106CR Designing for Usability Assignment 1

Handed out on 12/12/12: Upload to Moodle by 23:50 pm on 08/02/2013. The deadline is absolute. Assignments received after 23:50 pm on 08/02/2013 will be given a zero mark. This assignment is worth 40% of the module mark.

PACT analysis and prototype design for an interactive system.

You are to develop an initial (non-functioning) prototype interface for an interactive system that addresses ONE of the design problems below. Your prototype must be supported by a PACT analysis of the design problem, based on observation, and verified through user interaction with the prototype. The highest scoring reports will demonstrate an understanding of the true design problem, verified by real observations and responded to with a creative visualisations of the design solution.

Design Problems (Choose only one)

SCENARIO 1: Visualising the Past. The old Coventry Cathedral (The ruin next to the new Cathedral) has over 700 years of history and was bombed to a shell during the Second World War. It is visited by thousands of tourists every year. Often, if there is not a tour guide, the only help for a tourist to visualise the building are descriptive plaques dotted around the ruin. Could we use on site technology to visualise how the original cathedral looked? Could we walk through and see the sights and sounds of the 14th Century building? How might we tell the story of the bombing? Could we use location sensitive technology to provide audio and visual information as people walk round the ruin? How might tourists record their reactions to what they find? How might we deliver this information to tourists from many different countries? SCENARIO 2: Way-finding in the HUB. New students who visit the HUB are often unaware of all the on-site facilities. How do these students find their way around this building now? How can we help them to locate all the services offered? Student users often have Wi-Fi devices and there are plenty of locations to site information kiosks but how might it be best to help students with their Wayfinding tasks? How might a way-finding system be made interactive so that separate facilities can update information in real-time? SCENARIO 3: Shared Student Shopping System (SSSS). Students living in shared accommodation could really benefit, financially, from combining their grocery orders and ordering online but almost never do, because it is too complicated to combine orders, collect the payment from each student and arrange for delivery when someone is available. How do students in shared accommodation do their grocery shopping now? Could you design a system to make it easy for students in shared accommodation to take advantage of online grocery shopping? What happens when one student doesnt pay? IMPORTANT: You are not asked to redesign the ordering system for online grocery shops you are asked to build a system to help students organise their collective order.... Please note I will be starting a thread on Moodle to support discussion of these design problems. You are most welcome to share information you have found useful in the thread.

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Deliverables
Using the material covered in the PACT (and other) lectures and also from Chapter 2 of the Designing Interactive Systems textbook by Benyon, Turner and Turner, you should develop a design report based on the following stages: 1. A PACT analysis supported by REAL observations of the current scenario and existing users. 2. Library and Web research on existing systems and ideas for new solutions. 3. Based on the previous 2 stages a prototype, visualisation or mock-up of an interface for an interactive system that addresses your chosen design problem. 4. Finally, record some user interaction and feedback on your initial design

Please note word counts are suggestions, only. Try to keep your work brief.

1: PACT analysis (800 words)

People. Who are the people involved in the activity now? Do any of them have special requirements? What about age range and what this means for what they can do? Is language an issue in the current scenario? Activities. What activities do users actually do now? What special characteristics do those activities possess? Can you help to eliminate repetition, simplify something or make the activity more fun (if appropriate)? What activities will your new design support? Context of use. What are the features of the current context? Will the environment be noisy, quiet, stressful, formal or leisurely? Will the system need to be used quickly, what about the need for training? In thinking about your design dont only think about where the system will be used, but also any social context to the activity. What about the ecolo gical, social or legal acceptability of your new design? Current Technology. What technology is used now? Be careful to read the concept of technology widely (e.g. books, signs, pens, notices, language are all technology) what problems are there with the current technology? Future Technology. What technology could be used to solve the problem? What will the hardware have to do? What will the software have to do? How will the technology assist the activities that you have outlined? Look for the opportunities that new technology might provide e.g. how might mobile phone technology or GPS or even Facebook interact with your design? What opportunities might this give you for offering more functionality in your new system?

IMPORTANT: It is not enough to just list these items you need to make notes on how each person, activity, context or technology might affect or influence what you can design.

2: Observations (500 words) supporting the PACT analysis.

To support your PACT analysis you should, to the greatest extent possible, observe the current scenario being carried out by people (your potential users). Evidence of this research activity is VITAL (e.g. photographs, interviews, observations) as made up data is useless and annoying and will be marked down. Suggestions for recording your observations: videos (get a Vimeo.com account and
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post them online reference the URL in the report) take photos of the activity. Collect any artifacts currently used. Try to understand where the problems are with the current situation. This may require you to think deeply and creatively. Dont question people! Watch them - and then maybe question them what annoys them about the current situation, what would make them happier with it? IMPORTANT: Briefly write down your reflections on what you have learned from the PACT analysis and the observations. Were they useful? What will you be adding to your design visualisation in response to these observations.

3: Secondary research (500 words)

Using the library, academic journals and conference papers (hint) and a search engine, try and find examples of existing or potential solutions to your chosen scenario i.e. what is out there now? Record the references and URLs for this research (in a Harvard style). Cut and paste interesting ideas that you hadnt thought of and that might help your design. Include a few pictures of their interfaces. Are there any good ideas that you can borrow? Can you update your PACT ana lysis with some of the things that you have found out from this research? IMPORTANT: Briefly reflect on (and write down in your report) how useful this research is in helping you develop your design / visualisation. Write down your thoughts.

4: Low Fidelity visualisation / prototype for the interface of an interactive system that addresses your chosen scenario.
Develop your visualisation of what the main interface of your design solution might look like. You might wish to extend this by visualising the actual hardware you would use. Use paper, pens, coloured paper, pictures cut out of magazines or use a drawing package / word processor. The idea is to get across the feel of the solution show CLEARLY what activities your design solution supports. Dont worry about this visualisation being messy or inexact its a starting point. If you wish to mock up a web interface, that is acceptable also. What impressions do you want your system to put across? Fun, serious, cool, professional? Are the functions that the system offers clearly shown? What wording will you use? Will you use a lot of on-screen text, pictorial icons or something more radical? IMPORTANT: A screen with drawn in frames with the words content goes here will not be acceptable. The interface needs to be believable as a true visualisation. Marks will be awarded for completeness and believability.

5: Feedback on the Design Visualisation (200 words)

IMPORTANT: Show your visualisation to a few potential users. Perhaps you can utilise some user participation methods such as rapid parallel prototyping, card sorting or user testing of the prototype (see lecture 5) Ask them if they understand what this system is and what it would do. Ask them if there are features they would expect to see that are missing. Note down any confusions or questions that they have about the system after looking at your visualisation. Report on what is said and how future iterations of your prototype might respond. IMPORTANT: Reflect on how you might change your design visualisation in response to this feedback.
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Assignment Rules
The rules for this assignment are as follows: This is an individual exercise. Reports should be around 2000 words in length and should be accompanied by a prototype visualisation. The word count is a suggestion not a hard word limit. Your report is to be uploaded to Moodle by: 11.50 pm on 08/02/13. If you have more than one file to upload (e.g. your report and your prototype visualisation) please place the files in a .zip archive before uploading. The upkoad file size limit is 5 Mb (ignore Moodle saying it is 2 Mb) The name of the file that you upload should be in the format yourlastname_studentID Your skills in using web design software or coding ARE NOT BEING ASSESSED. Paper prototypes will be assessed as equivalent to programmed interfaces, or HTML pages.

The marking criteria for this assignment are attached. They focus on your ability to utilise appropriate user centred design methods and to make appropriate design choices based on interaction with participants.

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Marking
Completing this key assignment relates to the following learning outcomes for the 106CR module: 1. Utilise a variety of tools and techniques for the generation of creative design solutions based on the PACT process of contextual design proposed by Benyon et al. including contextual modelling, technology scoping and rapid prototyping. 2. Generate a range of prototype solutions, from low fidelity storyboards to partial high fidelity applications, to a variety of communication, interface and application design problems.

Marking Criteria
This assignment will be marked on the basis of the following three criteria: 1. The extent to which your assignment meets the learning outcomes. This will be demonstrated by your ability: To complete and present all the components within the assignment. To demonstrate a clear correlation between the research undertaken and the design choices made. To reflect appropriately on the research and design tasks undertaken, developing useful insights into the design process.

2. The level of creativity, research, analysis and independent thinking in your solution. This will be demonstrated by your ability: To develop an original and creative design solution to the scenario presented. Credit will be given for exciting, original approaches to solving the design problem. To provide evidence that you have interacted with potential users of your design solution to gather feedback and ideas that have improved the design. To support your work with research information gathered from books, the internet, or other sources (properly referenced)

3. The Quality of Presentation. This will be demonstrated by your ability: To provide a substantial design visualisation or prototype that clearly communicates your design ideas. To communicate your ideas clearly with good spelling and grammar. To structure a coherent report through the use of sections and headings. To present summary data (e.g. from observations) in a coherent and structured manner (perhaps through the use of tables). To properly reference research information through the use of appropriate quotations and a full bibliography using the Harvard system.

You should carefully read the assignment mark sheet included overleaf for a more detailed breakdown of how these criteria translate into marks.
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106CR: First Assignment. Student Name ___________________________________

Ranges Achievement of learning outcomes A complete assignment. Fully meets the learning outcomes. Student shows a clear understanding of the outcomes and demonstrates a depth of reflection in linking the work to the outcomes. Quality of the assignments is excellent. A complete assignment. Student can appropriately match the work presented to the learning outcomes. Quality of the assignments is good. Evidence of creativity, independent thinking and research. A broad range of research used. Clear and substantial evidence of creative independent work. Contents strongly indicate that the student can creatively address design problems. Good evidence of research. Some good examples of creative independent work presented. Evidence of reflection. Presentation and Organisation Extremely well constructed assignment. Clear and concise presentation. Contents clearly outlined and easy to access. Harvard system of referencing used fully and appropriately. Evidence of careful planning and organisation of work. Properly referenced. Summary

1st

range

Work of a very high standard

(70 100)

2i range
(60-69)

Work of good quality.

2ii

range

(50-59)

Student shows some confusion in linking the work to the learning outcomes. Quality of the key assignments is adequate.

Evidence of research and its use in the work. The assignment contains an adequate solution but this tends to the functional rather than creative.

Clear enough presentation to enable the communication of ideas however advice should be sought about presenting work more effectively. Evidence of referencing, but no adherence to a formal system such as Harvard. The structure of the assignment may require the marker to piece together the work but individual components are adequately presented. Some references. Only just adequate structure and presentation. Poor presentation is evident in both the overall assignment and in the components. No referencing. Inadequate structure and/or poorly presented. No references.

Acceptable and adequate work

3rd Range
(42-49)

May display some problems with understanding the work. The work presented only responds to the written task and does not extend beyond the reactive. Material presented is the bare minimum needed to demonstrate that the learning outcomes are met.

Research conducted but may not be related to the design task. Some ability to generate a solution.

Work with some merit but at the lower end only just achieving what is required.

Bare pass (40-41)

Little evidence of creativity. No attempt to extend assignment beyond the basic tasks.

The work is only just acceptable in its present form.

Fail (0-39) GRADES

Incomplete assignment. Components missing. Little evidence that learning outcomes are met.

Entirely reactive to set tasks and of insufficient quality to demonstrate creative thinking.

The work is deemed inadequate.

Composite Grade:

Markers Comments (If any):

Markers Initials:

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