Tuesday, December 6th, 2005

Marie-Anne Midy [email protected]

Human Computer Interface CS 519

Portfolio

For the attention of: Carlos Jensen Dana Benson

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Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………... 06

I.

The Time Line………………………………………………………………. 07

II.

Exploring the OSU Library………………………………………………… 08 Introduction………………………………………………………………………..08 1.

2.

3.

The four elements………………………………………………………… 09 a. Objects………………………………………………………………... 09 i. Reference……………………………………………………... 09 ii. Electronic Reference Center………………………………….. 09 iii. Operation as a system………………………………………… 10 b. Architecture/Space…………………………………………………… 11 i. Description of the elements…………………………………... 11 ii. Operation as a system………………………………………… 11 c. Technology…………………………………………………………… 12 i. Reference……………………………………………………... 12 ii. Electronic Reference Center………………………………….. 12 iii. Operation as a system………………………………………… 13 d. People………………………………………………………………… 13 i. Reference……………………………………………………... 13 ii. Electronic Reference Center………………………………….. 14 Relationships between the elements……………………………………… 14 a. Description of the three elements’ interaction………………………... 14 b. Comments on interaction……………………………………………... 16 i. Between objects and technological support…………………... 16 ii. Between objects and architectural/spatial support…………… 16 iii. Between architectural/spatial and technological support…….. 17 Visitor interactions………………………………………………………... 18 a. Description of the 5 visitors and their interaction with the library…… 18 i. First visitor……………………………………………………. 18 ii. Second visitor………………………………………………… 18 iii. Third visitor…………………………………………………... 18 iv. Fourth visitor…………………………………………………. 19 v. Fifth visitor…………………………………………………… 19 vi. Sixth visitor (Myself) ………………………………………… 19 b. Description of some actions and action-sequences…………………... 19 i. First visitor……………………………………………………. 19 ii. Second visitor………………………………………………… 20 iii. Third visitor…………………………………………………... 20 iv. Fourth visitor…………………………………………………. 21 v. Fifth visitor…………………………………………………… 21 vi. Sixth visitor…………………………………………………… 22

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………... 23

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III.

Project Proposal……………………………………………………………...24 Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… 24 Introduction………………………………………………………………………..25 1. a. b. c. 2. a. b. c. d. 3. a. b. c.

IV.

Problem area……………………………………………………………… 25 The “Location” link………………………………………………………. 25 The “Call #” link…………………………………………………………. 25 The “Author” link………………………………………………………… 26 Books location: an actual problem………………………………………... 26 First user………………………………………………………………….. 26 Second user……………………………………………………………….. 26 Third user………………………………………………………………….26 Fourth user………………………………………………………………... 26 Our proposed approach for addressing the problem……………………… 27 Location issue……………………………………………………………. 27 Call # issue……………………………………………………………….. 27 Author issue………………………………………………………………. 27

First Prototype………………………………………………………………. 28 Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… 28 Introduction………………………………………………………………………..29 1. 2. 3.

V.

Usage Flows………………………………………………………………. 30 Flow Diagram…………………………………………………………….. 30 Web Revamp………………………………………..……………………. 30

Evaluation Plan……………………………………………………………… 31 Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… 31 Introduction………………………………………………………………………..32 1. a. b. c. 2. a. b. c. d. e. 3. 4.

Web interface feedback…………………………………………………… 32 Location link……………………………………………………………… 32 Author link………………………………………………………………...32 Map interface……………………………………………………………... 32 PDA interface feedback…………………………………………………... 33 Personal device…………………………………………………………… 33 Small PDA screen size…………………………………………………… 33 Missing books…………………………………………………………….. 34 PDA checkout…………………………………………………………….. 35 Other miscellaneous feedback……………………………………………. 35 General reaction………………………………………..…………………. 35 Evaluation plan…………………………………………………………… 36

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a. Think aloud protocol……………………………………………………... 36 b. Heuristic evaluation………………………………………………………. 36 VI.

Evaluation…………………………………………………………………… 38 Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… 38 1. a. b. c. 2. a.

b.

c. d. VII.

Heuristic evaluation of web interface changes…………………………… 39 Procedure…………………………………………………………………. 39 Results……………………………………………………………………. 39 Interpretation and response………………………………………………..41 Talk-aloud evaluation…………………………………………………….. 42 Procedure…………………………………………………………………. 42 i. The evaluator……………………………………………………... 42 ii. The Walkthrough…………………………………………………. 42 Feedback and response…………………………………………………… 43 i. Different users means different opinions………………………… 43 ii. Design issues……………………………………………………... 44 iii. Missing information……………………………………………… 45 iv. Touch, Visual, Audition senses…………………………………... 46 Notes……………………………………………………………………… 47 General reaction…………………………………………………………...47

Second Prototype……………………………………………………………. 48

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… 48 Introduction………………………………………………………………………..49 1. 2. 3.

Main Steps………………………………………..………………………. 50 Web Interface…………………………………..…………………………. 50 Mobile Device…………………………………..………………………… 50

VIII. Feedback……………………………………………………………………... 51 Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… 51 Introduction………………………………………………………………………..52 1.

Feedback and response……………………………..……………………...52 a. PDA reservation…………………………..……………………………… 52 b. “Show Map” tool…………………………..……………………………... 52 i. Journals…………………………..……………………………….. 52 ii. Oversize books…………………………………………………… 52 c. Web interface design……………………………………………………... 53 i. Highlighted area………………………………………………….. 53 ii. Location name……………………………………………………. 53 2. General reaction…………………………………………………………... 53

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….. 54 Portfolio / CS519 – Fall05 / Marie-Anne MIDY

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Appendices & Sources: Appendix #01: Study areas……………………………………………………….………55 Appendix #02: Main areas…………………………………………………….………… 56 Appendix #03: Main paths…………………………………………………….………… 57 Appendix #04: Sketch of a new wooden desk…………………………………………... 58 Appendix #05: Illustrated areas…………………………………………………….…… 59 Appendix #06: Plasma screen…………………………………………………….……... 60 Appendix #07: Idea for better interactions……………………………………………… 61 Appendix #08: Storyboard…………………………………………………….………… 62 Appendix #09: PDA Screens…………………………………………………….……… 63 Appendix #10: Needs addressed…………………………………………………….…... 64 Appendix #11: New Main Result Page………………………………………………….. 65 Appendix #12: Page with expanded Map………………………………………………...66 Appendix #13: Heuristic Criterion………………………………………………………. 67 Appendix #14: Evaluator Responses (Nancy)…………………………………………... 68 Appendix #14: Evaluator Responses (John) (Continued)……………………………….. 69 Appendix #15: PDA screens…………………………………………………….………. 70 Appendix #16: PDA screens…………………………………………………….………. 71 Appendix #17: Left side…………………………………………………….…………… 72 Appendix #17: Left side (Continued)……………………………………………………. 73 Appendix #18: Differences with the first prototype …………………………………….. 74 Appendix #19: Screens from the storyboard…………………………………………….. 75 Appendix #20: Main interface…………………………………………………….…….. 76 Sources………………………………………………………………………….……….. 77

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Introduction:

This portfolio is the result of a 2-month study within the OSU Valley Library about its services dedicated to the users. From the beginning, the main goal was to improve their interaction with the library.

We started by studying the library in a general way, focusing on different areas. Then we narrowed our study on a specific field in which we thought issues needed to be addressed.

For the first part, I decided to observe the main area on the second floor: the Electronic Reference Center and its Reference desk. It is a very active area with a continuous flow of people and provides a lot of information about the interaction between users and the available facilities. To carry this section through, I watched people during their utilization of the library, taking notes and pictures to illustrate what I had seen. In addition, I came up with some ideas to improve the interaction between the library’s main elements (Objects, Architecture/Space, Technology and People). For the second part, Ben McCoy, Chandan Sarkar and I noticed that the online location system was not implemented to response as well as possible the users’ expectations. We decided to base our study on the catalog interface in order to improve it. Later we figured out that in addition to a new interface, a “mobile device” solution would be needed to locate books for multiple searches. We observed the users, listened to their suggestions and came up with a first prototype. From this presentation we received some very interesting feedback that we had taken into account to improve our solution. Then, we decided what kind of evaluation we were going to do to take advantage as much as possible of the evaluators’ feedback. We thought about a heuristic evaluation and a talk aloud session. Finally, after the evaluation, we came up with a second prototype from which we got a lot of feedback too.

During these 2 months, my teammates and I tried to share our ideas and opinions as frequently as possible. The brainstorming sessions were the most productive and because we perceive things differently, every one was bringing up some different ideas. After that, we were able to answer most of the interrogations from the users because we already thought about them. All the way long, we tried to think like users would.

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I.

The Time Line

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II. Exploring the OSU Library

Introduction:

The goal of this HCI assignment was to study the OSU library as an information system. To do so, I went four times to the library. Each of my visits had a different purpose. My first visit was dedicated to an overview of the library. I went to the main floor (second floor) and the first floor. I located where were the main areas and services (stairs, elevators, maps, phones, computers…). I was working with 3 other students during this visit. My second visit was more focus on the main floor where I spent some time making an inventory and starting to have an idea on what part I was going to study in details. I took some pictures too. I decided to have as focal point the Information Desk (1) also called the “Reference” and the Computer Area (2) also called the “Electronic Reference Center” (cf. Appendix #01). I chose these 2 sections because they are related, a lot of people use them and there is always a lot of going on in there. My third visit was the observation of the areas I had chosen previously and the focus on users. My last visit was to get details on specific points that were not reliable yet. I took the last pictures that I was missing. Every times I took notes on a notebook and I revised my notes on my laptop at night. I took flyers and guides.

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1.

The four elements a. Objects i. Reference

The Reference section is made up of the main desk 14/15 feet long in wood where the help persons are. Each of them has his/her own computer in front of them. They have specific chairs (Picture 1) that can not be found anywhere else in the area. There are some flyer, guides and maps all around them too. The area is not very clean because of all these papers. At the beginning of the desk, next to it, is a dictionary. Behind the desk, some shelves with new books on them. There are only few of them. On the left is a clock on the wall.

Picture 1

At the end of the desk a cusby chairs area (Picture 2). It means some couches and down tables. They are mobile and can be moved. On the wall, just behind, there is a clock.

Picture 2

A Reference sign hangs up from the ceiling. The light comes from circle lamp but then goes through a rectangular piece of wood. It is the same kind of light for the information desk. Half of the couches area has it too, the other half are Neon lights. The walls are white but behind the Reference area, it is a mosaic wall.

ii. Electronic Reference Center This area is mainly made of computers and desks. Each desk has its own computer. For the different areas, refer to Appendix #02. All the desks here are made in wood with a plastic material on the top. For the illustrated areas, refer to Appendix #04 In the section 1 there is a large desk with 5 computers for the online catalog research. They have flat screens and a little box (Picture 3). on the side as the central unit. Stools are available to seat. A clock is just above this area. In the section 2 there are 2 large desks. One with 8 computers: 4 on a side and 4 on the other; and one with 4 computers (2 on a side and 2 on the other side) and 2 printers. There are stools to seat in front of each workstation. The central unit is behind a flat screen.

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In the section 3, it is the public area. There are 3 computers on a large table. Each desk is isolated from the next one by a small wall. There are chairs for each desk. They are in wood with a pink material on the seat. Like in section 2, the central unit is behind a flat screen. In each wall there is a hole for potential wires. In the section 4, there are the same straight desks: large with 6 desktops, 3 on a side and 3 on the other side. There are walls to keep private and isolate the student: a main wall in the length of the table and 4 on its width. Each central unit is behind a flat screen as well. In the section 5, there are 4 black and white printers and one color printer. The first ones have their name on the side (GEISEL, TOLKIEN, NEWTON and MCURIE). Above, a large plasma screen to provide information about the area. In the section 6, there is a Braille printer with the same chair as in section 4. In section 7, it is the same kind of desks as in section 4, the private desk with computers, but these are set of 4 instead of 6 desktops. The computers are not the same either, there are bigger, black and not behind the flat screen. They are on the left of the desk. Chairs are identical as the others. In section 8, the desks are not straight any more but circular. They are in the middle of the way, between section 4 and section 7. Each desk has 3 walls like all the other private desks in this area: on in the front, one on the left and one on the right. Similar chairs. In section 9, it is the Video Viewing area. The desks here are different from the rest of the room. It is a set of 4 private work areas (3 walls like the others). On each of them, a DVD player, headphones and a small TV. Still, the chairs are identical. In section 10, there is a large desk in wood with plastic on the top without walls and computers. It is for the student when they want to study. The chairs are the same, with the pink material. Above the desk, there is the same clock as next to the information desk In section 11, it is a set of 4 private desks. On 2 of them, 2 workstations with CRT screens. From the ceiling, some signs hang up: Viewing Area, printers, Reference, Restrooms. The lights are made of Neon. iii. Operation as a system All the desks are here to help students in their research, work or studies. They are free to use desk with or without computers as well. The information desk’s goal is to help students, or visitors, to find what they are looking for or answer any of their questions about the library. The signs from the ceiling help the users to know where they have to go and where they are (Picture 4). The stools, instead of chairs, for the online catalog computers allow student to stay only a few minutes, some of them even keep their back Picture 4 pack during their search. The texts on the side of the private desks let the users know what they have to do and what they are not allowed to do in the area. It reminds them the rules in application in the area. The labels on keyboards and computers help the user when they want to use the workstations, especially to log on. The diversity of the means provide to student a choice of way to work. The number of each of them avoids the student waiting for one to be free. The dictionary helps those who are looking for definition. It is easier than going online. The maps help the users to know where they have to go or look for a specific resource. The clocks on the walls give the time wherever the users are in the room.

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b. Architecture/Space i. Description of the elements The walls are white all over the place except in two spots. The first one is behind the information desk (Picture 5) and the second one is behind the cusby chairs area. For both of them it is a mosaic wall. They represent trees, water… It is pretty hard to say exactly what is on them. The main material is wood. The desk, the chairs, the stools, the lights over the information desk, walls of the private desks… There are a few white columns in concrete in the room. It is to support the next floor. They have a rectangular shape. Picture 5 Some circular tubes go up to the ceiling, they are cylindrical and grey. The computer’s wires are inside. In this area, there 3 ways to enter or exit (A, B and C – cf. Appendix #01). The most used entrance is entrance A then it is B and then C. It is the same for the exits; B is almost as used as A though. The information desk has a circular shape; it starts at the entrance of the room and stops in the middle. It leads the visitors through the room if they follow it. The top of the wall on a private desk is about 4.5 feet high when the desk itself is about 2.3 feet. The large desks on the right just after the entrance, section 2, are higher than the other desks. They are about 3.3 feet. In the section 4, the space between the rows is not very big and it is easier to walk among the wall. In the section 9, there is much more space between the circular desks. Basically, the students use the path that is between the information desk and the computer stations; there is a big gap. It is the logical path for the entrance. When they want to enter in the computer area, they cross it vertically. They only cross horizontally when they have found a free place. (Refer to Appendix #03 for an illustrated explanation). There are 4 clocks, over 100 computers and the same as desks and chairs, about 16 cusby chairs and 16 stools. The size of this room is about 28,000 square feet. It is an open space. ii. Operation as a system This architecture is based on a large space. Even if the room is filled with a lot of elements like furniture, technologies… it remains vast. The users do not feel closed up. This organization of the space lets the students a large choice of desks or resources. Many of the students using this area are working on different topics with books, online or with the computers. The information desk is big enough to welcome many students at the same time to help them. The desk is in front of all the computers to be seen by everybody.

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c. Technology i. Reference In this area there are not many technologies because it is mainly a “human” resource with the staff. However, there are their 3 computers; each with 2 flat screens and a central unit. One on the flat screen is in front of them and the other one oriented toward the opposite side. It allows people who need help to see what the staff is doing. Like in the rest of the library, the WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) connection is active. It allows users with their own computer to be connected everywhere in the area. Before the help desk, a smaller desk has 2 workstations on it. They are the GIM/DVD Viewers. ii. Electronic Reference Center This area is full of technology because half of it is computers and the other half is only space. There are 4 kinds of workstations: the main ones are with a flats screen and the central unit hidden behind it (Section 4). They are the most powerful (Pentium4 3.40GHz, 512M Ram).The second main common computers are those from the Section 7 and 8 with the big central unit on the left of the flat screen (Pentium4 2.40GHz, 512M Ram), they probably have been bought before. The third type of workstation is in section 11. They have the smallest number of units: 2 old computers. The last type of computer has 5 units, there are in the section 1 and only used for accessing the online catalog. Then you have the 4 printers in the middle of the area: 3 in black and white and 1 in color. They are all linked to the network and can be used by the 100 computers in the room. Close to these printers, is a Braille printer (Section 6). In the back of the room, close to the wall, are the DVD players with their TVs and Headphones to be able to watch DVD without disturbing other people. Next to this Viewing area are the CD-Rom workstations. The WiFi is available here too. The 4 clocks on the walls relay the time information to the students. Accessible from every computer, as soon as it has internet access, the Oasis online catalog of the Valley library (Picture 6). It is a powerful search tool to find a book, a newspaper or a media in the library and in some off-campus libraries too. A brand new plasma screen has just arrived. It provides the information about the current printings and the computers’ status. It is located above the printers. In addition, it informs the staff for Picture 6 how long someone has been connected and can ask him/her to move if desks are needed. It reminds the users to what printer their print job was sent. Last but not least, the similar information about the building next to the library is displayed on the screen and notifies the staff if seats are available. Then, they can send students, waiting for an available desk, to this other place (Refer to Appendix #06 for picture of the plasma screen). I did not spend much time in the Media Viewing Room and Adaptive Technology Rooms because they were closed when I was there.

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iii. Operation as a system The double flat screens of the information desk show the interaction between the users and the staff. The help person’s behavior can be seen and understood. In this way both sides communicate together. It is not anymore, like in most places, the expert trying to solve the issue while the user is waiting; unaware of what is going on. Here, he can learn too. The strength of a huge area of work is that every computer is connected to the local network and can have access to both the internet and the local resources like printers, programs… like everybody else. Every workstation is connected to the other ones and they are all able to communicate together. All the technological tools in this room are optimized to help the best they can the students and the staff however the tasks they want to perform. It goes from checking the emails, typing a text document, looking for online information, printing documents, watching DVD… The signs from the ceiling help users to locate the technology that are suitable for them. The DVD players are in the back of the room, the students looking at them are not disturbing by the curious walking next to them. The online catalogs in the Section 1 are the closest to the entrance because they are the computers that are used the quickest; it takes only a few minutes. Then the users leave and do not bother those who are working by walking through the room. d. People i. Reference Usually there are always 3 persons all day long at the Reference desk. Because all day long, it is supposed to have someone on site to help the users, the staff rotates every 2 or 3 hours for the students and less frequently for the person from the community center. Most of the time there are 2 students and 1 staff member. The 3 of them are here to help people about their search, books, computers…everything that is in the room and related to the others. Sometimes they just need to answer a question or show on a map or a guide what the user has to do or where he/she has to go. But occasionally, they have to move to the user’s computer to show him/her how to deal with his/her issue. Sometimes, people come directly from the main entrance of the library to the Reference desk to ask where they can find something or a place. The staff member, who is not a student, seems to know more about the area and feels free sometimes to intervene in the answer that a student is giving to a user asking for help. Typically the students are about 18/23 when the staff member is about 40/60 years old. The people who come to the desk for information or help are either students or visitors who came in the library with a specific aim. The latter are middle aged most of the time. The help persons are always glad to answer and help the others.

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ii. Electronic Reference Center 95% of the users of this area are students from OSU. They are between, 18 and 25 years old. The other 5% are students from other university, teachers, staff or people who need an internet access or a computer. The users, who are not from OSU, use the Public area (section 3). They are here to check their emails or surf on the Internet. They can spend easily 20 minutes using the workstation. Teachers and staff are very fast in their use of the computer. They use the regular computers and their ONID account to log on. They spend 5 to 10 minutes to read and answer their emails and then leave. 65% of the students spend between 10 and 20 minutes in this area using the computers. They check their emails, read them, answer them and surf on the Internet. 20% of the students stay 45 to up looking for information and/or working on a specific topic. It can be online, with books, alone, with other people, on a desk, on a couch… Most of them are older than those who surf and take a look at their email. The last 15% of the students stay less than 5 minutes. They are looking for information about a book with the online catalog. Usually they seat in the section 1 or section 2. The first one is the most popular, because the easiest way, since they do not have to log on. The main tasks that I have inventoried are the following: checking email, printing document, reading books, studying, doing homework, surfing, typing a text document, looking for information on the Internet, looking for a book in the library, watching a DVD. 2.

Relationships between the elements a. Description of the three elements’ interaction

The room is well lighten even if it could seem useless when using a computer, it also has been planned to allow students to work when they do not need a computer. There is barely any natural light because it is hidden by the shelves, so the room looks artificial. The wood is the main material as I said earlier and to emphasis this aspect; the technologies have been hidden as much as possible. Thus, the private desks have the central unit of the computer behind the flat screen. The users see less the computer, and more the wood, and there is more space on the desk. It combines utility to esthetic. For the computers from the section 2, the desks are higher. These workstations are used for looking for a book in the library and it takes only a few minutes. With higher desks, the users can stand up and do not have to seat down. And if they do, high stools are available. They are higher and easier to use for a short time than chairs. In this idea of coming for a few seconds and leaving right away, all these workstation are just next to the entrance and the exit. The printers are in the middle of the room to be at the same distance as everyone in the room. Even if those close to the Viewing area are a little bit far from as well as those in the section 2. Indeed, this last section is not supposed to be used in this way but many students do so.

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To break the symmetry of the space, circle desks are used. They separate the section 4 from the section 7 and because there is more space between these desks, it is easier to circulate in over there. But, they are not very used. I believe It is because they are less private than the others and are in the middle of the way. Furthermore, they are at the extremity of the room all in a straight line. Having circle then straight desks alternatively would be an idea to break the lines in this area because of the desks. The long information desk is visible from the rest of the room. It is divided in 3 pieces. One close to the entrance has 2 computers for visitors. The main piece in the middle is where the staff is seating waiting for people who need help. And the last piece, next to the couches area, is free and unused. It can seem a good idea to have it all the way long but in front of the computers but when someone needs help from the back of the room, he/she has to go through the entire area to reach the Reference desk. It looks like a different area; it doesn’t really interact with the rest of the room. Maybe a circular desk in wood in the middle of the area with computers all around could have been an alternative. The idea was the same with the printers but in that case, the noise of the printers could be disturbing for the students. The viewing area seems to be apart from the rest of the room. It is far from the entrance, like in a corridor, isolated. The sign from the ceiling is barely visible because there is no light toward it. It feels like this section was added at the last minute, in a rush or it was added later on and it was the only space available. The “L” shape of the room is not ideal either because the top of this “L” is almost always empty. People don’t want to go so far except when they want to be alone and in a quieter area. The bottom of the “L”, actually in front of the Reference desk, is much more alive than the back of the open space. To take out the printed pages from the printed you have to go outside of the computer area. It seems to be a separate element from the rest of the space. However, anyone can access to it quite easily because the gap is big between the printers and the first desks of section 4. I noticed that the further you go from the entrance, smaller the desks become. When you have desks of 8 seats at the entrance, they are only of 4 in the back. If you follow the Reference desk’s shape, which is circular, you find the cusby chairs. That way, anyone who don’t know very well how to use the computers and is not very comfortable to try, can sit down on the chairs to work. It is a nice area where you can wait for someone who went to the restroom, just behind, or who is working. From there you can see the whole open space. It is not physically linked to the rest of the room, the couches are even the only one in there but it is definitely a part of the place because of the previous reasons that I gave. Concerning the global shape of the area, I noticed in the Computer area, and actually elsewhere too, that a lot of circular elements are used. The cusby chairs (Picture 7) have wooden curved armrests. The down tables are wooden cylinders (Picture 8). In the middle of the room, the private wooden desks of the section 8 are in circles. The Picture 8 Picture 7 Reference is a wooden desk with a curve shape. It is large and long and is bigger than the students’ desks. It implies a hierarchical relation between these 2 kinds of desk: the Reference is the supervisor and the private desks, the learners.

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Now with the new plasma screen, the entire open space is connected and visible. Just looking at it, you know what desktop is occupied, which on is available. The second map provides the same information but for the building next to the library. You know more about the users too. It is now possible to tell for how long someone has been connected (less or more than 2 hours). Moreover, you know what printer is in use and who is printing. This is the interaction between the students, the technologies, staff and outside. The section 1 with the online catalog seems disconnected from the rest of the area. The section isolated near the entrance, the users don’t need to print anything and, most of the time, don’t need help either. Furthermore, the users turn their back on the room like if they were excluded. b. Comments on interaction i. Between objects and technological support The computers have all been set up to have their main internet page on the library menu. It includes a help section, but usually people go to ask directly the Reference desk instead of looking for the right hypertext link, the right page and the right answer. Workstations have also fewer icons on their desktop than usually. It avoids users to make mistakes and use what they don’t need or don’t know how to control. The computers are secured in the way that some actions – like the right click on the tool bar – are inactivated. In that way, settings can’t be changed and for those who know better the computers, they can’t enter into the system. The printers are now equipped with a large plasma screen above them to inform users where did they print job go. Because a few of them forgot where they sent it, they have this technological support to help them. For all the issues that the users have, the staff is available. They have computers to find out the solutions, maps and guides too. I noticed that the numbers on the desks are not logical. The first computer starts within the Section 4. Then it goes to the left of the room with Section 6, 8 and 7. The weird thing is that the last computers of section 7, just after the 87th workstation, have a number from 1 to 4, again. I observed as well that the part of section 4, next to section 3, has numbers from 91 to 99 and the section 3 from 105 to 116. I didn’t find 88 to 90 or 100 to 104. ii. Between objects and architectural/spatial support From the ceiling, signs hang up to inform where the Reference desk, the Printers and the Viewing area are. This last one, is not well lighten and so difficult to read. Even if they may be too high, they are visible and let the users know where they can find them. A “catalog online” and “public area” signs would have been useful for the visitors that are not used to this room. The 4 clocks in the middle of the white walls are in evidence and can be seen far from them. The white rectangular columns in concrete don’t match with the rest of the architecture. I was thinking about a circular wooden frame around them. Otherwise, these columns sound out of space. Everything is made in wood except them.

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The area is pretty big and the desks are not. Their size is just what students need. Thus, there is a lot of room in the area and it allows users to circulate easily. Still, some space is wasted between the circular private desks in section 8 because it is useless and hardly few people use this path. iii. Between architectural/spatial and technological support Each desk has its own desk, private or public. The workstations are small enough to occupy the least space possible. Yet, the large computers of section 7 and 8 are bigger and take up almost half of the desk space. Because the desks have a plastic area on the top, it doesn’t seem weird to have a computer on them. However, a different design idea would have been to have only the screen visible, the rest of the computer hidden in the walls. Then, the desk could be entirely in wood. A small hole below the screen available to hid the keyboard and mouse as well. A disadvantage is that the screen would be less manageable and the mouse thought for righthanded. On the other hand, there will be more space on the desk (Refer to Appendix #04). The computers’ wires are very discreet; they are hidden in a grey plastic pipe and when you don’t pay attention to them, you don’t see them. The plasma screen seems to be useful, at least for its original purpose. It doesn’t interact for now with the users. Below are the goals of this purchase, and why it is at cross purpose with the student’s uses. 0. It is supposed to inform the users if there are available desks and where. Notes: Every time I came, there was always available space. Still, I’m not convinced that students would come so far from the entrance to see if there is available desk when they just have to take an overall look. Solution: Move the plasma screen closer to the entrance. 1. It shows who is printing and to which printer to help them reminding. Notes: As soon as the print job is sent from the user’s workstation, if there is not queue, it is immediately printed. The screen displays during few seconds the job and its information. When the user arrives, there is not any more the information because the job is done. Solution: Keep in memory a little bit longer the job printed and display them as a list on screen. 2. If there is no more place on computers, staff can look at it and ask those who have been there for a long time to leave. Notes: Users just have to log out and log in back and their timer starts from 0. 3. The frames on the screen are not fix and change all the time. Notes: It is disturbing when you’re looking for specific information and have to look first where it is. Solution: Keep the same order to let the users become used to it.

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3.

Visitor interactions a. Description of the 5 visitors and their interaction with the library i. First visitor

My first “victim” was a male between 19/22 years old. He was about 5.9 feet tall and he was thin. He was wearing khaki short and a black T-shirt. He had black sport shoes. He was carrying with him his skate board. He had a big black back pack but it seemed almost empty. He had a lot of brown curly hair. Because of his age and his skate board, I assumed he was a student; he “looked like” all the other teens. Furthermore, he seemed to know exactly where he was going, what he was looking for and how to get it. He never stopped during the time he was there and never gave the impression to be lost. It was certainly not his first visit to the library; he knew the computers and a girl even came to him to chat. I guessed he knew quite well how to use a computer because he logged in and logged out easily, and he navigated into the computer without any difficulties. He also chose Mozilla Firefox, among several, as his internet browser and this one is only known from advanced users. ii. Second visitor The second person I observed was also a male. He was about 25, 5.9 feet tall and thin .He was wearing blue jeans with a long white shirt and had boots on. He had a black back pack and it seemed empty too. His brown hair was well done and he was close-shaven. He had a ring on his right hand. Because of his look, I wasn’t sure if he was a student or not. If so, he was probably a graduate and close to the end of his studies. But hen, looking at what he was doing, I found out he probably was a current student because he had an ONID account. He didn’t have issues with his computer during the time he was using it. iii. Third visitor My first visitor was a female between 20/24 years old. She was about 5.5 feet tall and very thin. She was wearing blue jeans with flip-flops. She had grey sweatshirt with a hood over a white tank. Her blond hair was in ponytail. She was carrying a black handbag and a bottle of water. She had long earrings. In her handbag were her school papers and the Barometer. She was a student. She was a regular user of computers; she seemed to know where to find what was she looking for.

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iv. Fourth visitor The fourth visitor was a male between 20/22 years old. He was about 5.9 feet tall and very thin. He was wearing blue pants with white sport shoes. He had a black T-shirt and a black and red back pack. His hair was short and dark. He was carrying a CD player and was listening to music I assumed because the volume wasn’t too loud and I couldn’t hear anything. He had headphones on. He was very confident in his steps. He was a student; he knew the place and what he was going to do. First, I guessed he knew quite well how to use a computer because he logged in and logged out a few times like testing something. Then I was sure because he knew about keyboard shortcuts. He might be a Computer Science student. v. Fifth visitor The fifth visitor was a male about 50 years old. He was about 5.7 feet tall and thin. He was wearing blue jeans with brown shoes. He had a blue shirt under an opened green coat. He has salt and pepper hair, quite short. He was carrying a grey jacket on a coat hanger which looked old. He had a purple back pack over one shoulder and a black bag on the other. I assumed he was either a teacher or a staff member. He didn’t feel very comfortable in this room and didn’t stay too long. Also, he didn’t know very well the bases of the computers. vi. Sixth visitor (Myself) Because some of the visitors that I studied weren’t really interesting, I decide to relate my own experience as a new user of the library. I am a 22 year-old female, student in Computer Science and advanced workstation’s user. I like to search on my own first and when there is not any other solution ask for help. It is my second time in the library, the first time I tried to find a book and gave up after 5 minutes. b. Description of some actions and action-sequences i. First visitor He arrived at 4:30pm. From the library‘s main entrance, he directly went to the “A” entrance (Appendix #01) of the space. When walking, he was looking where he could sit and he just needed few seconds to find out an available place. Once he saw that the seat #13 from the section 4 (Appendix #02) was free, de turned right just after the section 2. He went through the computers and turned left on the second row. He sat down on the seat #13 and left his back pack fall down the floor after having taken it off from his back. But, it didn’t make noise (the bag was empty). He logged on quickly just after that. He chose to launch an Internet browser, Mozilla Firefox. When the page was launching, he took a notebook from his back pack. Portfolio / CS519 – Fall05 / Marie-Anne MIDY

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When looking at it he was looking for information on the Internet at the same time. I supposed he was looking for surf clothes because some pictures of coveralls were on his screen. At 4:35pm a girl came to him and they started to talk. He stopped working or looking for information. At 4:39pm the girl left and he went back to his previous activity. From 4:39pm to 4:50pm he was looking on his notebook, taking notes and looking on web sites on the Internet. At 4:50pm he logged off and left. He took back his back pack and his skate board and used the same path as when he came in. he went out of the library using the main Entrance/Exit. During all this time, he kept quiet, except when the girl came, and was focus on his work. He never looked around. ii. Second visitor At 4:40pm, he came in from the A entrance and was looking toward the computer area. He decided to take a right just after Section 2. He walked a few steps and stopped. I assumed he realized no more desks were available in this are. It didn’t bother him, he didn’t feel embarrassed and turned back and went back from where he entered the area. He didn’t hesitate once then because he had seen a free desk. He chose to sit down in the Section 2 on a stool. He chose the #108 desk and sat down on a stool. He left his bag on the floor and logged on. He launched and internet page and typed http://webmail.orst.edu. I assumed so because he was looking for his emails. He typed his ONID account and his password. He looked at some of them. After he read a few, he answered one. He spent a few more minutes looking at his mail box. During all his session, he had his feet on the stool. At 5:45pm, he logged out, took his back pack and left. Contrary to most of the students, he used the B Exit, to leave the room. He went by the circulation desk but didn’t stop and then left the library. iii. Third visitor At 4:54pm she came from the A entrance. She directly crossed the room and didn’t look on her right to check for available desks, she knew where she had to go. She directly went to the desk #30 in the Section 4. I understood later the reason of this behavior. She sat down, left her bag on the floor and logged on. She laid down the Barometer on her desk while going to a web site. Few minutes later, she printed out a document. Because a lot of people are printing in this area, she knew she had to be fast. Here is how she managed this issue. First, she located what she had to print.

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Then, when her page was ready, she displayed the printing window and she moved on her chair to be ready to leave (her feet toward the path). Finally, she clicked on “Print” and went to the printer immediately. Sometimes when she didn’t know from which printer her papers were coming, she walked among the printers and stopped in front of each, looking if her printed job was done. She used the same path to come back to her seat. She repeated this operation a few times. Every time she came back to her desk, she classified her sheets of paper and sometimes read them. She turned the Barometer’s pages like if she was looking for ads or information. Then she went to Google to search what she just saw. She also, looked at specific emails she received to gather information. After she had finished with the Barometer, she checked her email again. She logged in her ONID account looked at the new that she had received. Then she closed the web pages and logged off. At 5:18pm, she put back all her sheets in her bag and left quickly, leaving the Barometer on the desk. She used the same path as when the came in. During all these tasks, she remained very quiet and focused on what she was doing. iv. Fourth visitor At 5:22pm, he came in the computer area. He found the first closest available desk and sat down. It was the #113 from Section 2. He kept his headphones on during all the time he was there as well as his back pack. He logged in very quickly. Few minutes later, in logged out without having opened anything. He logged in back and out again, he was trying on different servers. After he logged in back, he went to the webmail page to check his ONID emails. He typed fast and sometimes without looking at the screen. He answered a few emails. Then he went to search some information on the Internet and logged out using the keyboard shortcuts. At 5:30pm he left quickly the area using the same path that he used to enter. He was focused and quiet all the time long. He probably comes regularly to use the library as an Internet access. v. Fifth visitor At 5:47pm, he came in and while walking toward the computer area, he was looking for an available desk. The first he saw was the #105 from Section 2. He sat down on the stool, leaving his purple bag on his knees. On his left hand he had his coat hanger and with his write hand he was typing on the keyboard. He logged in and launched an Internet browser. By default the page was in the middle of the screen and half of its maximum size. Instead of clicking on the small square on the right top of the window to maximize it, he tried to do it manually by dragging the corners. Then, he went to his personal webmail page, typed his username and password. He went trough his news emails, read some of them and answered one. At 5:51pm, he logged out and left. He was very quiet and focused during his session. Portfolio / CS519 – Fall05 / Marie-Anne MIDY

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vi. Sixth visitor I was coming from the Collaborative Learning Center. I sat down at a computer (#47) and logged in. I launched an internet browser the online catalog of the library was on the screen. I wasn’t sure where to click to begin. I clicked on the “OSU Libraries catalog”. I was looking for Sight, Sound, and Motion capture by Herb. Zettl. I didn’t know the exact first name of the author. I tied to find it using the Title research. The results were not convincing, I didn’t know who were the authors and I went back to the previous page to try the Author research. My results were a list o books. I clicked on the first one, without being sure – still – if it was what I was looking for. Now, I had the name of the book and a “Call #”. I wrote down the number, thinking it was probably going to be helpful to find the book. The number was TR850 Z47. I logged out and went to the shelves next to the computer area because I saw on the raw some numbers starting by letters like “TR”. I went to the TR row and found a book with a call number TR850 but not Z47. It wasn’t the right book. I decided to go to the help desk in the front to ask for help. The person told me that the letter “T” – which was the first letter of my call number - means that I had to go to the ground floor. She showed me a map of the ground floor and where the “T” section was. She told me that the stairs were closed. I didn’t get exactly where they were so I went back to the entrance to take a look at the main map. I found the elevator icon and after a few seconds found out where they were supposed to be. Once I was downstairs, I looked at the map just in front of the escalator. The “T” section was in the back of the floor and the “Q” section just before. I went through the “Q” section and once at the end, I saw on the raw, the T letter. I followed these letters to figure out where the 850 was. I went into the right raw and found quite easily the book with the Z47 number. It took my approximately 15 minutes to find the book.

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I had some difficulties to find online where I was supposed to look for my book, where I was supposed to type the name of my book, where in the valley library are the different sections. It would have taken a lot more time if no one was there to answer my question and help me. When I asked my question about the TR number, I felt like it was supposed to be obvious and that everybody knows it. The help desk person wasn’t very kind on that point but she was pretty clear about where I was supposed to find the book.

Conclusion: The time spent in the library during this study, have allowed me to understand and realize how objects, space, technologies and people can interact together. I have learnt how each influences the others and how sometimes some changes could improve their interactions. I have noticed some details that could be improved during my work and I wrote down some of them in this rapport. I have proposed some solution too and in Appendix #07 is a sketch of a new design to improve the library’s communication with visitors. I chose to have the desk in the middle next to the printer to be able to intervene in case of problems with them and to be closer to the users in the back of the room. I added some curve shapes and cusby chairs. I rotated the straights desks from the former section 7 to leave some privacy to the former section 8. The section 1 is now able to see the rest of the room and still close the entrance. The help des have now 2 stations on each side of the circle but they have chairs with wheels and they can easily turn back if they need to.

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III. Project Proposal

Abstract

During the study of the library, I looked at some online catalogs with other students and we were very surprised to realize that finding where a book was located was quite difficult. A lot of windows popped up, we had to go back and forth to many web pages to finally try to remember the right location when looking for the book. These observations were kept in mind and were the starting point of the next section of this project: our Project Proposal, “The result interface in the Valley Library’s Online Catalog”.

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Introduction: During our last study in the Valley Library, we noticed some issues with the process of locating books using the online catalog. Thus we have decided to focus primarily on this aspect of the library system, the transition from electronic search to physical location of a book, and suggest some improvements to increase the usability of the system. For this assignment our team is made of three people: Ben McCoy, Chandan Sarkar and Marie-Anne Midy.

1.

Problem area

When searching for a book or other library material users are expected to use the online card catalog. Once a user has entered a search they are presented with a list of books that the catalog has determined match their search criteria. From there the user may click on a hyperlink bringing them to the detailed listing for a particular catalog entry. The main information displayed here consists of: - The author’s name with a hypertext link, - The title, - The edition, - The location with a hypertext link, - The Call # with a hypertext link, - The availability. We have identified this page as being a particularly weak point in the catalog system and therefore have decided that it will be our primary focus. At this point the user has received the minimal information needed to transition from the electronic realm of the catalog back to the physical library. Once this page is on the screen, the users still has one last thing to do: he must physically locate the book, newspaper, microfilm, or other library material. We have found that it is quite difficult to achieve this goal quickly and efficiently, particularly for firsttime or novice users. We have identified 3 key problem areas within this page, as follows: a. The “Location” link Each result has its own column with the location name (i.e. “Valley” for books located in the Valley Library). However, when the user clicks on it a second browser window pops up displaying a list of all the different areas in the library instead of the exact one for the specific book found by the user. On this page the call number’s first letters are enumerated with their floor and links toward a map of the floor. Then the user has to switch back to the result page to look at his call number and go back to click on the right floor to display its map. b. The “Call #” link Next to the location link the user can click on the call number of his book. This brings up a new page listing the “Nearby Call Nos.”, those books immediately before and after the one originally found. These books presumably cover similar topics.

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c. The “Author” link When the user clicks on the link, it brings up a new page with a list of the authors with a similar name or with a spelling nearly the same. Then the user must click on the link for the author they were looking for to finally have a list of the writer’s books.

2.

Books location: an actual problem

We first detected this issue while we were using the catalog by ourselves. To determine if the issues we observed were actually problematic to users we decided to ask a few of them. We took a random sampling of three library users we had observed to be using the card catalog and asked them how difficult or easy they though the catalog system made it for them to locate their library materials. Our results were as follows: a. First user The first user, on the main floor, told us she had some difficulties to find where the book was in the library. She was currently looking for periodicals and was very confused where to find this information. She said she definitely needed a map and if a better interface could be provided it would be great. b. Second user The second user, on the fourth floor, said she had some issues too and every time needed to look at the Library Director sheet on the walls to know where to go. Even then it wasn’t easy for her to find the right area. c. Third user The third person, again on the main floor, said that she didn’t have any problems locating books. However, she told us that she had previously taken a course on library research methods and was a very experienced user. Despite this she still said that she had to refer to the library maps to locate a particular call number. d. Fourth user The fourth user is one of us. When she used the online catalog for the first time it was very confusing for her. She didn’t know where to click and how to get the information to locate the book. She had to ask one of the librarians.

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3.

Our proposed approach for addressing the problem a. Location issue

Instead of providing a general link to textual location information the location column should contain a link to a map highlighting the location of the correct call number block. Instead of this link launching a pop-up window it should dynamically expand a map image. This would help users determine which floor and the area of that floor that the material they seek is located. b. Call # issue This should not be a link at all. Instead we propose creating a new link between the book references and the table with the location, call number, and availability. It would be a “Click here for results on the same topic” link, which is essentially the function that the call number link is currently providing. c. Author issue Instead of having to first display all authors with the same or similar last name and then choose the one that was on the book’s result page, clicking on the author’s name will directly display all books by that author.

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IV. First Prototype

Abstract

After having thought about different ideas on how to address the issues we had noticed with the existing system, the creation of a first prototype was the next step. It was for us the occasion to demonstrate the efficiency of our solutions. We wanted to emphasize on the time and technology aspects. Next are a description and some pictures of the board we came up with.

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Introduction: The first prototype was for us the opportunity to show to potential users what we thought could help them when looking for one or several books. The name of our prototype is LIBLOC8.

Our board was divided into 3 parts: • • •

The left side called “Usage Flows”, represented the time in units spent by users to find a book. It was based on a storyboard concept. The middle area was a flow diagram showing the process to find a book using the mobile device The right side called the “Web Revamp”, showed the modifications we made to the current online catalog’s interface

First Prototype

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1.

Usage Flows

We had 3 columns on the board, one for the current solution: “Original”, one for our new online solution: “Map Interface” and one for the mobile device: “PDA”. Through these 3 lines, we showed that using the existing online catalog was time consuming when our new web interface made save some time to the users when the PDA solution was much more fast and efficient. Indeed, for the Original solution, 7 time units were needed, only 6 for the new web interface and 5 with the PDA. We highlighted in red the steps that were critics during when time was saved or wasted. The main reason why the Original solution took too long was because, from users we asked, after they located the book they had to look at the Library Directory on the walls to find the floor related to the call number. After that, they had to go to the big maps in the entrance to see were the area on the specific floor was. With the revamp web interface, we turned these 2 tedious steps into an easy one. Now, the users just had to expand the new map hidden in the results page to have both the floor and the area of the book. With the PDA, users didn’t need anymore to spend time looking for a map because as soon as they had their call number list into the PDA, this one guided them directly to the book. (Refer to Appendix #08 for the storyboard)

2.

Flow Diagram

From the left side to the central area, 2 red arrows were used to displaying details about the book search using the PDA. We chose to show the 2 main PDA screenshots: the call number list and the map screen (Refer to Appendix #09). In addition, bubbles simulated the different states through which the users had to go from checking out the PDA, finding book to returning the PDA. Next to the diagram, the needs addressed by the PDA and by the web interface (Refer to Appendix #10). We thought we should let the users know what motivated us to follow these directions from the first place.

3.

Web Revamp

The right side was dedicated to the changes that we made to the current web interface. 2 pages were displayed, one with the map expanded (Appendix #12), one without (Appendix #11). Each new link and new feature were explained thanks to arrows toward them. The main differences remained in the possibility to expand a map but also in the call number that was not any more a link. Instead, a new was added above with more explicit words: “Click here for books on a similar topic”. Finally, we changed the Author link from displaying similar names to the books from the same author.

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V.

Evaluation Plan

Abstract

From the first prototype, we had a lot of instructive feedback. Most of it was very positive but many questions and issues were asked and raised. It was time to us to work on them to improve our future next prototype. Meanwhile, we had to think about how we were going to evaluate our solution. It was an important decision to make because the data pulled out from it could be significantly different from one kind of evaluation to another. We went through books and online resources to see what evaluation would fit the best our solution. These findings led us to choose the heuristic and talk aloud evaluation. Next are the feedback we got from the first prototype and the details about our evaluation plan.

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Introduction: During both our initial prototype presentation and the second session where we presented our feedback and evaluation plan to the class, our group gained a variety of insights into potential problem areas or improvements that could be made to our proposed system. Our project consists of two distinguishable components, our proposed changes to the web catalog interface and our new mobile PDA based interface, and we have therefore divided the feedback and our response into those categories.

1.

Web interface feedback

The suggestions we received regarding our web interface were relatively minor and simple changes. The specific points, and our response, are as follows: a. Location link Issue:

In the page displaying a book entry the user must click on the Location/Floor link in order to expand the floor map showing the location of the book. In order to hide the map, on the other hand, the user must click on “Hide Map” link. This is an inconsistency.

Response:

We will be changing the location/floor link to plain text and instead placing a “Show Map” link at its side in the Location column.

b. Author link Issue:

We have modified the author link so that the page it links to displays the other books written by the author, rather than a list of authors with similar names. This idea could be extended to the subject links as well. Instead of displaying a list of subjects similar to this, it could link directly to other books which share the same subject.

Response:

We are changing the co-authors’ links so that their behavior replicates that of the author link, and the subject links so that the user is immediately presented with a list of books for that subject.

c. Map interface Issue:

The floor maps look alike and there is little emphasis put on their titles.

Response:

The titles of the floor maps will be highlighted.

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2.

PDA interface feedback

We received much more extensive feedback regarding the proposed PDA system. Each of these issues requires extensive explanation and will be addressed separately. a. Personal device One question that multiple people presented to us was why, instead of supplying PDA devices that must be checked out from the circulation desk, didn’t we instead simply allow the users to connect to the system from their own devices, such as PDA’s or web enabled phones. Our reasoning on this matter comes from two directions: equality in terms of accessibility, and technological feasibility. The issue with equal access is a moral and ethical consideration rather then technological. It is our belief that it is prohibitively expensive for many students and members of the public to purchase a mobile web device, not to mention the service for such a device, which typically runs $5-10 a month and uses the user’s cell phone airtime as well. Simply put it is unreasonable for the library to invest in a technological system that would be inaccessible to a number of its users on an economic basis. The technological incentives for the library to provide devices for the users are even greater. First and foremost most personal devices owned by students, such as web enabled cell phones, may be able to connect to the internet and access an online catalog interface, but they do so using a carrier signal other than the Wi-fi system within the library. Our proposed system relies on the usage of the Wi-fi access points in the library for triangulation to locate and track the user’s movements. Few products on the market currently meet these requirements. Only 3 of the 9 devices available from Palm, Inc. are Wi-fi capable.[1] The few phones on the market with those capabilities are typically marketed as pocket pc’s, like the imate PDA2k Pocket PC, which retails for $800-$900, again prohibitively expensive for most students.[2] The second technological issue is that enabling outside devices would place the library in a situation where they would be required to support the system on non-standard hardware and software platforms, which would be quite a headache. Despite the potential convenience identified with enabling personal devices, the idea fails for several reasons, and instead we intend to develop our prototype based on standard hardware/software platform. If our initial implementation is very successful and there is a renewed interest in enabling personal devices at some point in the future this issue may be reevaluated. b. Small PDA screen size Several potential users identified the small size of the PDA screen and the limited input methods as being sources of usability issues when attempting to use the library’s card catalog system, particularly during the search process. One suggestion we received in response to this was to enable the user to build a list of books they are seeking using the catalog system on a PC and then synchronizing this list to the PDA before leaving to find the books. We felt this was a good idea and decided to adopt it and refine it for our next round of prototypes. As the suggestion was not without its weak points we have addressed two key problem areas.

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The first potential problem that we noted was that it was likely that a user might locate the book they were seeking only to realize that it was not quite what they were looking for. If the catalog interface was only enabled on the PC’s this would present an annoyance because the user would then have to go back to one of the card catalog PC’s to perform their search. To deal with this situation we intend to prototype a very minimalized catalog interface specifically for the PDA. Following this scheme the catalog PCs are still intended as the primary search interface for the catalog, but the PDA would also have the capability in order to provide greater flexibility to the user. Our second consideration was how to connect the PDA to the PC for synchronization. We have considered 3 alternative methods: a physical docking station that the PDA is plugged into, an infrared connection between the PDA and PC, and using Bluetooth. Each has its problems. Some users commented that they have had problems in the past with achieving a solid connection using one of the PDA docking stations. Infrared on the other hand avoids making the user form a solid physical connection, but is slow and can be prone to dropping connections. Bluetooth avoids all of the problems faced with both physical docking and infrared, however, it presents the issue of how the PC knows which PDA to synchronize with when multiple PDAs lie within the considerably large Bluetooth range. After much deliberation we concluded that the physical docking station seemed to be the mechanism that was least error prone. c. Missing books The final major issue that was brought up repeatedly was how to deal with the instance where a book the user is seeking has not been checked out and/or removed from the library, but has been moved and/or not re-shelved. One frequently suggested idea was to attach RF-ID tags to each book in the library to enable real time dynamic location of all books within the building. There are two issues with this solution that make us feel that it is not the optimal way to handle the situation. The first is that RF-ID technology is not yet sufficiently low cost to make it feasible to attach a tag to each one of the over 2 million books, maps, and videos contained within the Valley Library alone. The second issue is that of user privacy. We see a potential cause of conflict if users are able to track down the book they seek while it may be in use by another library patron. Realizing that missing books is a very potential cause for users to become frustrated or even lose faith in the catalog/PDA system, we propose and alternative solution. When the PDA has guided the user to the shelf the book should be located on, the user will be presented with a screen enabling them to notify the PDA if they were able to find the book or not. If the book was not found, the PDA will prompt the user, suggesting that they could reserve the book for pickup whenever it appears back within the library system, and offering to place such a reservation. In this way the user’s frustration would be alleviated without undue burden on the library system, as such holding services are already provided.

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d. PDA checkout Several users suggested that it would be nice to be able to check the PDA’s in and out at locations distributed throughout the library, rather than just at the Circulation Desk. We considered an alternative approach where users would be allowed to check out and return PDA’s to locations near the catalog PCs on each floor. This system also has its inconveniences, however, namely that the users would have no guaranteed place that they could find a PDA or place themselves on a waiting list for checkout. Another consideration was to have the PDA checkouts handled by library personnel located on each floor, such as those in the section for maps and microfilm. This idea was refuted on the basis that these personnel have very specific duties associated with the areas they are assigned to and are not located on each floor. For these reasons we decided to stick with our original idea of having the PDA checkout and return policy closely resemble the one that is currently in place for the library laptops. There is potential that providing this additional service at the circulation desk might significantly increase the waiting time at this location. If this does emerge as a problem we suggest increasing the number of staff members and service stations behind the circulation desk, which appears to have sufficient space for such an expansion. e. Other miscellaneous feedback Other questions raised by potential users during the feedback session were as follows: • •

Could a paper solution work just as well? Rather than a shortest path algorithm could the user specify that they preferred to follow major hallways and isles as much as possible?

In response to the first question we decided that a paper solution would not allow for the same degree of interactive support that the PDA would. In addition a paper solution would be more resource intensive and expensive in the long run. The second issue was already handled in the first prototype but apparently inadequately communicated. Our intention from the start was to have the PDA guide users through the most efficient and easy to follow route to the materials they were seeking, rather than a strict shortest path through the shelves, which might be likely to confuse library patrons.

3.

General reaction

Everyone who stopped to view our prototype seemed to like it. They seemed particularly excited by the idea of using a PDA to locate books. Despite the enthusiasm for the prototype and concept we noted that few people paid any attention to our flowchart displaying the impact that our new system would have on the library use flow. Most of their attention was instead directed toward the website and PDA screen mock-ups.

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Perhaps the most encouraging feedback we received was from the library representative. She really liked the ideas we presented for the web interface and thought that they represented solid steps toward improving the usability of that particular system. She was also attracted to our changes based on a perceived high ROI; the changes would be both simple and cheap to implement, as well as very helpful for users.

4.

Evaluation plan

Our evaluation plan is based on using a combination of the think aloud protocol and heuristic evaluation. a. Think aloud protocol As the first part of our evaluation we will have three users go through a full simulated use of our prototype following a think aloud protocol. Our users for this part of the evaluation will be called Nancy, Sue and John. Each user will be given a set of 5 books that we have previously identified and located in the library and instructed to locate them using our low fidelity simulation of our system. The user will be expected to locate the books using our refined version of the library card catalog and build a list in their library cart. Then they will synchronize the cart to our PDA simulation and proceed to locate the books. We will make sure prior to the evaluation that one of the books has been removed from the shelf so that we can simulate the case where the user is unable to locate the book and is given the option of reserving it using the PDA. We plan to use a voice recorder to capture as much data as possible during the user’s walk through and intend to make sure that the user continues talking throughout the exercise. In addition we plan to take pictures at key points during the exercise to help identify any issues arising from the physical interaction between the user, device, and system. To avoid disturbing other library patrons we will make sure that our paths avoid the quiet areas of the library. Following the evaluations we will meet as a group to expand our notes and review the audio tapes as needed. b. Heuristic evaluation The second portion of our evaluation is a heuristic evaluation of the changes we have made to the OASIS online catalog interface. In this process our project group will function as expert users simulating several interaction sequences as they would be made by a regular user. Following the advice laid forth by Preece in her discussion of heuristic evaluations we began with the basic framework described by Nielsen and customized it to fit our project. As Preece mentions, some of Nielsen’s criteria are far too generic to be applicable to our interface. [3] Others, on the other hand, are not applicable because they measure phenomena which are not affected by the changes we have made. Specifically, we are ignoring evaluations based on the visibility of the system status because none of our changes affect the system at a fundamental enough level to warrant a reevaluation of the system response time. Furthermore none of our changes have any effect on the existing feedback mechanisms. We are also not evaluating our systems error prevention mechanisms because we decided at the design phase that an error prevention mechanism would be more likely to annoy users rather seem helpful. Instead we have focused our efforts on error recovery and will focus on that as part of our evaluation.

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To begin our evaluation we will meet to review our heuristics and ensure that we have an equal understanding of what we are trying to accomplish. In particular we have realized that it will be important for us to limit the scope of our evaluation to areas relevant to the changes that we have made. We have only made a few changes to address key issues identified during our initial user study. These changes are localized to the results page, however, there might be a desire to identify other issues rather than attempting to evaluate our changes in the context of the problems we sought to address. As a preliminary list we have identified the following heuristics, expanding on Nielsen’s basic framework: •

•

•

•

•

•

• •

Match between the system and real world. o Does the interface represent its functionality to the user? o Does the language used communicate the functionality in a way that makes sense to the user? User Control and Freedom o Is the user allowed reasonable autonomy during their interactions with the system? o If the user has multiple ways of achieving the same task, are these alternatives obvious and intuitive? Consistency and standards o Are the interface changes consistent with each other and consistently replicated among similar items? o Is the use flow consistent with itself, or do some parts seem like they are inappropriately inserted? Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors o Can the user easily undo their recent steps? o Is it obvious to the user how to remove items which were incorrectly placed in the "shopping cart"? Recognition rather than recall o Is the placement and visibility of commonly taken links consistent between various pages they might be accessed from? o Are icons and links consistent with the interfaces provided in similar systems already in existence? Flexibility and efficiency of use o Does the interface support novice users without interfering with experienced users? o Do the changes accelerate the search process? Aesthetic and minimalist design o Do the interface changes cause it to contain excessive information? Help and documentation o Are the changes that have been made documented, either in the help functionality or within their context?

Following our review of the heuristics we will split up and perform independent evaluations of the system. We will spend approximately one hour on our evaluations, taking several passes through the interface, first to familiarize ourselves with the use flow and then to perform a finer grained heuristics based evaluation, as suggested by Preece. [3] Following our evaluations we will reconvene to discuss our observations and propose actions to address any problems identified. Portfolio / CS519 – Fall05 / Marie-Anne MIDY

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VI. Evaluation

Abstract

Once our evaluation plan was ready, we were able to put it into practice. First we had to prepare the mock-up for the mobile device and then be ready to guide the user through the library simulating a boob search. We went to the library several times to choose books from different floors. We paid attention not to go to study floors to avoid disturbing students. All this process was done through the online catalog. Then, we went physically to locate the books and took notes on their exact emplacement. This way, we would be able to create the PDA screens for the evaluation. Next are how the evaluation went and the feedback we got from it.

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1.

Heuristic evaluation of web interface changes a. Procedure

To evaluate our web interface changes we used a heuristic plan developed during the evaluation planning phase following our first prototype. Although we had initially hoped to use three of our classmates as evaluators we were only able to get 2 members of the group. Since heuristic evaluations are based on the assumption that the user has some sort of expertise related to the interface being evaluated, we began our evaluation by educating our evaluators. To do this we walked them through our prototype and explained the changes we had made to the interface and our reasoning for making those changes. We then provided them with a list of 14 heuristic criteria that we developed within 8 of the general categories from Nielsen’s original framework. We asked the users to respond to the heuristics independently and to feel free to provide extended responses. We had initially hoped to have the users spend somewhere close to half an hour going through the interface in two or three complete passes; however, due to time constraints they simply browsed through it, briefly making notes as they went along, taking about 15 minutes all together. Once they were done with their individual evaluation we asked them to briefly discuss their findings with us. Their responses and the result of our discussion are summarized below. The criteria used for the evaluation and the complete individual evaluator responses can be found in Appendices #13 & #14. b. Results Despite the very compressed format of our evaluation, the exercise provided us with some very useful feedback and ideas. The users’ reactions were primarily focused on the interface between the website and our new mobile device. The one notable exception was that the users felt some of the information displayed in the results page should be reorganized. In particular the evaluators felt that the additional card catalog information about the book, such as additional authors, subject categorization, and notes, were too far down on the page because they required scrolling. This was especially a problem in the pages that we modified for our prototype because the catalog entry contained a full table of contents for the book in the middle of the page. This becomes even more of an issue when the map is displayed. The evaluators felt that this other traditional catalog information and the links it provides should be located above the other descriptive information about the book in the results page. In addition, both evaluators noted similarities between the functionality provided by the subject link and our new “Click here for books on a similar topic” link. In the interest of maintaining a minimalist design they felt that we should either differentiate the links, to address the subtle differences in their behavior, or eliminate one of them. With these two exceptions the users were very pleased with the changes we had made to the web interface and expressed that they thought our changes would make the interface significantly more efficient.

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The remainder of the feedback we received was directed at the interface between the website and the mobile device. This feedback was focused in three primary areas that the users deemed problematic in our implementation: the representation of the systems functionality to the user, the differences between our interface and the user’s intuition based on experience with systems using similar concepts, and the lack of communication regarding the steps the user must take to use the system’s functionality. The evaluators felt that in several instances the interface was not effectively communicating the changes and additions to its functionality. Furthermore once these changes had been noticed there was some confusion regarding the intent behind the modifications and the full use flow of the system. The particular points they made were as follows: • • • •

The changes to the interface are not extreme enough to be noticed by any but the most familiar/experienced users. Perhaps more emphasis should be placed on the new functionality so that it is readily apparent to all users. The connection between the “Add to Cart” and “Synchronize to PDA” links is not at all communicated in the interface. In fact there is nothing indicating the purpose of either the cart or the PDA. There is no indication that the cart has to be synchronized to the PDA once the books have been added. There is no documentation or help functionality.

Even once we had explained the relation between the PDA and the Cart feature, the users felt that our implementation was ineffective and partially counterintuitive. Again the points they made were as follows: • • • •

It is not at all intuitive or explained that the user had to upload the contents of their cart before they could use it on the PDA. The shopping cart metaphor is perhaps inappropriate in this context because the idea stems from e-commerce and may confuse users by making them think that they are purchasing something. There is no way for the user to view the contents of their cart or to remove an item that has been added. It would be nice to have the system automatically load the list to the PDA as it is being created and eliminate the extra step in the process.

The evaluators placed particular emphasis on certain points by jotting down the following notes on their evaluation sheets (also in Appendices #13 & #14, edited for grammatical correctness): • • • • • • •

Needs more descriptions of the “Add to cart” and “Sync PDA” links. Put all functional links (i.e. “Subject”) near the top of the page. Need some explanation about the PDA and why/how I use the PDA. Could perhaps provide a cart icon linking to a page that allows the user to quickly check what they have added to the cart. For experienced users it might be desirable to allow direct synchronization to the PDA. Need help documentation for the PDA interface. Need a way to remove items from the cart. Portfolio / CS519 – Fall05 / Marie-Anne MIDY

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c. Interpretation and response Although it may seem that we received several major criticisms for a relatively simple portion of our interface we are not disheartened. To be perfectly upfront about it, the majority of our efforts were exerted on the actual mobile interface, with considerably less thought being put on how the two should really connect. We feel that much of the feedback we received is warranted and would prove useful if we were to go through another iteration of prototyping. To address the most fundamental requirements unveiled during this portion of the evaluation we propose making the following changes to our interface: • •

•

•

• •

•

•

Move the additional catalog information and related browsing links closer to the top of the page where it is more accessible to users. The “Subject” links show all of the books in the same broad category as the book the user is currently viewing, while the “View books on a similar topic” link shows a much narrower selection, in particular those books that are located near the current book on the shelves. It would be nice to leave both functionalities in the interface but determine some way to differentiate between them. Further research would be necessary to determine the best way to accomplish this. Implement help functionality within the catalog system to give the users a crash course on how to use the PDA. In addition to placing this information on the screen, a physical note should be placed on or near the PDA docking stations by the catalog computers to help to cue the user into this new functionality. Finally, a series of interactive tutorials guiding the user through various use simulations with the PDA would provide full training and documentation. Expand the functionality of the cart page so that it displays more information about the books in the list and also provides the user with the ability to remove the book from the list. It might also be useful to have the list provide links to the detail pages about each book. It might be necessary to, at least temporarily, highlight the new links in some way so that they are more apparent to the user. The risk here is that it might damage the cohesiveness and aesthetics of the overall system. Instead of using a shopping cart model we could use some other metaphor, or simply change the link to “Add to List”. However, the cart metaphor was very well received by the library staff, and we feel it is important to please all stakeholders with the new implementation. Change the data model behind the cart idea so that instead of maintaining a separate list that has to be uploaded to the PDA, the user is using as a substitute the cart interface to directly manipulate the data on the PDA. This takes care of several issues. First of all there was some concern about how the system would know to clear the cart between users. In addition, this means the user would no longer need to go through the separate step of synchronizing between the PC and the PDA. Finally, this eliminates a minor concern we had about how to handle the case where a user wanted to use the cart without having first checked out a PDA. Add an icon to the web interface indicating that a PDA is connected. This provides positive feedback to the user to let them know that the connection was properly made.

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It is almost certain that the above feedback and our response to the issues addressed are inconclusive. In particular, because our implementation was a combination of conceptual design with low-fidelity prototyping and a limited implementation of a higher fidelity, but non-dynamic web interface, it was difficult to develop an accurate picture of how the user would truly interact with and respond to the proposed system. In order to develop our ideas more effectively it would be necessary to implement our proposed changes within the context of a fully functional copy of the existing library catalog system.

2.

Talk-aloud evaluation a. Procedure i. The evaluator

For this part, we decided to have only one evaluator instead of 3 to be closer to the real conditions when looking for a book. Nancy, our evaluator, was a first term Computer Science graduate student who has been at OSU for about 3 months now. She was a very novice user of the library and stated that rather than going to the library she preferred to use the book delivery service because it afforded her access to a greater number of books and was simply more convenient. However, she was pleased to do the evaluation and did not hesitate to provide us with feedback and advice on how to improve our system. During our evaluation she decided to deviate slightly from our protocol in order to test our solution in unexpected situations. It should also be noted that she is not a very tall person, which affected her ability to browse the library bookcases. ii. The Walkthrough We gave Nancy 39 low-fidelity PDA screenshots (Similar to Appendix #15, Screen 01). We told her she would have to find 5 books and would have to change the screen when prompted. The elevators were the starting points for each new book search when we had to change floor. She was asked to say whatever she was thinking during the evaluation. We chose to let her successfully find only 3 books of the 5. For one of the missing books she would have to make a reservation and for the last one she would not. During the evaluation two of our group members were taking notes. Our other member was taking pictures, telling the evaluator when she had to change the PDA screen, and reminding her frequently to say what she had in mind.

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b. Feedback and responses i. Different users means different options From the beginning we designed the PDA interface in relation with our needs. We thought most of the users would feel the same. This way we would be able to provide a system that met everyone’s expectations. The evaluation gave us new ideas of options we should provide. Issue:

Response:

Issue:

Response:

During our observation of the library we used the elevators, and based our prototype on that. However, our evaluator likes using the stairs rather than the elevators, due to claustrophobia. When she was in the elevators during the evaluation she was focused on the fact that she really did not enjoy using them. Our evaluation was done using non-dynamic low-fidelity prototypes, which raised several irrelevant issues, this being one of them. Our system is based on tracking the mobile device using triangulation and thus providing dynamic guidance to the user. Therefore in an actual implementation the user would be able to take either the stairs or the elevator, and the system would be able to determine their location when they arrived at the proper floor. When locating the books in the shelves, our evaluator told us that she was used to looking at the book’s title rather than the call number. Unfortunately, the PDA screen only displayed the call number. In developing our prototype we had made the assumption, based on our initial observations, that most library patrons located books based on their call number. Therefore the prototype screens we provided for the evaluation listed only the call numbers. However, our prototype did take into account the high likelihood that a user would wish to view the titles of the books they had selected as well. In the prototype we used for the evaluation, the list pages were titled “Item List – Call Number View”, which we had assumed would indicate that the actual system would provide alternate (i.e. “Title” and “Complete”) list viewing options.

Every user thinks and behaves differently. For example some users prefer more autonomy and control when interacting with a system, while others prefer to be guided the whole way. Our solution must provide sufficient support, without sacrificing flexibility, in order to meet the needs of the full range of these users.

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ii. Design issues During the evaluation we got some feedback about the PDA’s design. Most of the time we realized it was because of complaints or difficulties to use the device. Because our mobile equipment has to be small it does not provide a large screen and the information displayed is very limited. However, we need to address the main problems we faced in order for the user to be more comfortable with the PDA. Issue:

Response:

Issue:

Response:

Issue: Response:

Issue:

Response:

When we started the walkthrough, our evaluator was not sure which book was going to be the first one to look for (Appendix #15, Screen 01 was what she had in front of her). It took her some time to be familiar with the system. Instead of having the “Please go to the 1st floor” bubble placed over the list (Appendix #15, Screen 01) we could have it below, similar to the “Loading Map” bubble from Appendix #15, Screen 02. This way the user is able to see the list and notice the highlighted call number for the current book. Our evaluator spent a lot of time looking closely at the PDA screen to see where to go next. As you can see on Appendix #15, Screen 03, the map is quite small and it is difficult to discern every detail. On the interface, a “Menu” button provides options like “Zoom In” or “Zoom Out” and allows users to see a more detailed map. It seems to be hidden but it is an essential tool. Having it next to the map is a solution. We are thinking about a “scale” zoom like on the Mapquest’s maps. However we have to be careful not to display too much information, it could annoy users. Nancy did not immediately notice that the current book’s call number was displayed above the map. (Appendix #15, Screen 03) We thought about this issue before the evaluation. During our brainstorming we decided to move the call number from below the map to above it adding a red outline to make it more visible. However, that does not appear to be sufficient. Less information on the screen and/or a different font could be a solution. The evaluator asked a question about the “MAP” icon, as well as a general question about the buttons at the bottom of the screen (Appendix #16, Screen 07). The “MAP” icon is to display the current map with its path. A different icon more like a map instead of a sheet of paper could be more intuitive. For the “Search” and “List” icons, the online library catalog logo and a list with checks (List icon picture on List icon the right) could be substituted.

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Issue:

Response:

Issue: Response:

Once she had finished all of the steps in the evaluation, the user asked if she could go back and place a reservation for the third book, which she had previously neither found nor reserved. (Appendix #16, Screen 07). Our initial response was to add an option in the “Menu” allowing a user to place a reservation for a book at any time. However, our solution needs to be communicated to the user. To accomplish this we will reword the message displayed when the user is initially prompted with the opportunity to place a reservation so that it also conveys this flexibility. Once she had found a book she was not sure what to do next. The answers to these interrogations are either to click on the green “Book Found” button or red “Not Found” button (Appendix #15, Screen 01 for an example). One solution would be to display a short introductory tutorial when a user disconnects the PDA from the PC when they have created their list. Another way to address this issue would be a different design for the buttons.

The real problem about our design is that the interface is not intuitive enough. We have to re-think how to make it easier to use. Novice users will not want to spend time learning how it works. They want something easy to use, convenient, and intuitive. It may mean having a simpler interface with fewer, more obvious options. Minimalist design is critical because the area we have is too small to allow too many options. iii. Missing information Another problem we uncovered during the evaluation process was information that was simply missing from our prototype. Many times the evaluator had difficulties finding the right path through the library or locating books because of details we forgot to add in our solution. Issue:

Response:

Every time Nancy came out of the elevators, she did not know where to go. The transition between Appendix #15, Screen 03 and Appendix #15, 04 demonstrates the lack of clarity causing this problem. This could be solved by adding a new bubble with a “turn left” or “turn right” immediately when the user leaves the elevator.

Issue: Response:

Nancy asked herself if she was in the right row. The PDA should provide positive feedback when the user reaches the correct row.

Issue:

When a book was missing, she was surprised and displeased. She said: “The PDA told me it was available!” In addition to the Reservation screen, a short note apologizing for the inconvenience and explaining why the book is not in its shelf (i.e. “The material you are seeking is either in use within the library or in the process of being re-shelved.”) could help the user feel better.

Response:

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Issue:

Response:

During the Reservation process our evaluator asked how she was going to be notified about the book’s availability when she saw the Appendix #16, Screen 05. The answer was on the following screen (Appendix #16, Screen 06) but it seems that having it earlier is more intuitive. As a result, on a first screen we will have something like “Would you like to make a reservation and be notified via email when it is available?” instead.

Most of the complaints and resulting changes are fairly minor details, however, combined they greatly improve the interaction between the user and the PDA. These issues should probably be the first addressed because they are easy to fix and make the device much easier to use. iv. Touch, Visual and Audition senses During our brainstorming sessions, we only focused on the visual sense. After the evaluation we found out it was insufficient for responding to our user’s needs. The audition and touch senses are very important too and should be utilized in our solution. Issue: Response:

Issue:

Response:

During the walkthrough Nancy complained many times about carrying too many books in addition to the PDA. We had already thought about hanging the PDA around the user’s neck, but this may not be very convenient. We are still looking for a better solution. We have to keep in mind that a dedicated stylus pen is used with the PDA requiring both hands. A possible solution is to design a new interface with larger buttons or a touch screen that can be manipulated using only the thumb; however, this would require specialized hardware. Sometimes we were unable to keep up with Nancy and did not have her change the screens in time. It bothered her to have to look at the PDA screen all the time to see if the screen had changed and if she was still following the right path. Our solution to this problem is to use a non-visual signal to inform the user that the screen had changed. This could take the form of either a vibration or an audio cue like a “bip”. To address the fear of missing the right turn we explained to our evaluator that the real-time device would create a new path automatically. This should be conveyed to the user at some point.

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c. Notes During the evaluation we discerned some minor details that could me improved. They were not mentioned or noticed by the user, but we thought it would be a plus to have them fixed. •

•

•

•

The current book that the user is looking for should be more highlighted in the list to be more noticeable. We have the same suggestion for the books found because the green is not dark enough (Refer to Appendix #16, Screen 07 for the current issue). The PDA’s interface has to be re-designed in order to be more clear, intuitive and convenient for the user. A lot of options are available and we have to find a way to make the user aware of them without providing too much information. Another alternative is to simply reduce the number of options. We made some mistakes during the evaluation. A call number on the PDA screen was not matching the map. Sometimes we were not sure about where to turn. Some PDA screens were missing during the search. We could have avoided these errors by doing a rehearsal ourselves before the evaluation. Since some users do not want to waste time, while others like to make decisions, our device should provide a lot of flexibility. The “Menu” allows the user to skip books or select their order, and provides the possibility to choose the first book to look for and the way that the path is created (most convenient vs. shortest), allowing significant autonomy. d. General reaction

After the walkthrough, we had some positive feedback about our PDA. The design was “nice”, the pictures too. The PDA system itself was said “very helpful” by our evaluator. At the end of the evaluation, Nancy was happy with it and did not feel annoyed by the whole process. These comments indicated that we were close to achieving our goal.

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VII. Second Prototype

Abstract

After the evaluation, we made our second prototype. However, we didn’t have enough time to add major changes related to the feedback we got from both the heuristic and walkthrough sessions. Yet, it was for us, once again, a chance to show our evolution from the previous board. That time, we focused on the web pages because we felt they were what the users were interesting the most in. Still, the PDA solution took large space in the presentation because we improved it too. Next are a description and some pictures of our second prototype.

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Introduction: The second prototype allowed us to show to our previous users from the first prototype, what we added after their feedback, what we improved, and what our new ideas were.

Once again, our board was divided into 3 parts: • • •

The left side displayed our main steps from the beginning of the project. The central area called “Web Interface” had the main result page in the middle and from its new links, several arrows rose toward the new pages. The right side called “Mobile Device”, showed a storyboard with different PDA screens.

Second Prototype

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1.

Main Steps

To remind users of our project from the first prototype and to inform the new ones, we had the 4 main steps of our study on this side of the board: Problem, Solution, Evaluation, and Feedback. Having this information displayed was useful because users were able to see what we had done so far and how we came up with the idea of this second prototype (Refer to Appendix #17 to the entire write-up).

2.

Web Interface

Like it was suggested during the presentation of the first prototype, we decided to have every new screen on the board to show to the potential users what we fixed, how it worked and why it was going to improve their interaction with the system. We explained to the visitors the main differences with the previous prototype to those who were present for the first version, and the main differences with the existing system to those who saw our solution for the first time. Refer to Appendix #18 for the visual changes we made for the main result page. An interactive version of the web pages can also be accessed via http://oregonstate.edu/~midym/CS519.

3.

Mobile Device

The few PDA screens on the right side of the board were from our evaluation. We wanted to show what we used because it was supposed to look like those screens if the PDA solution was put into practice in the future. We selected the more significant 15 screens over the 39 generated. We opted for 2 cases: one with the book found and one for the reservation made. Because there were discontinuities between screens, we added a “…” within some arrows (cf. Appendix #19 for example).

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VIII. Feedback

Abstract

From the second prototype, we had more feedback than for the first one. The main reason was because not only students and potential users were there but also librarians. Technical difficulties were mentioned in addition to design suggestions. Whereas it was the end of the project, we suddenly had a lot more issues to address than previously. We tried to find solutions to some of them.

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Introduction: During the second presentation of our new prototype we looked forward to seeing the librarian who really liked our idea during the first presentation. We felt with our new prototype we had improved the web interface and solidified the grounding for the PDA and the whole concept. Fortunately many librarians came and gave us a lot of feedback based on their experience. Now in addition to the feedback we gained from users we have additional technical information from the librarians. They raised several new issues, some of which we have addressed already.

1.

Feedback and response a. PDA reservation

Issue:

The process of making a reservation when a book is not found is not doable right now because books found on desks or on the wrong shelf are placed directly on the proper shelf without being rescanned.

Response:

This is difficult to solve because it means that librarians would have to change their habits and scan the books before they are put back in their shelf. Another issue is when the book is in the wrong place and a user requests it from the PDA, it is infeasible for librarians to go through the entire library to find the book.

b. “Show Map” tool i. Journals Issue:

The location of journals depends on their publication date, not their call number. It means our “Show map” on the web interface does not work in this particular case because we can not rely on the call number’s first letter to select the right map.

Response:

We do not have a solution yet but we plan to ask a librarian if the database contains information that would indicate where the journal is actually located. ii. Oversize books

Issue:

Similar to journals, oversize books are not located in the same area as the regular size books (Appendix #16, Screen 08).

Response:

The solution is the same as for journals.

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c. Web interface design i. Highlighted area Issue:

Someone mentioned the difficulty to distinguish the highlighted area on the Map in the web interface, because it is in blue and a lot of links are in blue too, whereas the floor title is very easy to see (in yellow). (Appendix #17)

Response:

The same person mentioned to use yellow instead of blue for the book area, it is a good idea. However, blue was used in the first place because the library has maps with blue highlighted areas and we thought our maps should match them. A short survey about users’ opinions is the best way to know if they think the same. ii. Location name

Issue:

A visitor felt that the letters next to the location name (Valley 1F:Q for 1st floor area Q) looked like a code and were not very intuitive (Refer to the Location code example on the right).

Response:

Location code

It was suggested that we display the entire name instead of the first initials. We are still thinking about it because we do not want to overload the page with too much information.

Even if it is our second prototype, issues remain. Every presentation provides us more feedback and raises more problems. We realized during this round that some diversity in the visitors is very important in order of have different kind of opinions. We need to give consideration to financial, design, and usability concerns equally during the design process.

2.

General reaction

All the librarians were excited with our prototype; most of them were very interested in the new web interface’s design because they felt it was something that could be implemented easily and significantly improves the existing online catalog. The PDA device was also well received, but more as a future idea. Having several librarians make their comments about our prototype was very instructive; we learned a lot. New problems came up, new ideas were suggested, and the three of us enjoyed it. A lot of unsolved problems remain and we look forward to finding new solutions if we have the opportunity to do so.

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Conclusion:

This class was for me the first HCI class I have ever taken therefore it was my first project as well. I was very eager for studying users in order to provide them a better solution. I learned a lot during the class, reading books and studying people in the field. I think the best reward that we had was the librarians’ excitement about our solution and the desire to put our ideas into practice. The overall feedback we’d got was always positive. With these 2 points, I believe we reached a major part of our goal even though our solution needs to be improved. I learnt also that working as a team wasn’t always easy. The main difficulty was to find time for meeting and brainstorming sessions that matched the 3 of us schedules. Despite this inconvenience, we had very productive sittings were new ideas were brought. Because of our different backgrounds (undergraduate student in Computer Science and Business, international student who came back to college for a master, graduate exchange student in Computer Science) we had different opinions and points of view on the project and how to handle it. After this class, I plan to stay in touch with the librarians if they want to use our solution in the future and I look forward to helping them.

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Appendix #01: Study areas

(Exploring the OSU library)

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Appendix #02: Main areas

(Exploring the OSU library)

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Appendix #03: Main paths

(Exploring the OSU library)

In red are the main paths and the black arrows are the directions taken by the visitors.

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Appendix #04: Sketch of a new wooden desk

(Exploring the OSU library)

Screen

Mouse Keyboard

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Appendix #05: Illustrated areas

(Exploring the OSU library)

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Appendix #06: Plasma screen

(Exploring the OSU library)

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Appendix #07: Idea for better interactions

(Exploring the OSU library)

Section 9

Section 11

Section 4

Section 6

Section 3 Printers

Pl

as m

a

Section 2

Workstation

Reference Desk

Section 1

Cusby chairs

Cusby chairs Desks

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Appendix #08: Storyboard

(First Prototype)

Original

Map Interface

PDA

User enters the library

User enters the library

User enters the library

User goes to the online catalog

User goes to the online catalog

User checks out PDA

User performs search

User performs search

User performs search

User identifies a book with the online catalog

User identifies a book with the online catalog

User identifies a book with the online catalog

User looks at the Library Director

User expands the online map

PDA shows shortest path to the book

User goes to the floor maps

User locates the right area

User locates the right area User finds the book

User finds the book

User finds the book

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Appendix #09: PDA Screens

Call number List

(First Prototype)

Map

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Appendix #10: Needs addressed

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Appendix #11: New Main Result Page

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Appendix #12: Page with expanded Map

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Appendix #13: Heuristic Criterion

•

•

•

•

•

•

• •

(Evaluation)

Match between the system and real world. o Does the interface represent its functionality to the user? o Does the language used communicate the functionality in a way that makes sense to the user? User Control and Freedom o Is the user allowed reasonable autonomy during their interactions with the system? o If the user has multiple ways of achieving the same task, are these alternatives obvious and intuitive? Consistency and standards o Are the interface changes consistent with each other and consistently replicated among similar items? o Is the use flow consistent with itself, or do some parts seem like they are inappropriately inserted? Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors o Can the user easily undo their recent steps? o Is it obvious to the user how to remove items which were incorrectly placed in the "shopping cart"? Recognition rather than recall o Is the placement and visibility of commonly taken links consistent between various pages they might be accessed from? o Are icons and links consistent with the interfaces provided in similar systems already in existence? Flexibility and efficiency of use o Does the interface support novice users without interfering with experienced users? o Do the changes accelerate the search process? Aesthetic and minimalist design o Do the interface changes cause it to contain excessive information? Help and documentation o Are the changes that have been made documented, either in the help functionality or within their context?

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Appendix #14: Evaluator Responses (Nancy)

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Appendix #14: Evaluator Responses (John) (Continued)

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Appendix #15: PDA screens

(Evaluation)

Screen 01

Screen 02

Screen 03

Screen 04

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Appendix #16: PDA screens

Screen 05

Screen 07

(Evaluation)

Screen 06

Screen 08

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Appendix #17: Left side

(Second Prototype)

Problem During our observations we focused on the process of locating library materials within the library system. We noticed that while it is fairly straightforward to locate library materials in the online catalog, there is very little support to help the user actually locate the physical material within the library. The focus of our project is therefore to help orient and guide the user through the library in their search for physical materials.

Solution To solve our problem we decided on two pronged approach. First we made several modifications to the results page within the OASIS web catalog. In order to strengthen the link between the electronic catalog and the real world we added a map directly to the results page that could help guide the user to the proper floor and area of the library. We also made several other changes to fix certain usability issues that we had identified. These changes can be seen immediately to the right. We realized that the web interface revamp was not a complete solution, in part because remembering the location of several books at the same time places an excessive cognitive load on the user. For that reason we developed a mobile system for locating several books at once. The user can look up several books using the PC based catalog interface and create a list of the books they want to find. They can then download this list to a wi-fi enabled PDA which uses triangulation to guide the user through the library to their book. This interface can be seen at the far right.

Evaluation Our evaluation plan consisted of two parts, a heuristic evaluation of the website and a simulated use of our mobile device navigation system using a think aloud protocol. For the heuristic evaluation we explained the changes we had made to the web interface to two users. We then provided them with 14 heuristic criteria on which to evaluate the changes we made. They performed individual evaluations and provided us with free response feedback. For the second part of our evaluation we selected 5 books located throughout the library and prepared a series of 39 lo-fi screenshots for the PDA interface to simulate the process of locating those books. We made sure in doing this that we simulated the case where the book was not on the shelf although the catalog had said it was available. We then asked a user to locate the books using these screens and following a think aloud protocol.

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Appendix #17: Left side (Continued)

(Second Prototype)

Feedback During our evaluations of the two interfaces we received feedback indicating that the following changes would be useful and/or necessary for making the interface helpful and usable:

Website – • •

The changes to the website are not major enough to be even noticeable in many cases. It would be nice to have more prominent visual cues directing the users to these new features. The purpose of some functionality is not readily apparent. It would be good to have more thorough explanations of the changes integrated into the site.

PDA – • • •

The PDA map screen needs to show more detail. It would be nice to be able to zoom in enough to see the rows of books. It is bothersome for the user to have to continually watch the PDA screen and wait for it to provide further instruction. Although the interface affords the user a large amount of autonomy, flexibility, and additional functionality, these features are not readily apparent.

To address these issues we have proposed the following changes to the existing prototype: • Add mouse-over tool tips to the web interface. • Change the “Add to Cart” links to “Add to PDA List” and instruct the user that they have to synchronize their list to a PDA when they use the list functionality. • Add help documentation for the new web interface features. • Add zoom functionality to the PDA map interface. • Use non-visual update cues (either audio or vibration) when the PDA screen updates. • Provide a tutorial for the PDA interface that is offered whenever a user synchronizes a list from a PC to the PDA.

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Appendix #18: Differences with the first prototype

(Second Prototype)

First prototype

Second prototype

First prototype

Second prototype

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Appendix #19: Screens from the storyboard

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Appendix #20: Main interface

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Sources 1. Palm, Inc. : Products; Accessed 11/18/2005; http://www.palm.com/us/products/ 2. Gadget Geeks: i-mate PDA2k Pocket PC (unlocked) GSM Phone ; Accessed 11/18/2005; http://www.gadgetfreeks.com/pda2k.html 3. Preece, et al. Interaction Design: Beyond Computer Human Interface; Copyright 2002, John Wiley and Sons; New York, NY; pp 408 – 415.

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