Project Part 3 Template

GEE

Final Prototype and Evaluation Plan

Project Description

Gee is a portable children's device that allows a child to complete activities to foster learning at a cultural venue such as a museum. Our device is tailored for a seven year old visiting the High Museum of Art. Although the device could be provided to the child by a school or the museum, we have chosen to focus on the child's experience from the perspective that he owns the device and is visiting the museum with an adult. Prior to going to the museum, activities can downloaded which are specific to a particular exhibit. The various activities will include drawing and reading. Some exercises can be completed before the child goes to the museum to prepare him for what he will see. By interacting with the device while visiting the exhibit, the child can have more informative and personalized experience. Finally there are post-visit activities which will reinforce and extend what the child has learned. Once the child has completed the activities he will have the capability to either print or upload his work in order to share it with others.

Design Summary

Since our device is intended to encourage children to learn about art and even create art themselves, our final design is an artist's palette with a bunny backpack to allow the child to easily carry the device. The 8" tall bunny will look like a stuffed animal with a soft plush exterior and will have his own artist's beret to wear. A velcro pouch inside the bunny will provide a safe place to store the palette when not in use. Within the bunny's floppy ears will be headphones so that the child can use the device without disturbing anyone at the museum. The bunny's arms will serve as the backpack's straps. There are no loose pieces for the child to lose. Both the bunny and the palette together weigh only 2-3 pounds. Thus the device is lightweight and very portable.

Around the edges of the palette are colorful buttons and other items that can be selected to do various tasks including volume control and the power button. The buttons represent simple concepts and rely on pictures rather than words to explain their functions. One main button allows the child to select one of four modes: Home, Museum, Group, Share. Home mode allows the child to perform pre- and post- tasks and is an audio-oriented mode. Museum mode allows for the scanning of barcodes in the exhibit. The focus is more visual in nature. Group mode allows the child to connect to other device users for interactive fun. Share mode helps the child upload or print his work. In the center of the palette is the area where the child reads or draws. A fairly important feature is the ability to save the child's work and keep it readily accessible. For example, when a child is drawing, he might decide that his current work isn't as wonderful as he had hoped. Instead of starting from scratch he can save the incomplete work and begin a new one. While in the process of making the new one, he might decide that a particular portion of the earlier one is really great. So he can scroll backward until he finds the picture he is looking for.

This interface is a pen input device driven design, with an artist’s palette metaphor. The pen input device is attached to the main unit with a retractable cable and a bearing unit that is affixed to the perimeter of the main unit. This allows the user to position the pen’s attachment position to accommodate for user preference. The digital screen is also dynamic in that whatever the child changes its position to, a gyroscopic chip will update the graphics and text of the system to follow and always remain square to the user.

Shaped like a real artist's palette, the device will have a retractable carrot-shaped pen (with an accelerometer*) with which the child can provide input either by drawing on the screen or by scanning a barcode at the exhibit. The green end of the carrot rotates 360 degrees and swivels to accommodate all drawing orientations. The part that attaches to the device is a bearing in a track and can slide all the way around the device.

Turning the palette on requires that the carrot pen come in contact with the small 'ON' button. The bunny turns on when palette turns on. The palette shuts off in the same manner and also has an automatic shut off feature in case the device is not used for a long period of time. Both the palette and the bunny are powered by rechargeable batteries; the child can plug the palette in while at home and put the carrot in the bunny's mouth to recharge him.

The bunny guides the child through the exercises by bouncing and giggling to provide positive feedback and ongoing encouragement. The bunny also talks to the child to keep the child engaged in the activities.

Our design relies heavily on the wireless capabilities of BlueTooth. All communication between the palette and the bunny is done via a wireless connection. Multiple devices can even "talk" to each other in the same manner. The headphones also receive signals from the palette. In order to share his work with others the child can either upload or print a design. Both uploading and printing of activities will be done wirelessly as well.

Slight modifications would need to be made to museum exhibits in order to allow full use of the device. Objects in the exhibit will need barcodes that the child can scan with the carrot pen. The museum will need to associate each barcode with information about each art object. The information will then be placed on a content server at the entrance to the exhibit where it can be downloaded via BlueTooth to the palette.

The most important usability criteria for our device are synthesizability (feedback), customizability, and recoverability. Equally important is the ease with which a child can learn how to use the device.

Feedback is extremely important but the types of feedback may have to change depending on the child's surroundings. When used in the Home mode, audio and visual feedback are plentiful. Much to the child's amusement, the bunny giggles, talks, and moves. In addition to the bunny's animation, the palette provides more visual stimuli. Flashing regions on the interface can provide suggestions about which buttons to touch or which activities to try next. In a museum setting, even with headphones, excessive audio feedback might be disruptive either to the child or to other patrons at the museum. In order to compensate for the lack of audio output, the system will have to provide more visual feedback. Putting the device in Museum mode decreases the amount of audio feedback and increases the amount of visual feedback.

Customizability is also important because it allows the child to personalize the device. First, it is physically customizable to the child as far as their preference of which orientation to hold the device and where to position the pen input device attachment. The applications themselves would be customizable to the child’s specific learning ability by having multiple versions of the application that would become more difficult or less difficult depending on the child’s skill and maturity levels. In addition to this, the device will allow the child to personalize their device, so that the bunny will refer to them by first name, know where they live and what activities the child prefers. Calling the child by name also keeps the child engaged in the activity. The various modes (Home/Museum/Group/Share) are also a way of customizing the device. The child can choose to work by himself or with others and can also select the type of environment in which he is working.

Children will make mistakes when using our system. Recovery from those errors should be easy and the device should offer some type of help or encouragement so that the child does not get frustrated and give up. By using buttons to directly move the child to key parts of the interface, our system can actually assist the child in correcting any errors that will be made. If a user jumps modes (let's say from the Museum mode to the Share mode), the device saves the application right where he left off, and he can jump back to it by selecting the Museum button out of the pie-shaped mode toolbar at the bottom of his screen.

Prototype A

Prototype A is the interface to our GEE product. The interface is colorful, easy to work with and free of cluttered words (e.g. such as lots of reading material). The child will interact with the interface by using the carrot pen and tapping it to their choice on the interface.

The basic interface is split up into two main sections. There is the actual display where the user will receive feedback from the device and view their input that they perform. The other section of the interface contains the control buttons of the device. These buttons are not physical buttons that the user can feel. They are merely images emitted via the screen and the user will use their carrot pen to execute the function of the buttons.

Explanation of the buttons:

Paint Button: The paint button allows the user to use the paintbrush for some of their activities. When the child selects the paint button, the display screen will output the different sizes of the paint option. There will only be 4 modes of the paint brush size. They will be represented in different sized circles that the user can select with their carrot pen.

Draw Button: The draw button allows the user to draw in pencil for some of their activities. When the child selects the paint button, the display screen will output the different sizes of the pencil points. There will be only 4 modes of the pencil points. Each of the pencil points will be represented in different sized squares and the user will select their option with their carrot pen.

Color Button: The color button allows the user to select their different modes of color to be used in their activities. When the child selects the color button, the display screen will output the color pallet containing the colors. For this feature we will use only web colors. The reason to this is so that when the user wishes to share their artwork with other users, the colors will look the same on the different web interfaces.

Shapes Button: The shape button allows the user to select the different shape types used in their activities. When the child selects the shape button, the display screen will output different types of shapes (e.g. circle, square, triangle, and rectangle). The child will then use their carrot pen and select their preferred shape.

Save Page Button: The save page button is used so that the child can save their work. The child will select this button with their carrot pen and on the display screen they will be prompted with short and easy information about their image.

Rationale

Based on our research, we considered our interface to be an important factor in engaging the child and maintaining their attention as much as possible. Because our user group can loose interest very quickly, we felt that it is best to design illustrative, colorful, and one word buttons. We also chose words that the user used a lot when performing many of their activities. Along with the interface, we are very much aware that the external features of the device are as important.

Scenario

Background of Scenario

This basic scenario is of a child and their parent that are visiting the museum. The child does own this device personally and therefore would be considered to be a skilled user. The child and parent will use the interface to tour and interact with the art pieces located in the High Museum of Art.

Dawn is a 7 - year old girl that is very much interested in many of the art pieces at the High Museum of Art. Along with the educational visits that she has attended with her school, she and her mom frequently visit the museum for pleasure. Recently, for Dawn’s birthday, her mom purchased the GEE device so that they can both enhance their experience at the museum.

Today is Dawn’s third time visiting the museum with her GEE device. She and her mom are quite familiar with the museum process and how the GEE device is used to enhance their museum experience.

Today Dawn and her mom are fascinated by the many abstract art pieces that the High Museum carries. Dawn has chosen a particular piece that she wishes to explore more. She uses her carrot pen and scans the barcode next to the actual art piece. The title ABSTRACT ART shows up. Following this action the image is displayed on the screen along with the title of the art piece and the author. A navigation tool will also be displayed on the screen to allow Dawn and her mom to either learn more about the painting or practice an activity.

Dawn chooses the option that enables her to practice an activity. The interface displays a much easier image that can explain the process of abstraction. The image is of a duck. On the screen the duck is drawn in abstract form using geometrical shapes. When Dawn uses her carrot pen and high lights over a shape it will out put the shape type. At the bottom of the screen a navigation menu will wait for Dawn either to input “learn more” or “draw”.

Dawn chooses the draw command and the same duck image is displayed so that Dawn can begin her task of drawing. She selects the shape button with her pen and moves to the screen display and draws the abstract art piece.

As she completes her task, her mom reminds her to save her work and the move on to another piece in the museum.

Possible Mistakes and Assessment

Because the interface is designed to be as simple and straight to the point, the user may not experience too many errors. The only possible error that the user can make is when they become skilled users.

They might forget to press the correct button. For instance in the case of Dawn drawing abstract shapes, she may have selected the paint option instead of the shape button.

Also, we do have a save page option. We do automatically save projects if the user forget to save. The main reason for us displaying the save command is to get the user, from a young age, to practice saving work when using electronic devices. We feel this is a very valuable lesson that everyone should learn.

Prototype Assessment

· Interface should stay colorful and more use of images if extra features are added.

· Reading information should be short and brief to keep child’s attention.

· Practice activities should be something realistic so that the child will stay motivated and accomplish them.

· Buttons on interface are of good shape so that the child can easily use to accomplish their task.

· Buttons should be large and noticeable.

· Leave large amount for child to practice their activity.

· Navigation should be both backward and forward.

· Possibly the distance between the buttons should be further to keep child from pressing the wrong button.

· Show the page numbers of the activities. This way the parent will know the length of the activity.

Visual Material

Visual materials for this prototype are attached and include brief descriptions at the bottom of each figure.

Prototype B

The second prototype is intended to simulate the physical characteristics of the palette, including the weight, size, and shape. Our device is intended for use by children and must therefore be able to withstand fairly rough handling. This prototype, made of polycarbonate (Lexan), has a similar resistance to impact as the actual device, which is made of plastic. A real carrot is used to simulate the size and shape of the carrot pen. This prototype also includes a model of the bunny backpack. By attaching straps and performing a little surgery on a stuffed dog, the backpack with a pocket for storing the palette can be simulated.

Rationale

The physical appearance of the device is important in maintaining the user's interest. It must be bright and colorful. The carrot lets the child imagine he can do things that aren't normally possible (writing with a carrot!). Durability is key. It is likely that the device will be dropped or stepped on. The electronics used to make the device work are sensitive and must be protected by a hard outer shell. The weight of the device is also a serious consideration. The child is going to be carrying the device around a museum so it must be lightweight and convenient to carry. A backpack provides protective way to carry the palette while keeping it easily accessible. Also the headphones (attached to the bunny's ears) are an important part of the "Museum" mode. The bunny itself is an integral part of the system as it communicates with both the child and the palette.

Scenario

Dawn and her mom are again visiting the museum. Dawn is walking around the museum with the backpack on her back and the headphones on her ears. She is carrying the device. Its curvy shape makes it easy to hold onto. She doesn't mind carrying it because it doesn't weigh much. When she sees a painting that she likes, she can use the carrot pen to scan the bar code and learn more about the painting. If she chooses to draw a picture, she can turn the palette in the direction she finds most comfortable and the picture always stays upright. Later Dawn is about to leave the museum. She removes her headphones from her ears and takes the bunny backpack off her shoulders. After placing the palette inside, Dawn and her mom walk to the car. The backpack keeps the palette safe by keeping it dry when it rains and by protecting it from impact. Once Dawn arrives at home, she pulls open the velcro closures and removes the palette from the backpack. When she touches the carrot pen to the power button, the bunny springs to life. "Hi Dawn! What did you learn at the museum today? Do you want to draw a picture?" Dawn proceeds to choose a color and a shape and creates a picture for her mom.

Possible Mistakes and Assessment

The motion of using a barcode scanner might be troublesome for a child to get used to. Drawing with digital pens is also kind of awkward at first. Many of the pen movements will be simple touching of buttons which will be large enough so that they can be easily pressed. The child may have difficulty initially trying to open the bag. We considered using a zipper but chose velcro because it is simple to use and isn't as susceptible to wear and tear as a zipper. The design is kid-friendly and will also protect the palette from harm.

Prototype Assessment

The shape, size, weight and texture of the prototype are very close to the true dimensions of the real device. The actual device might be slightly thicker that the prototype. Another thing that is slightly different is the way we had envisioned the handles. We intended to have some sort of opening that the child could put his hand through to grip the palette. The Lexan doesn't allow for cutting those openings. The size of a real carrot is just about perfect for our carrot pen. A large barrel is easy for small fingers to grasp.

Unfortunately a stuffed bunny was nowhere to be found, so a dog was substituted. Any sort of friendly animal will do, except the carrot pen only makes sense with the bunny. The dog demonstrates the necessary characteristics - he is soft, is the right size and weight, and provides a storage place for the palette.

Visual Material

Visual materials for this prototype are attached.

Prototype C

Our third prototype is a 3D model of tablet device and carrot pen. It is an Alias model that could be used to assist the participant with visualizing the actual product.

(NOTE: An idea that we have had is using this model to create a fly-by animation to give the participant a good overview of what the product looks like or to create a Quicktime VR movie that allows the user to virtually ‘grab’ the model and look at it from any angle they want. We are still debating the actual usefulness of such directions and hope to get some input at the poster session to either justify the time that this would take, through feedback that this would be essential to fully understand the product or feedback that tells us that this would be a waste of time and does little to describe the interface.)

Rationale

This prototype is excellent for allowing the users and evaluators to see a picture of what the device looks like. The proportions and shape of the device and the positions of buttons are clearly visible. This primary advantage of this model is that it showcases the technological aspects of the design. This model shows how the device can be rotated while the activity on the screen maintains and upright orientation. It also demonstrates the use of the carrot pen including the accelerometer technology.

Possible Mistakes and Assessment

Some potential problems may arise with learning how to operate the power buttons and the volume control initially. Getting used to the rotating screen may also cause some confusion at first.

Prototype Assessment

This model will help the users and evaluators understand the device more completely. It provides a good idea of the physical details and dimensions of the device (color, size, finish). Having a visual model helps people to envision and imagine the activities and the use of the pen.

Visual Material

Visual materials for this prototype are attached.

Detailed evaluation plan

Three types of evaluation seem to apply very easily to our device: Cognitive Walkthrough, Think Aloud, and Heuristic Evaluation. Each type of analysis provides different but meaningful results. Think Aloud is an observational technique while the other two are analytic approaches. The various methods of evaluation also address our usability criteria and design goals.

Evaluation A - Cognitive Walkthrough

In a cognitive walkthrough, evaluators step through sequences of actions in order to find usability problems. The key idea is to test the learnability of the system. Since our users are children, it is very likely that this type of device is fairly new to them. Our palette should be simple to use so both first-time and repeat users can quickly accomplish the desired result with a minimal number of errors. Learnability is critical to the success of our design, so a cognitive walkthrough seems like a good way to evaluate the device. Cognitive walkthrough is a fairly subjective type of evaluation and provides mainly qualitative data. In order to perform a cognitive walkthrough we'll need a good description of a prototype, a task description, a list of actions to be completed, and user characteristics. A representative task for our device would be a child using the device to do a follow-up activity after visiting the museum such as creating a drawing. A list of specific actions to be performed would include the specific buttons which much be touched using the carrot pen in order to turn on the device, draw and save a picture, and print out the drawing to show it to a parent.

Example Sequence of Actions:

1. User opens backpack and pulls out the palette.

2. User pulls the carrot pen away from the palette.

3. User touches carrot pen to power button.

4. Bunny says "Hello Dawn!"

5. Using the carrot pen, user selects "Home" mode from the menu.

6. User selects "Draw."

7. Bunny says, "Pick a color."

8. User touches pen to "Color" button.

9. A palette of colors appears on the screen.

10. User selects a color.

11. Bunny says, "Pick a shape."

12. User selects a shape.

13. Iterate on 7-12 until finished with drawing.

14. User selects "Save."

15. User selects "Share" mode.

16. Two options appear: Print or Upload?

17. User selects "Print."

18. User removes drawing from printer and gives it to parent.

19. User touches carrot pen to power button

20. Device and bunny are off.

21. User puts palette back into bunny backpack.

A typical user would be a seven year old with some reading skills and a creative mind. Once a prototype, a task, and users are described, a believability story must be formulated by answering the following four questions at each stage in the sequence of actions:

1) Will the users be trying to produce whatever effect the action has?

2) Will users be able to notice that the correct action is available?

3) Once users find the correct action at the interface, will they know that it is the right one for the effect they are trying to produce?

4) After the action is taken, will users understand the feedback they get?

The evaluation will be performed by both designers of the device and educators who work with seven year olds.

Evaluation B - Think Aloud

Think Aloud will allow the designers to sit down with the users as they are using the device. This will provide an ongoing dialogue in which the child can explain what actions he is taking and why and the evaluator can ask questions and assist whenever necessary. This method of analysis addresses the learnability of the system as the user can ask questions if he is unable to figure something out. Recoverability can also be observed. If a child makes a mistake, the evaluator can watch to see how quickly he gets out of it by himself or if he needs to ask questions in order to proceed. Actually, this type of evaluation allows you to find out exactly WHAT outcome the user expects to be produced by each of their actions and WHY they think this. The evaluator could then show them what would result, and you can get feedback as to whether this outcome makes sense to them. This technique allows you to get into the user's head and assess your design without guessing what the user MIGHT be thinking. The effects of visual and audio feedback may also be noticed through this type of evaluation. In order to complete this type of evaluation we may have to incorporate some "Wizard of Oz" techniques to help the user make the transition between the prototypes, screenshots, and storyboards and the real functioning device. This might be especially difficult with kids because they want to see the real device, and it might be difficult for them to envision the finished product. Although Think Aloud is a fairly intrusive way of measuring a design, in this case the interaction between the evaluator and the child is good. The child will very often be using the device with the assistance of an adult who can provide guidance if needed. So the evaluator need not be afraid of helping too much. It might also be possible to include the child's parent in the evaluation process and as a result gain additional feedback about the device.

Evaluation C - Heuristic Evaluation

Heuristic Evaluation involves the consideration of ten heuristics in order to discover usability problems in a design. Storyboards or prototypes can be used to describe the system to the evaluator. The majority of the heuristics apply directly to our three criteria. The most relevant are (grouped by design goal):

Feedback:

Visibility of system status -

The user must always know how the current state of the device relates to what he is trying to accomplish. It must be obvious how to proceed to the next state.

Customizability:

Flexibility and efficiency of use - The user can tailor the device to his specific needs.

Learnability:

Aesthetic and minimalist design -

All buttons should be self-explanatory and should never be confusing. The device should be brightly colored and as simple as possible.

Recoverability:

User control and freedom -

Error Prevention -

Help users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors -

Help and documentation -

All of the above help prevent and minimize errors and help the user get back on track as quickly as possible when an error is made.

Although Heuristic Evaluation also provides subjective, qualitative data, it is an important technique and is distinguishable from Cognitive Walkthrough in that it provides information at a higher level. It assesses overall characteristics of the design instead of task-specific ones.

*Accelerometer:

An accelerometer is a device that measures acceleration. With these devices you can calculate speed, distance, direction, as well as acceleration. These devices are currently available with MEMS technology (Micro-Electromechanical Systems). This technology allows them to be about the same size as a tic-tac and consume very low amounts of power (<1mA @ 2.7V).

Analog Devices is a leader in these devices, here is their MEMS website:

http://www.analog.com/imems/

BT (British Telecom) has a pen called Smart Quill in their research labs that can perform some of the functions the Carrot pen can.

http://www.bt.com/innovation/exhibition/smartquill/index.htm