ContextualInquiry-Group:GeoPhoto
From CS160 User Interfaces Fa06
GeoPhoto Group presents:
Group Member Contributions
Andrew Hao
- Melissa Interview
- Interface Design (Storyboard Drawings, Scenarios)
David Wallace
- Nancy interview
- Problem Overview
- 11 Task Analysis Questions
- Interface Design (text, not drawings)
Yang Wang
- Jack Interview
- Analysis of Task
Jack Yeh
Analysis of Approach / Why Anoto
Target Users (4 points)
Our target users are Flickr members who wish to share their travel adventures with their online social networks.
Melissa
Melissa is a junior MCB major at UC Berkeley. She considers herself to be fairly competent in her familiarity and use of computers. She does not regularly blog, citing concerns of private data going into the public sphere of the Internet, but she considers photo-taking to be an important part of her life. Melissa referenced the time she went abroad to England, and how helpful the camera was in taking photos of scenery, interesting landmarks and capturing photo moments while she socialized with friends. She would like an easy way to share photos with her friends without having it being viewed by everybody.
Jack
Jack considers himself very familiar with computers. He also surfer a lot and are familiar with file uploads and downloads. He owns a digital camera and like to take picture for his facebook page. He is the photographer for a campus student group and takes picture regularly. But he never uses anything like flickr and has problems sharing his photos and even keep photos organized. Since he go on many hiking trips with his campus group. He is looking for a way to quickly upload his photo and sort them accordingly with their geographical locations.
Nancy
Nancy is competent with computers. She has a Flickr account which she updates once or twice a month. She's not experienced at downloading them from the camera and uploading to Flickr, and has to figure it out each time. She wants to post photos from her nature hikes for her friends. She doesn't want to spend any time messing with computers -- she just wants everything to work the first time.
Problem and Solution Overview (1 pt)
Problem
Our user interviews indicate that Flickr's geocoding interface is hard for users to figure out. It is also time-consuming to place a day's worth of photos on a map, and the user may not remember exactly where each photo was taken.
Solution
The user prints out a map of their area on Anoto paper. As they take photos in the field, they circle their location on the map, along with other optional metadata about the photo (tags, privacy options). When they get home, most of the steps are automated by our application -- it downloads their photos from the camera, uploads them to Flickr, tags them, and sets their location.
Contextual Inquiry - Interview Descriptions (15 pts)
Melissa
I sat with Melissa in front of the FSM outside in the afternoon as we walked through steps of finding a map using Google Maps, downloading a photo from the camera to computer, uploading the photo to Flickr and eventually geotagging the photo.
I noticed she tended to use the map search functionality first to narrow down the scope of the map before actually perusing the map. She did not use the dragging functionality of the map, likely because it was not evident she could use it. She was easily able to download photos from the camera to the computer because a) she had done it before and b) the ease of the Windows Scanner and Camera download wizard. Uploading via Flickr was not tough for her, but she noted that the single-image upload fields were somewhat awkward to use for multiple photos.
The bulk of her trouble lay in discovering how to use the Flickr geotagging interface, particularly because the concept was new to her (Admittedly, she would be somewhere out of our target user audience). The Flickr interface did not reveal intuitively to the user where the geotag functionality lay, and she thus visited Flickr's Help section before proceeding to the geotag area of the site.
Jack
My interview with Jack consist of two different part.
First part: Try to print out the map
- He went to Google map (never used it before)
- He printed out the satellite photo, because he want to see certain building
- Can't figure out how to print, the printing is not workingswitched from IE to firefox
- Start from step 1 again in firefox
- The printing worked properly
- The printing is very slow, it is irritating
- But the satellite picture didn't come out.
- He decided to print directly from the browser rather than the google sript
- The satellite picture come out
Second Part: Downloading picture from camera
- He just plugged in the cable connecting the digital camera and computer
- Just diectly copied the picture form the camera to the computer
- Change the name of the picture
- He usually doesn't change the name of the picture
- When he post places where the picture comes up, he will change the name
- It is put into the my picture folder
Third Part: Upload to flickr and tag it
- Upload your first photo
- Click browse
- Didn't see the tag setting and just directly clicked upload
- Kind of impatient toward the upload
- Kind of wondering whether to put description or not
- Sees the tagging function of the flickr after upload, don't know what to do
- Try to figure out by clicking the question mark.
- Finally decide to put tolman as tag
- Don't know what tag is, thinking it is some kind of link, according to face book.
- After he uploaded, he go to tags, and figure out what tag is
- Try to figure out how to Geo-tag
- Try to change the setting of picture.
- Try to change the tag of the picture.
- Try to go back to google map
- Failed
Conclusion: The interview result in a lot of interesting discoveries, like how he only change the name of the picture on pictures he will put on facebook. But the most important conclusion is that flickr interface for geo-tagging is very confusing, and our product will definitely benefit the consumers.
Nancy
Nancy decided to get her map of campus from the UC Berkeley web site instead of Google Maps. She would have to change this habit to use our system, because the map from berkeley.edu contains no geographic data. She was happy to discover a PDF version of the campus map, which she said was easier to print than an image. This is the same reason we chose to produce our maps in PDF format.
Downloading photos from the camera was easy because she's done it many times before. Uploading to Flickr was somewhat tedious, since she had to select images one at a time. While selecting photos, she switched the file chooser to thumbnail view, and then became confused about the difference between selecting a file and viewing it.
Tagging on Flickr was easy, as it is part of Flickr's upload process. Geotagging proved to be very difficult. Flickr's geotagging interface is hidden in the "Organizr" section of the site, and there are no links to it from the main areas of the site. The user looked for a "map" link for a long time before resorting to Flickr's site map and then help section.
She had trouble using the embedded Yahoo map -- she tried to single-click to zoom (which requires a double-click) and did not know that she could drag the map. Lastly, she had trouble placing photos on the map. She wanted to click the photo, then the map; actually, a click and drag is needed. Flickr's interface is confusing because web sites don't usually use dragging or double-clicking, and there are no visual indicators or instructions for using the interface. She also commented on the tediousness of placing each photo on the map one by one.
We hope that our system will allow users to bypass this confusing and tedious part of Flickr.
Task Analysis Questions (5 pts)
1. Who is going to use the system?
Our target user is already a member of Flickr and knows how to use her digital camera. She wishes to share her travel experiences with her online social network with a minimum of additional effort.
2. What tasks do they now perform?
- Take photos while travelling
- Download photos from camera
- Upload to Flickr
- Tag according to content
- Place on Flickr Map using Flickr's geocoding interface
3. What tasks are desired?
- Record location and tags on Anoto paper as photos are being taken
- Using our application, do the following in one fell swoop:
- Download from camera
- upload to Flickr
- tag
- geotag
4. How are the tasks learned?
The user has already learned how to use Flickr. To use our system the user will have to read our Quick Start guide or follow the on-screen wizard's directions.
5. Where are the tasks performed?
Location and tag data are recorded in the field, during photography. The rest occurs at the user's computer after they return home.
6. What's the relationship between user and data?
The user has generated the data in the field while taking photos. The user is proud of the data and feels ownership over it, and wishes to share it with friends.
7. What other tools does the user have?
- The user may have a GPS device; if so, our system is not their best option for geotagging, although they may still use it for tagging.
- The user might already have a map of their location if they are hiking; our map will augment or replace theirs. In an ideal world, all maps would be printed on Anoto paper with built-in geocoding information.
- A laptop or PDA may be present and could serve the same function as the Anoto map, but would be larger, heavier, more fragile, and of shorter battery life than an Anoto pen and map.
8. How do users communicate with each other?
Once photos are on Flickr, users can see each others' photos on the global map and leave comments; until then, the user works in isolation. Multiple photographers on the same hike could share a single Anoto map if they always move in unison.
9. How often are the tasks performed?
A user on vacation would be using the system almost every day; a casual hiker might use it once a month.
10. What are the time constraints on the tasks?
- Printing the map is not time-critical since it will be done while preparing for the trip.
- Marking the map should be fast enough that the user will not be tempted to skip that step, even under chaotic field conditions.
- Uploading may take place in an Internet cafe if the user is travelling, so it should be as quick and painless as possible. This is where the time-saving gbenefits of our system are most apparent.
11. What happens when things go wrong?
Once photos are on Flickr, the user can delete ones they regret, as well as edit their tags and locations. Ideally, our application would allow the user to edit this information before uploading occurs. However, this would:
- Duplicate the functionality of Flickr
- Require the user to lean another set of procedures for the same actions.
- Increase the complexity and coding time of the desktop client.
Analysis of Tasks (10 pts)
Choose 6 tasks (2 easy, 2 moderate, 2 difficult tasks) and describe them. These should be real world tasks that have details (e.g., note-taking in a lecture). We have six tasks that exist in a real-world scenario. These tasks demonstrate that complicated process users have to go through in order to tag their photo with a geographical location and display them on a map in flickr. But with our application, these process with be automated and become much simpler.
1. Find a map of the Berkeley campus on Google Map (easy)
For our application to perform the automated Geo-tagging, the user will have to be able to access some kind of geographical map of the destination beforehand. In this case, we are asking the user to take pictures of and geo-tag the Berkeley campus. But some other possible scenarios are hiking trip in the Death Valley or vacations and tours in Europe.
2. Print out the map (easy)
Since the Anoto pen has the benefit of working in papers, the users only have to carry a paper map around in order to geo-tag the map. But in order to have such kind of simplicity and portability. The user still have to print out a copy of the map in order to utilize the Anoto pen. Thus, it is very important that users are able to print out the map of their destinations with ease.
For our system, we will be guiding the user in the above two parts and geo-code the map of their interest.
3. Download the photos from the camera and organize it (moderate)
This is a task of moderate difficulty that will require some skill on the users' part. But if an user is sufficient with a camera, it should not impose too much of a problem. Most of the cameras now come with an USB cable that will connect directly to the computer and transfer the image.
4. Upload the photos to flickr (hard)
Surprisingly, uploading the photo to flickr can be a very difficult task. This is really due to the fact that flickr have a fairly confusing interface. In order to upload the photos to flickr. There are generally two ways. Simple file upload or a drag and drop interface. But both of them have problem. A simple file upload is incredibly inefficient at upload a large amount of files. And the drag and drop interface is fairly confusing for a beginner. With.
5. Tag photo with the names of the people (moderate)
Tagging the photo is a moderate course of action. The main problem lies in the people will often over look the tagging option, which is buried under a list of fields that you have to figure out.
6. Geo-tag the photo and put it on flickr map (hard)
Geo-tagging is probably the most difficult task. It is recently implemented by the flickr and it is very difficulty to use. First the control to geo-tag the photo is buried under the "Organizer" and there is no quick way to geo-tag some photo. People tend to find mistaken the different between tag and geo-tag and think that geo-tag means tagging with a geographical keyword. It is generally very frustrating and interface is confusing.
Interface Design (20 pts)
The process consists of three steps:
- Printing a map
- Taking photos and marking their locations
- Using our application to send the photos to Flickr
1. Printing a Map
A. The user finds her neighborhood using Google Maps. She cuts-and-pastes the map URL into our map-making application.
B. She provides a list of tags she might use during this photoshoot; they will appear as checkboxes on her map.
C. The user is given the option to print the map directly or generate a PDF file. The printer will directly print the Anoto dots, and she prints it onto ordinary paper.
Fig 1. Printing a Map
2. Taking Photos
A. The user takes a photo.
B. She marks the map with her current location by drawing a tiny circle or making a dot.
C. Optionally, she checks boxes next to each tag she wishes to apply to the photo. If she wants the photo to stay private, she checks the Private box.
The order of these steps is flexible. Pen marks and photos are correlated by closest timestamps, so as long as these steps are done without long delays, the correlation will be correct.
Fig 2. Taking Photos
3. Uploading
A. The user attatches the pen and camera to her computer, and launches our application, which uses a Wizard paradigm.
(B. If this is the first run, she is prompted to authenticate with Flickr.)
C. The user syncs the pen with the wizard
D. The user is presented with a file selection window which she uses to choose her images to upload.
E. The photos are shown on a map as a preview, to verify that everything went smoothly.
F. The user clicks Upload and the photos are sent to Flickr. The user is given a link to click to take them to view the photos as geolocated on his or her map.
Fig 3. Uploading
Storyboard drawings for three scenarios
Hiker
A hiker cares mostly about location data and not much about tags. Our hiker friend John keeps a detailed online journal of his weekend experiences on the trail. He carefully plans out how far he is to go on a given day, first on his trail map, then onto the Internet to frame the correctly-sized map for formatting to print onto his GeoTagging map. He tends to ignore the use of tags in his maps, so he copies-and-pastes the map URL and prints the page from his laser printer on his desk.
John likes to take frequent breaks along his trail, stopping to eat a granola bar, take some water, take photos and mark them on his Anoto paper. He takes a series of photos and marks them once on his map, knowing that each cluster of photos is correlated to one mark on his map. He stops at frequent intervals and takes photos consistently at all these intervals.
John uploads his photos to Flickr at the end of the night and shares them with his friends.
Wedding Photographer
Jennifer is a wedding photographer, and does, on average, three weddings per month. She primarily likes the tagging feature of the GeoPhoto system because by assigning a tag per important guest, it allows her to visually see who she has captured in her photos and who she has left to capture. Her clients can also visit her website and see wedding photos tagged and organized by person - a powerful feature and certainly a draw for Jennifer's business.
Before each wedding, she prints out a map of the location and a list of tags of all the people she wishes to capture in her photos. Today it is the groom, the bride, the bridesmaids and groomsmen. She tends not to use the locational map because most of her subjects are in the same area anyways, but tags heavily after each photo has been taken, using the LCD screen on her camera to review photos and mark each subject (Jennifer also has an extremely vivid memory, allowing her to remember exactly who's in the photo she's taken!).
After the wedding, she downloads her photos and uploads them to Flickr, complete with people tags. Visitors flock to her site to see the photos and are wowed by their comprehensiveness.
Field Biologist
The field biologist prints a map of his or her research area (a swath of rainforest in Brazil) and a list of tags, one for each species of frog (and a few tags to label unknown frogs). He or she begins by plotting his or her area to traverse and printing the correctly scaled map. Then he or she heads out into the field and begins observing and photographing frogs, perhaps writing notes in his or her journal while taking photos of each interesting specimen. The field biologist is very meticulous about keeping notes, and so has no problem remembering to mark the map after every photo. Back at the camp, the biologist downloads the photo and pen data to be synchronized together. While we are not sure why he or she would use Flickr (but heck, who wouldn't?) -- the mapping of photos to location allows the field biologist is able to note a high concentration of poison dart frogs next to the river.
Analysis of Approach / Why Anoto (5 pts)
Our application uses the affordances of the Anoto system several ways. First, pen and paper are easier to carry on trips. TabletPC could display the map as well, but it is not as durable as the map printed on the anoto paper. Also, the anoto system requires less power to operate, and integrates into other tasks quite well(in writing quick notes) Maps and digital pen are easier to carry on the trip when compared to a heavy tabletpc.
Additionally, pre-printed Anoto maps of a tourist area would be easy to sell in a retail/souvenir context and would double as a normal tourist map.
A GPS system is generally easier than our system since it requires no user input. However, GPS doesn't work in some places (such as indoors, urban canyons, caves, and dense jungle) and it can't tag photos like our system.
Pros:
- Weight and size affordance - easy to carry around in backpack and pocket
- Accessibility at all times - no need to keep charged (most appliances could go out of a battery on a long trip lasting an entire day)
- Greater durability than tablet PC or PDA
- Tourist areas can sell or provide Anoto maps the same way they sell normal maps now.
- Map serves dual purpose as normal map and photo locator; users don't need a normal map.
- User applies tags as photos are taken -- perfect for tagging the people in each photo
Cons:
- Not synched to the internet - with a tablet PC the user could upload to Flickr on the fly.
- User must print or buy a physical map; cost and availability are issues
- Requires foresight. If the user's route is not known in advance, it would be difficult to prepare maps.
- Paper map provides fixed level of detail: can't zoom in for more accurate placement of photos.
- The facts that the route must be planned, map acquired and paper printed contribute to a high startup cost.
