GroupBrainstorm-Group:KMAT
From CS160 User Interfaces Fa06
Contents |
Team Member Name
Kang Chen, Melissa Jiang, Andrew Tran, Tak Wong
Brainstorm
Tourist Information
1. Restaurant: Top ranked, Homestyle/local
2. Recreation Area: Beaches, Parks, Lakes, Theme Park
3. Shopping: Malls, Boutiques
4. **Main Attractions**: Monuments, Bridges, Sightseeing
5. Upcoming events: Sports, Plays, Shows
6. Parades: Gay pride parade, Lunar new year parade
7. Concerts
8. Museums/Art galleries
9. Hotels: Rating, Price
10. Rental Cars: Price
Gas Stations
11. **Location**
12. **Price**
13. Car wash
14. Auto shop
15. Water/air
16. Convenient stores
17. Diesel
18. Hours
19. Type: Shell, Chevron, 76, Arco, Olympus
Trip planning
20. Arrival times: Real time tracking (Nextbus)
21. Distance: How far from destination
22. Price
23. **Mode of transportation**: Bus, Subway, Train, Bike
24. Alternate routes: Inroads/highway/local, Detours/disruptions
25. **Route**: Stops, Gas station, Trip chaining
26. Total time
Traffic info
27. Alternate routes
28. Freeway
29. Resting areas/restroom
30. **Speed**
31. Tolls: Fastrak
32. Radio stations in the area
33. **Congestion**: Construction, Detours, Accidents
34. Hospitals
35. Carpool: Carpool lanes, Carpool time, Location (LA)
36. Parking lots
37. One way streets
38. Chain gas station
Idea Selection
We wanted to incorporate everyone within the group's idea into the project and thus, we picked out the ideas we deemed most important and/or most useful. Each idea can be a useful tool for a different type of people and thus, we would reach a larger audience. The central still revolves around using a map, circling a specific area and then returning the information desired.
Tourist attractions
We chose to include main attractions due to the assumption that travelers wanting attraction information the most.
Gas Stations
We wish to include Price and Location of each gas station which will be useful for anyone, not just tourists.
Trip Planning
Mode of transportation and route are integrated and thus we chose to combine the two and return numerous routes and mode of transportation so the user can choose the best way to go.
Traffic Information
We deemed congestion and speed to be most important because the speed and congestion can and will determine whether the user will go that route or not.
Target User
Users
Tourist, Commuters, Drivers, Less Tech Savvy population
Reasoning
Tourists will find use for almost all the information we provide due to mainly probably not knowing any of those information within the new area in the first place. Communters and drivers would find usefulness in gas stations, and trip planning and traffic info in order to find the best priced gas station, find out if there are congestions and if there are congestion, trip planning for a better route. Less tech savvy people will benefit from this as well because they will not need to know much about computers in order to use and gain all these information which normally requires the usage of a computer.
Problem Description
As mentioned in the Target User Group, relaying of the mass amount of information will be much easier for each of the targeted groups. Tourists usually do not know where good main attractions are and sometimes, those attractions are hard to find on the internet. Also, while the tourists are out, it does not seem convient to carry arround a laptop trying to find wireless hotspots in order to find the newest attractions. As for commutters and drivers, even if they are less tech savvy, they can easily find out regarding traffic congestion and speed without resorting to waiting for the stupid news to say the info. Thus, having the ability to send the information to your cell phone or PDA at anytime you want without having to resort to a laptop once again will be very useful. Also, many may not even know where to look online for good cheap gas stations and locations, and thus, the gas station info will be very useful for many.
Problem Context
Congested areas in peak hours, many unexpected events can happen, and thus, it would be easy to retrieve real time information while you are driving (granted it is not as safe as doing nothing, but it is still safer than typing and clicking on a laptop). When a driver is running out of gas, and the driver wants to find the cheapest gas station around, then the circling and retreiving the information will be easily done without needing access to a laptop once again. A tourist is usually new to the area, they may find themselves in a section of the city but not knowing where to go for the next event. Simply pulling out the preprinted map and circling the area they are in will provide the nearest attraction for them to visit and have a good time! Once again, if a person is already outside of the home, trying to reach another area by another route, then they can easily circle the start area and the end area and have the routes and mode of transportation sent to their handhelds.
Why Anoto System is a good technology for the problem
Compared to using a laptop or tablet PC, the Anoto system is small, more portable, and is less likely for someone to steal. Without a computer interface, It does not require the users to know how to use a computer. It also accomodates the drawback of laptops since it doesn't require a battery and does not need wireless in the area.
Solution Sketch
Our solution begins with the user pulling out a notebook containing a collection of relevant pre-printed maps. The user then proceeds to circle a source or the location they begin their trip and a destination. Afterwards, the user has the option to select which category of information they would like to request. This can simply be done by checking the appropriate checkboxes. Once done, the coordinates of the source and destination along with the categories requested will be transmitted via a cellphone or other internet connected devices to the internet and eventually to our server.
Upon receiving the request from the user. The server performs some simple lookup in the registration database to find the return address (such as the phone number registered with the Anoto system) and begin aggregating external data. The data being aggregated will depend on which categories the user had requested. Once done, another process will organize the data and sends it back to the user using the return address found in the database.
