pact analysis

Assignment 1 - Design Visualisation and PACT

~

106CR Designing for Usability

~

Thomas Davies

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2179955

~

December 2008

Table of Contents

PACT Analysis! 5

People! 5

Introduction! 5

Foreign Students ! 5

Disabled Students ! 5

Activities! 5

Discovering Lecture Notes ! 5

Mobile Devices ! 6

Information Extraction! 6

Contexts ! 7

Lectures and Library! 7

Private Study - Halls of Residence and Home! 7

Technologies ! 8

Input! 8

Output! 8

Connectivity! 8

Observations! 9

Questionnaires ! 9

Taking notes in lectures ! 9

Online Portal! 9

Role of technology in studying! 9

Observations! 9

Lecturers ! 9

Students ! 9

Reflection! 10

Persona! 11

Luke Holmes! 11

Design Visualisation and PACT 2

Biography! 11

Studying! 11

Goals ! 11

Reflection! 11

Web Research! 12

Delicious Library - http://www.delicious-monster.com/! 12

Introduction! 12

User Interface! 12

Importing Friends’ Collections ! 13

Schoolhouse - http://www.loganscollins.com/schoolhouse/! 13

Introduction! 13

Assignments! 13

Smart Notebooks ! 14

Classcasts ! 14

Good Ideas! 14

Sharing Information! 14

Barcode Scanning! 14

Reflection! 14

LOSt Design Visualisations! 15

Main Menu! 15

Notes! 15

Lecture Notes! 16

Notes! 16

Searching! 17

Notes! 17

Note Taking! 18

Notes! 18

Transparent Messages! 19

Notes! 19

Feedback on Visualisations ! 20


Feedback! 20

Main Menu! 20

Searching! 20

Note Taking! 20

Transparent Messages ! 21

Reflection! 21

Appendix! 22

Questionnaire! 22

References! 24


PACT AnalysisPeople

Introduction

The people who will be using the system are students of

the university. All of the students will have many differing

characteristics that will have an effect on the LOSt

system.

Foreign Students

As shown in Figure 1, Coventry University has over 1700

foreign undergraduate students, which equates to 10% of

the university’s population (HESA 2007). Even though

they are required to take the International English

Language Test (IELTS), the students still may have

difficulty understanding specific English terminology

especially as the minimum band requirement at Coventry

University for undergraduates is 6.0 out of 9.0 (Jones

2008). Therefore the system should use simple verb

terms as much as possible, while also ensuring we limit

the impact of cultural differences in terms of interaction.

Disabled Students

7% of all university students have some form of disability (HESA 2007). Of those disabled, 3% suffer from

visual impairment, being either blind or partially sighted. Braille displays have been useful with simple user

interfaces, yet they fail with more complex systems. A combination of sound and the option to zoom into

specific areas of an application could assist these users. 5% of students are either deaf or have a hearing

impairment. Even though systems are very visual to use nowadays, many important alerts use sound to

highlight its gravitas or urgency. To combat this issue in Mac OS X, the operating system has an option to

flash the screen when something important has occurred (Apple Inc. 2008). The disability that affects the

most however, is Dyslexia, with 43% of students suffering from the disability. With such a significant

percentage of possible affected users, the LOSt system will have to cater for them, with Dix et al. (2004:

389) suggesting a ‘consistent navigation structure and clear signposting’ as well as ‘color coding

information’ to assist these users.

Activities

The objective of the LOSt system is to make it easier for students to organise and utilise all the material

they receive from their lecturers. The constant barrage of information forced on students make it very

difficult for them to maintain a specific organisational structure to assist their learning.

Discovering Lecture Notes

Making the system more automated will allow the students to focus more on their studies rather than

organising notes and other materials. Currently, three of my modules require me to learn three different


90%

5%5%

UK Students

EU Students

Non-EU Students

Figure 1 Student Population (HESA 2007)

interfaces just to access the lecture notes. By not sharing a consistent user interface requires students to

spend more time learning several different methods to achieve the same goal.

106CR Designing for Usability 112CR Programming Concepts and Practice 120CT Computer Architecture

If the lecturers are constrained to using just one application, then students would only have to learn one

method to discovering lecture notes. Another possibility is to allow automatic downloading through the

application via RSS, ensuring the information will go directly to the students as soon as it is available.

Mobile Devices

The role of mobile devices in education is rapidly increasing, highlighted by Abilene Christian University’s

use of Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, given free to all freshmen students this year to help with their

studies. Their web applications consisted of campus maps and quizzes that students can complete from

their device (Cox 2008). Though quite an extreme example, ACU’s implementation shows the possibilities of

the full integration of mobile devices in an academic environment. Academic institutions across the globe

have noted the growth of portable media players - especially the iPod - over the last few years and are now

taking advantage of it by making their lectures available to download as both audio and video content,

made popular by iTunes U, a catalogue of free educational material in the iTunes Store. This is especially

true at the University of Wisconsin where they have discovered that students embrace the content by

‘taking it with them on the bus, and on the airplane’ (Dunham 2008).

Information Extraction

As shown in Figure 3, lecture notes and presentations

are now filled with different types of media. However

it can be difficult for students to find this information

later in the course because the information is still

restricted to that presentation file. For example, in the

first lecture for 106CR, students were asked to

purchase the book ‘Designing Interactive Systems’,

and with the help of information extraction this task

could be easily simplified.

Figure 2 Interfaces for downloading lecture notes

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

ImagesVideo

ChartsBooks

People Info

Figure 3 Presentation Content over 8 Lectures


Write down the name of the book

Visit the library and search for it

Visit Waterstone's and buy the book

Search for it online

Write down the prices at different

online storesPurchase online

Loan the book

Automatically download

presentation

Information Extraction Process

Shows the availability at the

library

Compares prices of online stores / retail locations

Student makes decision based on

the findings

Human Involvement Computer InvolvementKey

Contexts

Lectures and Library

In the lecture theatre and the library, students are expected to be very quiet so everyone can hear the

lecturer or study in a silent environment. Therefore the LOSt system needs to have an option where sound

alerts can be muted, while visual cues increased. The role of the flashing screen used to help partially

sighted users of Mac OS X could be adapted here to assist students. Moreover, if LOSt had access to the

student’s schedule, then the application could automatically turn off sound alerts while lectures are taking

place.

During lectures, students need to take notes very quickly so they don’t fall behind when the lecturer is

talking. Therefore a very simple and easy to use interface is required for this activity so the student can get

all the notes required.

Private Study - Halls of Residence and Home

During private study the surrounding environment depends on the individual. Certain students require a

quiet environment to study, while others need background noise. A noisier environment however, could

lower the user response of a sound alert, so once again, visual cues and aids could be needed. Compared

to the lecture theatre, private study will be more relaxed and calm allowing for more interaction with the

application thereby increasing the number of features available.

Figure 4 Processes involved in finding a required book


Technologies

Input

During lectures, students will need to be able to produce notes and record the lecturer talking. However,

there are not many wall sockets available to students in the lecture theatres so the system will have to be as

efficient as possible to conserve battery power. Yet during private study access to a power source is likely,

suggesting that the potential for the LOSt application can be greater in these circumstances by allowing

access to the Internet and processing increased amount of data during this period.

Output

The main way students will view this information is via their computer displays, and as many students prefer

notebooks over desktop computers the screen size will usually be between 13 and 17 inches. These screen

sizes will be more than adequate for a desktop quality application. The role of audio will play a major part in

the overall system, as lecture notes can be played on students notebooks or via their phone and MP3

players. The use of portable media players can radically change the way people learn and while devices

such as the iPhone can display an array of documents, their restrictive screen size will constrain the uses in

an academic environment.

Connectivity

The issue of connectivity could affect the success of the LOSt system. A connection to the internet will be

required for a significant proportion of time that the student is using the system, and therefore we have to

question whether we can rely on the current wireless network around campus for connectivity.


ObservationsQuestionnaires

Taking notes in lectures

From the questionnaires sent out to students, I discovered that a significant amount did not take notes

during their lectures, rather rely on the lecture slides that are usually published on CUOnline within a few

hours of the class finishing. A small minority of students do take a lot of notes during lectures and use the

presentation slides to assist their personal notes. Another result from the study showed that nearly 80% of

students simply wrote notes down in text format, rather than using graphs or charts. Less than a single

page of A4 is the standard amount of note taking that occurs in an average lecture, while interestingly those

who do not take notes, 60% would like to, yet do not seem able to do so.

Online Portal

For those who do not take notes in lectures, I asked whether it is because the slides are posted online,

however 40% were unsure how to access this material. This is because lectures are using several different

ways to upload and store the files, therefore confusing students.

Role of technology in studying

Linking notes and lecture slides are the students main concern as they can find no decent way to associate

both. Some students use a complicated method involving the standard file system and an array of folders

to sort and organise these notes yet one mistake labeling or placing them in the wrong place could ruin the

entire system. While all students said they used a computer to assist with their learning, only 20% used

other devices such as mobile phones or MP3 players. Moreover, the questionnaire discovered that none of

the respondents had heard of iTunes U, the online educational media catalogue.

Observations

Lecturers

For the majority of lecturers, it is after the lecture has taken place that they upload and make available the

notes and presentation files. However others offer them for download before the lecture so students can

read and preview the upcoming lecture ensuring they are more prepared for the contents. On CUOnline

however, it is not easy to see when the notes have been available as the alert system is quite poor.

Students

The increase usage of PowerPoints for lectures have meant that many students now just sit and listen to

the lecturer talking, believing that just downloading the presentation file later will have all the required

content. This is an issue as the presentation is there simply to assist the lecturer, and therefore the student

will be missing the parts where the lecturer has stressed a particular point or discussed another issue

unmentioned in the presentation file.

A great way to understand a concept is to discover how it is linked with other work from other modules. Yet

by keeping it all on paper, or even in a simple computerised database showing connections with other

modules is very difficult. Utilising automation could solve this issue as it can easily show related content,

not just from other modules but from the internet as well.


Reflection

I believe observations are a better way to understand how users interact with technology because we can

directly see what they are doing. In an interview or if they are filling out a questionnaire the user may forget

certain processes they have to go through to accomplish a task. Moreover, observing users lets us see

what happens when they are confronted with a problem showing us whether they have a specific work

around - suggesting it is a reoccurring fault - or if they simply ignore it.

Using questionnaires as a way to gather information is a very cheap and easy method compared to others.

To create and send out, the cost - both financially and time wise - is quite minimal, yet we have to factor in

that not all people will complete the questionnaires. For example, 20% of students who were sent the

questionnaire did not return them, yet for this project an 80% return rate was more than suitable. Another

issue with questionnaires is that we are unable to ask follow-up questions, which effected the following

question ‘Would you like to write notes in these lectures?’ For this question, I would have liked to ask what

would help them start writing notes.


PersonaLuke Holmes

Biography

Luke is 18 years old and a first year undergraduate at Coventry University

reading English Literature. He achieved a grade C in his GCSE ICT short

course, and this is his only computing related qualification. However, he has

used a Windows based machine for several years and therefore has moderate

computer skills. Along with a mobile phone, Luke carries an iPod nano with

him at all times and occasionally listens to podcasts as well as his music

collection. Though seemingly tech savvy, he still feels embarrassed if he

needs to ask his friends for help when using software and therefore

appreciates it to be simple and easy to use, allowing him to focus on achieving his goals.

Studying

At university, Luke has a £400 Windows based laptop with a battery life of 3 hours. In his flat, Luke uses his

laptop several hours a day, but rarely takes it to lectures as he is worried about running out of battery in the

middle of a lecture. Currently he takes notes down in the lecture and aims to write them up that evening,

though sometimes this is not the case. When researching online, Luke bookmarks websites in Firefox, yet

soon forgets about them because they are not connected with his notes.

Goals

His overall goal is to be a distinguished author before he retires, and he believes achieving a 1st class

degree at Coventry University will be a step in the right direction.

Reflection

Using personas can be useful as it allows us to visualise our intended audience, ensuring we focus on their

needs. It can be very easy to lose focus and not consider users abilities on computers and whether or not

they like interacting with technology. For this project we are quite lucky that our intended user group - with

a few exceptions - are more than likely going to be competent computer users having grown up with

technology devices all around them. However by showing specific user frailties such as Luke’s reluctance to

ask for help ensures we consider usability a prime concern.

We do however, have to make the persona specific because ‘they should be focused on the behaviors and

goals related to the specific domain of a product.’ (Goodwin 2001) while generic personas will lack focus,

concentrating on other factors. For example, it is mentioned that Luke has an iPod nano to suggest he

enjoys having his music collection with him, and that he has experience interacting with other devices yet

discussing his music tastes or the size of his collection would be irrelevant to this project.


Web Research

Delicious Library - http://www.delicious-monster.com/

Introduction

This application is a digital catalogue system for books, games, DVDs and

more. Delicious Library aims to keep track of the user’s media by providing

a section dedicated to loaning parts of their collections out to friends.

Rather than forcing users to add all the details manually, Delicious Library

will search Amazon to get the information such as price, genres and

reviews. This process is made simpler by utilising the iSight cameras on Macs

to scan in the barcodes from user’s media collection.

User Interface

Delicious Monster - the software house behind the library application - has won 2 Apple Design Awards for

its product, which has a distinctive, yet controversial user interface. The library displays the collections on

realistic shelving from wood to cork board to emphasize the connection with the real life objects.

iSight barcode scanning

Realistic shelving

Simple groupings

Graphical representation

of media collection

Figure 5 Main interface of Delicious Library


Importing Friends’ Collections

Delicious Library also provides a way to share the collection with friends, by automatically creating a

website with the user’s collection. If other friends are using the application then the user can import their

lists and always have access to their collections.

Collection contents

User's details

Detailed view of

an item

Schoolhouse - http://www.loganscollins.com/schoolhouse/

Introduction

Made by a independent developer, Schoolhouse is a dedicated educational

organisation tool. Users can add Notes, which allows them to add their

own lectures notes to the database, while Grades provides a way for

students to graphically see their progress throughout the course.

Assignments

Users can add assignments and projects to keep all related documents together. Assignments can also

be broken up into smaller tasks, each with their own due dates to assist the student with keeping on

schedule. Moreover, it connects with the Address Book so users can add fellow students to a specific

group assignment.

Figure 6 Online version of a user’s library


Smart Notebooks

In Mac OS X, smart folders are very

popular because they automatically sort

documents according to pre-defined

rules. In Schoolhouse, they are called

Smart Notebooks and can have rules such

as specific due dates as well as

containing specific keywords or tags.

Classcasts

This feature allows the user to publish a

specific assignment to the web, allowing

others to subscribe to it. This is quite effective for their peers because any alterations in the assignment will

automatically alert the subscribers, keeping everyone up-to-date.

Good Ideas

Sharing Information

Both applications can share the user’s information with their friends, and I believe this could be a good

feature for LOSt! The Classcasts feature is very good, but it has not been fully developed to make it useful

for all students. If a group of students have an assignment to complete then having remote access to all of

the project’s files and documents is essential to a successful completion. The Classcasts implementation in

Schoolhouse is one-way, meaning only one student can edit the assignment. Yet if all project members

could add to the assignment then they could limit the amount

of group sessions required, and focus more on the actual

work.

Barcode Scanning

Using an integrated camera on a laptop for barcode scanning

will save students significant amount of time searching and

organising their loans and book collections. It can be quite

difficult for students to know which books they have and this

feature would be a simply way for them to keep track, as well

as recommend related books to further their studies.

Reflection

Web research can play a significant role in shaping our interface and interaction designs as we can

appreciate how other companies are solving the same issues. For example, reviewing lecture notes can be

considered quite boring, yet I learnt from the Delicious Library application that an exciting interface can

make a dull subject more engaging. Researching Schoolhouse was interesting because the application was

written and designed by a student, and therefore it was tailored to his needs. Seeing how he executed

certain features that are also in the LOSt system allowed me to question whether his or my implementation

was better.

Name of the Notebook

A rule for the

notebook

Can add more

rules if needed

Figure 7 Smart Notebooks in Schoolhouse

Figure 8 Barcode scanning in Delicious

Library


LOSt Design Visualisations

Main Menu

Coursework Overdue: 124MS Coursework 1

Library Loans: Books due back in 3 days

102CR

Content Creation

112CR

Programming

113CR

PDP

124MS

Logic & Sets120CT

Computer Architecture

!"#

2new items

106CR

Usability

120CTComputer Architecture

View Lecture Notes

Create a Note

View your Notes

Shows warnings

a n d n e a r i n g

deadlines at the

top.

Large target areas

for users to click

o n s p e c i fi c

modules

If new items have

been downloaded

a u t o m a t i c a l l y

then the module

icon will enlarge

and wiggle.

Hovering over a

module icon will

d i s p l a y t h r e e

options

Notes

Another way to design this menu screen is to have the

three options (View Lecture Notes etc.) next to the Module

name. However, the issue with this is that target size is very

small, and therefore difficult to select.

Yet by requiring the user to hit a larger target first should

mean that they are able to gain access to the options

faster, as they are already closer to them

Figure 9 Main Menu interface in LOSt

120CTComputer Architecture

View Lecture Notes

Create a Note

View your Notes

Figure 10 Another Main Menu design


Lecture Notes

Back to

Main Menu

11/7

Moore's Law

useit

PACT Analysis

Module

Document

Bad Designs

David Benyon

Website

Email

About Him

Research

Publications

Email LecturerSend to

iTunes

Send to

Mobile

Send to a

Contact

Cite as a

Reference

Lecture notes get

smaller to show

they are in the

past.

Takes user back

to the Main Menu

Controls for going

through the slides

Orange border

suggests content

re l a t e d t o t h e

current slide

Related content

from other files in

the system and

the internet An example of the

detailed view for

related content

Current lecture

slides highlighted

by the o range

border

Hovering over a

bar will show you

the date of that

lecture

Options users can

select concerning

this lecture note

Notes

The idea to use this searching through time interface initially came from Cordell Ratzlaff who wrote ‘time is a

useful way for people to organize information on their computer.’ (2007 in Moggridge 2007: 148). This then

encouraged me to consider the Time Machine backup interface that is included in Mac OS X Leopard.

The five options at the bottom could have been implemented significantly better. For example, if the

lectures notes were unable to be sent to iTunes, then maybe that option wouldn’t be present, allowing for

the remaining four options to increase in size to fill the gap, however this would make it more difficult for the

users to get accustomed to the system.

Hovering over the Back to Main Menu button would have brought the button to the foreground. It was done

this way to not distract the user away from the actual content, while still being present in the interface for

the user to select when required.

Figure 11 Lecture Notes interface in LOSt


Searching

Recursive Functions x

RecursionLecture 3 - Slide 5

Python Funct.Consectetur adipiscing elitEset eiusmod tempor incidunt et labore et dolore magna aliquam. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Irure dolor in reprehend incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis n o s t r u d e x e r c i t a t i o n u l l a m c o laboris.ncididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation

Example CodePython.org

Example CodeConsectetur adipiscing elitEset eiusmod tempor incidunt et labore et dolore magna aliquam. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Irure dolor in reprehend incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis n o s t r u d e x e r c i t a t i o n u l l a m c o laboris.ncididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation

ExampleGoogle.com

FunctionsNotes - 21/11

FunctionsConsectetur adipiscing elitEset eiusmod tempor incidunt et labore et dolore magna aliquam. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Irure dolor in reprehend incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis n o s t r u d e x e r c i t a t i o n u l l a m c o laboris.ncididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation

Convert ExampleModule Website

Python SupportPython.org

RecursioniTunes U

Google GroupsGroups.google.com

S e a r c h b a r

appears after the

user starts typing

Background is

dimmed, but still

visible to not lose

context

Previews of the

search results

Results from the

Internet

Dimmed out until

the full content is

displayed

S c r o l l b a r t o

control the results

Notes

To search in many applications the user will usually have to select a Search bar first, before entering their

query. Not only does this waste valuable interface real estate, it also wastes time as the user has to move

the cursor to the bar and then select it. To initiate a search in the LOSt system all the user has to do is start

typing and the search view will appear over the current screen. While this could be considered unintuitive

compared to other standard search interfaces ‘very few interfaces are actually going to be intuitive from the

get go.’ (Raskin 2008 in Golem.de 2008)

Figure 12 Searching interface in LOSt


Note Taking

!The internet is changing

!Web 2.0 is the future

!Companies like Google are pioneering in this sector

"""""!"""Using AJAX technology to create interactive web applications

!"""Producing interaction similar to the desktop experience

!The users are now the publishers

!"""YouTube, Flickr, Digg, Wordpress, Last.fm, Wikipedia

!Wikipedia

!"""Huge database of entries

!"""Accessible to anyone for free

!"""Non-profit

!"""Anyone can edit it

!"""Used by governments and corporations to spread lies

!"""Pentagon / Microsoft

B U I

Undo Redo

Save Print

Drop Related Content Here

Web 2.0 Notes

Contents of the

note

S imple ed i t ing

sectionUndo & Redo will

c h a n g e s i z e

d e p e n d i n g o n

how many of each

are available

Editable note title

Users can drag

related files to

associate them

with the note

Notes

The idea behind the Undo and Redo pane is to give the user some feedback (Whether they want it is

another issue) to suggest how many Undos and Redos are left. For example, if the Undo button takes up

3/4 of that pane then it could be interpreted that there are more Undos available than Redos.

Figure 13 Note Taking interface in LOSt


Transparent Messages

!The internet is changing

!Web 2.0 is the future

!Companies like Google are pioneering in this sector

"""""!"""Using AJAX technology to create interactive web applications

!"""Producing interaction similar to the desktop experience

!The users are now the publishers

!"""YouTube, Flickr, Digg, Wordpress, Last.fm, Wikipedia

!Wikipedia

!"""Huge database of entries

!"""Accessible to anyone for free

!"""Non-profit

!"""Anyone can edit it

!"""Used by governments and corporations to spread lies

!"""Pentagon / Microsoft

B U I

Undo Redo

Save Print

Drop Related Content Here

Web 2.0 Notes

The sound on your laptop is now muted

We have detected that you are currently in a lecture

A t r a n s p a r e n t

m e s s a g e f o r

sound muting

The rest of the

interface is still

accessible and

viewable

Notes

Alerts from laptops or mobile phones can distract both the lecturer and students during lectures, so the

LOSt system attempts to reduce this issue. Many students use calendar applications on their computers so

they know when their lectures are. By utilising this information, LOSt can check both the current time and

the calendar to check whether they are using the system during lectures. If the student is in a lecture then a

transparent message will come up informing the user that the sound has been muted. The larger text

informs the student that the sound has been turned off, while the smaller text gives them some context,

rather than leaving them confused as to why LOSt

had turned the sound off.

Using a transparent message over a one option

dialog box is pivotal to ensure that the student isn’t

distracted by the system. Transparent messages

‘fade away when the user takes any action (like typing or moving the mouse). The message is both

noticeable yet unobtrusive.’ (Raskin 2006). A dialog box requires the user to select OK before doing

anything else which will distract the student from their main aim of taking notes from the lecture.

Figure 14 Transparent Messages in LOSt

The sound on your laptop is now muted

We have detected that you are currently in a lecture

OK

Figure 15 A dialog box solution


Feedback on VisualisationsFeedback

Main Menu

This screen was well received, especially the alerts at the top that displayed warnings of coursework

deadlines and library loans. One student did ask what would happen if a student had more than 6 modules,

and I reassured them that the module icons would get progressively smaller to accommodate more

modules. While this is true, this screen would only be able to scale to 4 modules on each row, which would

display 8 instead of 6 modules on the two visible rows.

Lecture Notes

The main concern for this screen was the Back to Main Menu button

that students felt was ambiguous as it was visible, yet behind the main

content. Hovering over the button would have brought it forward,

however they would prefer it at the front at all times. Despite that, I still

believe that having it behind the main content allows the students to

concentrate fully on their main task of reading and absorbing the

content rather than being distracted by interface objects.

Another issue was the slider on the right hand side that replaced a standard slider common in many other

applications. The slider on this screen was designed to easily show when the content was created, by

hovering over one of the rectangles to reveal its date. Clicking on one of these would instantly take the user

to that lecture, rather than requiring them to scroll until they find it for themselves.

Searching

At first, students were unsure how the search function worked. Currently when searching their notes, only

files from the local machine will be displayed. However they appreciated how LOSt’s execution of the

feature brought content off the internet directly and how they could preview the content instantly from the

results screen, believing this would save them a lot of time while researching.

The most prominent issue was how to initiate a search as they found no search box on any other screen.

When informed that all they had to do was start typing and the system would recognise the input and begin

searching automatically they fully understood. Around 60% of users believed this was a better

implementation than how they currently initiate a search, yet as they haven’t properly interacted with the

system it may still not be the right way to tackle this issue.

Note Taking

The majority of the students asked liked the simple editing pane on the right hand side, whilst some wanted

a larger selection of colours to choose from. They were also doubtful that the Undo and Redo pane

dynamic sizing feature would affect them in anyway, yet did appreciate that they were directly available in

the editing section. The ability to add related files or links was also recognised and well received, as

students admitted having difficulty trying to associate notes and links together.

Figure 16 Back to Main Menu


Transparent Messages

Though I still feel that transparent messages can replace many ‘monolog boxes’ (Raskin 2006) in interfaces,

students remained unsure about them. They were worried about not seeing the messages, even after I

reassured them that it would require an action from them, such as typing or moving the mouse for the

message to disappear. They did however approve of how the system detected that the student was in a

class and automatically disabled the audio, ensuring no disruptions.

Reflection

The feedback from fellow students was very helpful as it showed me issues that I hadn’t previously

recognised.

The Back to Main Menu button on the Lecture Notes screen could possibly do with some enhancements,

yet I still believe that it is better behind the content until the user decides to go back to the Main Menu

screen, when it will then be brought to the user’s attention. Even though 60% felt that the search feature in

LOSt was better than the current standard implementation, this system may still require search boxes on all

screens to make the option more prominent to users.

As previously mentioned this feedback has solely come from screenshots of the intended interface, and

therefore students may prefer different things when interacting with it fully. Yet receiving feedback from

screenshots is an easy way to get your user group’s initial reactions and comments.


Appendix

Questionnaire


Questionnaire

Introduction

Thank you for taking part in this questionnaire for the LOSt system. By signing this form, you are allowing

the results of this questionnaire to be included - anonymously - in an academic report.

........................................! ! ....................

Name! ! ! ! ! Date

What gender are you?

Male ! Female !

What year of study are you currently in?

Foundation ! Year 1 ! Year 2 ! Year 3 ! Other !

How many modules are you taking this year?

!

Note taking

In how many modules do you write notes during the lectures?

!

For the modules you do write notes in

! Why do you write notes in these lectures?

! !

! Roughly, how much do you write?

! !

! How do you write the notes? (Tick all that apply)

" Text ! Charts & Graphs ! Pictures ! Other (Please explain) !

! !

For the modules you do not write notes in

! Why do you not write notes in these lectures?

! !


! Would you like to write notes in these lectures?

! Yes ! No !

! Are the lecture presentations available to download?

! Yes ! No ! Don’t know !

Technology

What of the following devices do you use to assist your learning?

PC / Laptop ! Netbook ! Mobile Phone ! MP3 Player / iPod

If you organise your work on a device, how do you do so?

!

Have you used iTunes U?

Yes ! No ! Don’t know what it is !

If you have used iTunes U

! How helpful is the service?

! !

ReferencesApple Inc., 2008. University of Wisconsin. [Online

Video]

Available from: http://www.apple.com/education/

profiles/wisconsinvideo/

[accessed 17 November 2008].

Apple Inc., 2008. Apple - Accessibility - Mac OS X

- Hearing. [Webpage]

Av a i l a b l e f ro m : h t t p : / / w w w. a p p l e . c o m /

accessibility/macosx/hearing.html


Cox, J., 2008. Mobile learning project gives

students free iPhone or iPod. Network World, 13,

10. 48.

Dix, A., Finlay, J., Abowd, G.D., Beale, R., 2004.

Human-Computer Interaction. 3rd ed. Harlow,

England: Pearson Education Ltd.

Golem.de, 2008. Aza Raskin - Humanes

Interfaces-Design. [Online Video]

A v a i l a b l e f r o m : h t t p : / / w w w. g o l e m . d e /

0811/63189.html


Goodwin, K., 2001. Perfecting Your Personas.

[Blog]

Available from: http://www.cooper.com/journal/

2001/08/perfecting_your_personas.html


Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2007. First

year UK domiciled HE students by qualification

aim, mode of study, gender and disability 2006/07.

[Excel Spreadsheet]

Available from: http://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/

dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/

disab0607.xls?v=1.0


Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2007. All

students by institution, mode of study, level of

study, gender and domicile 2006/07. [Excel

Spreadsheet]

Available from: http://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/

dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/

institution0607.xls


Jones, G., [email protected], IELTS Testing.

[Email]. Message to Davies, T.. Sent on 17

November 2008.


Moggridge, B., 2007. Designing Interactions. 1st

ed. Massachusetts: MIT Press

Raskin, A., 2008. Aza Raskin - Humanes

Interfaces-Design. [Online Video]

A v a i l a b l e f r o m : h t t p : / / w w w. g o l e m . d e /

0811/63189.html


Raskin, A., 2006. Monolog Boxes and Transparent

Messages. [Blog]

Available from: http://humanized.com/weblog/

2 0 0 6 / 0 9 / 1 1 /

monolog_boxes_and_transparent_messages/


Ratzlaff, C., 2007. Designing Interactions. 1st ed.

Massachusetts: MIT Press


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