembers all of the information that he gave the courtyard attendant. Due to these factors, they all decide that they should return the earbuds. They return the earbuds to the courtyard entrance attendant and rush home to call their friends and tell them about their wonderful experience at the ABG.
At 10am, Dave and Kate arrive at the garden. They show their membership cards at the ticket booth in order to enter. Once inside the garden, Dave rushes to the courtyard entrance in order to pick up the tablet computer. When he arrives at the courtyard entrance, he shows the attendant his driver's license and gives the attendant his membership card. The attendant then swipes his membership card through the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader. The RFID tag reader is connected to a computer that runs a program to see if the card was programmed with the sequence that corresponds to the user having paid a cash/credit card deposit when they applied for membership. Because Dave?s membership card has a valid sequence programmed to it, the attendant hands Dave his cards and the tablet computer. Dave returns to Kate and they take a tour around the garden. Each time Dave and Kate observe a plant of interest to them, they would articulate its name, common or scientific, on the tablet computer. The tablet computer then displays information such as the climate and soil type of the plant. The tablet also allows the user to request more detailed information if such is required. In addition to this, each time Dave and Kate decides that they would like a copy of the information they have viewed, all they have to do is press the save button.
After two hours of touring the garden with the tablet computer, Dave and Kate are starting to get tired. They both want to go home; furthermore, they have a desire to take the tablet computer home with them. Dave then notices that the device has a security feature on it. He also remembers all of the information that he gave the courtyard attendant. Due to these factors, Dave decides that they should return the tablet computer. They return the computer to the librarian at the on-site library. The librarian connects the tablet to her computer; finds the datasheets for the plants, using a simple program designed for the interaction; and finally prints out the datasheets. Once Dave and Kate receive their datasheets, they hurry home to call their friends and tell them about their wonderful experience at the ABG.
At 10am, they all arrive at ABG. They show their membership cards at the ticket booth in order to enter. A new device is available to help them pinpoint the location of some plants that they remember viewing in previous visits. They want more information about these plants. To use this device, which is available for members only, they are asked to place a deposit on their account. This deposit, they are told, is refundable upon return of the device. Furthermore, they can keep the deposit on account for any future visits in which they might like to use the device, to simplify checkout of the device. Eric chose to utilize this option since he and his wife frequent the gardens. The attendant then has them enter their membership number to activate the device. The attendant takes a moment to show them the basic operation of the device, and points out the help button. They then take the device into the garden. As Eric, Karen, John and Beth wander the gardens, they notice on their GPS tablet that they have constant feedback of where they are located on a map of the Garden. As they near a particular area, the zoom in on the tablet to see plants' location in more detail. When they recognize the position of a particular plant, they select it (by touching the screen), and a text file is shown with details about that plant. They have a choice of saving the file for (a) printout, (b) e-mail or (c) to add to their personalized website. They select the printout. Then they remember another plant similar to this one -- they would like to know if it is compatible. They choose the search function and enter the common name by navigating through menu prompts. The menu prompts are a good thing, since none of them can spell very well. They read information on this new selection, and decide not to use this plant in their landscaping.
The two couples decide to see if there are other plants that would survive well in the same area of the yard that the first plant will go. They enter search mode once again, and enter a variety of attributes. The tablet shows them a list of suitable selections. They save the information, and then select one to see if it is in the garden by shifting to the map mode, and find that it is not far from where they are standing. After a long and productive morning of plant exploration, they return to the Sheffield library. There, the attendant signs in the tablet, and prints out the information that they have saved. John and Beth are so impressed with the new device, that they decide to put a deposit on their account for future visits.
Differences
D. Rationale Earbuds The earbuds system is an excellent proposal inasmuch as it is group inclusive. It allows for an entire group to have the same access to information requests at the same time. This system also lends itself to depth of information requests by the user inputting additional information besides the botanical name of the plant. One of the engaging attributes of this system is the bi-modal feedback ? visual as well as audio. With feedback accessible by more than one modality, the user group is broadened. Visually impaired users are not hampered because the audio aspect delivers information to this user group. Likewise, auditory impaired users can receive information via visual modality. This system, like the PDA, allows for e-mailing information to allow for the user to keep, and work with, the information at another location. The learnability of this system is quite good as the input mimics a computer keyboard and most Americans have used a typewriter or computer keyboard. The weather might impose a hazard to the equipment, but it would be limited, as the system is compact.
Digital Camera
This system affords downloading images of the plants of interest for taking them home. It is not very hardy, however; again, like the PDA, rain can limit its usefulness. In inclement weather the plant may not photograph properly (i.e. wind can move leaves and cause a blurred snapshot). The relatively small screen space of the viewfinder would not allow for playback of textual information; it is noted that the user would be required to go to another area within ABG to get information.
PDA
This system is intended to be quite compatible with the central computer inasmuch as the information transfer is quite easy; just plug in and download/upload the requested information. The display will accommodate a site map of the garden, for ease of touring by the user. The device will afford downloading a request and printing the requested information to provide a hard copy for the user. A useful metaphor related to horticultural interests will be the user's ability to "dig" for more information. The metaphor will be a shovel icon, which, when clicked will display a digging motion while the computer goes to a deeper level of information. The top level of information will consist of frequently asked questions, i.e. what is the botanical name of this plant, what are the soil and watering requirements for this plant to thrive, etc. Lower information levels may address such issues as where does the plant originate, when does it bloom, if it blooms, etc. One of the drawbacks of this system might be its susceptibility to malfunction in inclement weather. The device would have to be weatherproofed to use it in the rain; but then, hardly anyone visits the garden when it's raining. The device is also fit with a security device to prevent/limit theft.
GPS Tablet
This system was chosen because of the engaging use of the Virtual Garden metaphor. The user's natural experience will not be diminished significantly by use of this computational device as it continually places them "back in the garden." The zoom feature and "text mode" allows a customizable level of depth, and the device can also be used as a navigational tool. Users can save to several options: print, e-mail or personal website, as well as immediate on-screen viewing of information. Users navigate spelling via drop-down menus and onscreen keyboard, to minimize spelling errors. The large screen will enable a group experience to be maintained.
Users will rely on staff assistance at the library to implement whatever recording option they have chosen. And the system would need to be water-resistant, as the screen is an exposed large surface area.
Earbuds The user(s) will carry the device(s) with them throughout the garden; when they come upon a plant of interest they will type in the name of the observed plant and press the "SEND" key. This information will be sent to a relay station and transferred to a computer system that will return the stored audio information for the particular plant. The information will be sent back to the group to be played as audio and displayed as text on the scrolling screen. Due to the fact that each member of the group will have his/her own personal device, with its single earpiece, they will all be able to listen to the audio feedback, read the text and interact wit each other discussing the newly gathered information. There should be no loss of group ambience due to one ear being open to the surroundings and the other ear not being shut off from outside input. The device(s) will be tunable (by garden staff) to certain frequencies which will allow for multiple devices to be tuned for groups of differing sizes, or selectable for just a single user. The idea is akin to FM channels of communication, in which each user must be dialed in to a particular frequency and all devices dialed in to that frequency would be afforded that information. It would be a simple matter to arrange a coded interrogation signal for the computer to answer and a coded reply for the user device to decipher for text and audio information for the user(s). Options available to the user will include typing plant name and pressing the send button to get the information request to the central computer for plant data. Upon receipt of the requested information, the user(s) can listen to the audio version, read the scrollable text, both or have the information forwarded to an e-mail account via Internet by the central computer. A user group will have the same options for each member, as they will all have their own device to request e-mail and scroll the text page with. Upon interviewing five people in the garden, it was noted that their responses were varied. One member thought the idea was unique and sounded like a good idea for gathering information, but expressed hesitancy due to his belief that the device would destroy the ambience of the garden. Whether a user listened to the audio or just read the text display; it would add a technological aspect to the garden that he felt did not belong in a botanical setting. His idea of a good visit is a walk through the garden to enjoy nature and beauty; technology is not nature and should be limited. Two of the interviewees thought the audio component was neither a bad or valuable addition, but that the textual component adds a real benefit. As one stated, the audio would be hard to take notes from and if someone wants to track down information, they'll probably want to takes notes. It was suggested that if the information were presented in audio, a person would have to fast forward and rewind and play back the audio to take sensible notes. However, with the textual display, they thought that the user would have the option of writing down the information he/she found interesting or the option of sending the information to an e-mail account would also be available. They found this to be an attractive idea for learning about horticulture. The final two, of the five, expressed the same appreciation for the textual retrieval of information as the previous two. They added an appreciation for the audio in that it would present users with the proper pronunciation for the Latin names of the plants. They expressed no appreciation for any other aspects of the audio portion of information retrieval. No one expressed a desire to have an audio system disseminate horticultural information. Quite the contrary, with respect to retrieving horticultural information everyone thought it to be not such a good idea. The only comments approving the idea were limited to Latin name pronunciation. As a matter of fact, one of the interviewees compared this manner of feedback to the type you can find in some museums. The problem we find with this is that such units are composed of dual headphones that separate group members into single participants with limited interaction.
PDA
Features of the tablet include task conformance, visibility and readability of information, error prevention, and error recoverability. The tablet will be available at the courtyard entrance. The user can ask the courtyard attendant for the device. Once the device is obtained, the user will carry the tablet with him/her throughout the garden; when he/she comes upon a plant of interest; he/she will search the database for the plant. The name of each plant is currently located on a marker in front of the plant. The user can either select that name from a drop down menu or start typing the name in him/herself. To minimize spelling errors, the database will finish spelling the word once the user starts (auto correct). Once the database is queried, a small plant datasheet will come up on the right hand side of the tablet screen. If the user requires more information, he/she only can select the "more info" button. If the user would like to take a copy of the datasheet home, all he/she has to do is press the save button. When the user is ready to leave the garden, all he/she has to do is return the tablet to the courtyard attendant. The courtyard attendant will then print out the datasheets for the user. Five persons were interviewed. The first person thought that the tablet was a great idea; however, he said that he probably would not use it. When asked why, he said that he liked to walk through the garden and observe its beauty or jog through the garden because it is a peaceful place. The second person interviewed said that she wouldn?t mind using the device as long as she had someone there to help her with it during her first use. The third person interviewed said that he was not familiar with how to use a PDA or tablet and that he would not want to use the device. He also stated that the device would be a good idea for those who are already somewhat familiar with the technology. The fourth person interviewed said that she would use the device because she likes to receive information on plants in order to help her prepare her garden at home. The fifth person interviewed said that the tablet was a great idea and that he wouldn't mind being one of the first to test the device if it were to become available. From these interviews, it was noted that these members wondered about the cost of the device and also wanted the gardeners to still be available to give them information if needed.
GPS Tablet
The user(s) will carry the device(s) with them throughout the garden; the device will deliver continually feedback of user's location via GPS signal emitted from device. The user can touch the screen and zoom in on any portion of the garden to the level at which they can discern individual plants with markers. A zoom into an area which the user is not placed in, will include an arrow referencing direction of user's position. Zoom out will simply undo levels of zoom in, to avoid disorienting the user. User may select "text mode" on a plant by touching the plant on the screen; the screen displays a text page of information. User can save to several options: print, e-mail or personal website. User can return to ?map mode? at any time, or to remain in text mode and search for other items by various criteria: botanical name, common name, region of the garden, plant attribute. User navigates spelling via drop-down menus and onscreen keyboard, to minimize spelling errors. The large screen will enable a group experience to be enhanced. Users will rely on staff assistance at the library to implement whatever recording option they have chosen. Upon interviewing 19 people in the garden, it was noted that their responses were overwhelmingly positive. Interviewees were visiting in groups of from two to seven people. Some common benefits sited were:
V. Modifications to requirements and usability criteria After receiving feedback from project phase one, we redefined the usability criteria for our project in this phase. The original list of usability criteria was synthesizability, familiarity, consistency, recoverability, and observability. To help focus the evaluation of our design, we now focus on three important ones. Customizability will show how well we allow different users to access different levels of detailed plant information. Task conformance is strongly related to this criteria and our design will attend to it but for evaluation purposes we give priority to customizability. Observability is an important measure with respect to our project since the environment is outdoors, this will measure how well information is getting to the user. Consistency is also an important criteria to measure since we do not want to detract from the ABG experience, we will benefit from knowing to what degree our users can consistently operate our system without necessitating training every visit or every time the system upgrades.
The modifications made to the requirements were mainly a result of narrowing our focus. Requirements were removed that dealt with record keeping for maintenance, enhancing the educational program, supporting multiple languages, and being usable for training volunteers. These requirements will be considered "extras" if they appear in the system in later phases but are outside of the scope of our requirements.
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Prototypes: