LoFi-Group:KMAT
From CS160 User Interfaces Fa06
Contents |
Team Member and Role
Kang Chen - Assist with interviewing all subjects, inputting and modifying this wiki.
Melissa Jiang - Assist with interviewing subjects H and D, inputting and modifying this wiki.
Andrew Tran - Assist with interviewing all subjects, inputting and modifying this wiki.
Tak Wong - Assist with interviewing subject A, inputting and modifying this wiki.
Introduction and Mission Statement
The system we aspire to implement is the system involving a map. The user, using the Anoto pen, can circle areas to find the cheapest and nearest gas stations, trace along a freeway to retrieve real time traffic information, and circle a source and a destination in order to retrieve directions from the source to the destination (either by public transportation or by private vehicle).
The purpose of our system it to let the user find the closest ATM of their desired bank, find the closest gas station, get directions on how to get from one place to another by car or transit, and can get real time traffic information of major freeways easily. The rationale behind our system is to let the user obtain information that they need at a certain location easily from anywhere. These information should be related to where they are or where they need to be. The pen and paper is lightweight and can be very portable. It only utilizes something that is very common among about the general population (namely, the cell phone or a PDA). The pen and paper can remove the necessity of a computer in terms of finding directions and addresses of banks and gas stations. Also, the user will have the map as a visual guide instead of just simply having directions or addresses without any image to accompany.
Our mission is to enable our users to obtain directions, gas station locations, ATM/Banks locations the moment that they need it as easily as possible. Therefore, our interface will be simple because we will remove complicated steps and only require simple circling, tracing or checking the corresponding check boxes.
Prototype Description
The map itself is printed on an 8.5 x 11 inch paper. It is printed in landscape format with the map of San Francisco on the left side of the page and the labeled check boxes on the right side of the page. There are 7 check boxes, the first three naming the top three ATMs (Bank of America, Washington Mutual, and Wells Fargo), the fourth check box is the gas station check box, and the last three are check boxes for trip planning (by public transportation, private vehicle, and traffic information). Instructions for how to retrieve the information they want was printed on the back of the paper, also in landscape format.
Map:
Instructions on the Back:
Next, the cell phone was hand drawn to resemble the Motorola Razr phone. The screen of the cell phone was then cut out in order to display the text messages. We had previously chosen three specific tasks for the user to simulate.
The first task was to circle downtown San Francisco and check the gas station check box. Because of that decision, we researched online from the website www.gaspricewatch.com where the cheapest and closest gas stations are. The information is then written on a strip of paper that would fit into the screen of the cut out Motorola Razr phone. The content of the text message displays 3 different gas stations. Each gas station includes the name of the station, the address and cross street as well as the price of the regular gas. We made sure that the text message characters are limited to 160 characters or less.
Gas Station and Cell Phone:
The second task was to trace the I-101 freeway on the map. We had previously researched information on the PM peak traffic information. The text message describes from location and to location, the travel time of segment, and the travel speed of each freeway, and any traffic accidents. There was one traffic accident that happened to be on there. The traffic accident includes where it happened (on I-80 on 7th street), time of the accident and the amount of lanes open. We also made sure the text message characters are limited to 160 characters or less.
Traffic Information and Cell phone:
The third task was to retrieve directions from Chinatown to Ocean Beach at Judah using public transportation. The messages shows the street intersection where they should get on the bus, what bus to take, how much it costs, where to get off or transfer, total travel time, and total costs of the whole trip.
Trip Planning and Cell phone:
Method
Participants
Subject H: Subject H is a 4th year UCB student majoring in Civil Engineering. The subject was born and raised in San Francisco and is somewhat familiar with the area but does not know it like the back of his hand. Subject H was among the candidates that one of our friends recommended. We decided to choose subject H because he dislikes being lost and is very confident about his abilities to use a map to find directions. The subject also has a very unique obsession with maps which fits quite nicely with our theme.
Subject D: Subject D is a 4th year P.E.I.S major at UCB. The subject resides in San Francisco and is a regular commuter between S.F. and Berkeley. Subject is another friend that one of our friends recommended. We elected him as one of our candidates because he is a commuter which fits the description of our targeted user group. Also, the subject is familiar with S.F. and will be able to give us feedbacks on how helpful the instructions we return will be.
Subject A: Subject A is a 4th year Civil Engineering major at UCB. The subject was born and raised in Cerritos, CA and lived at Berkeley for the past 3 years. Subject occasionally goes to San Francisco to find places to hang out, so he is somewhat familiar with the area. Subject A was chosen because the subject both drives and takes public transportation to SF occasionally and is somewhat familiar with SF. He will represent the target users who are not native to SF but will occasionally need directions to get the subject to unfamiliar places. Though unfamiliar, the subject has a general idea of where the subject's destination is on the map.
Environment
We conducted our low fidelity interviews in indoor settings that also had a fair amount of background noise. Our intention was that users of our system will probably have trouble using the system while driving. Therefore, we assume the users will have pulled over. The time it takes for a driver to circle a region on the map and then read the instructions s/he will receive on the cellphone is long enough to provide ample room for traffic accidents. Therefore, the stationary indoor setting is not too different from reality. Additionally, the background noise is very analogus to cars passing by or other people chatting closeby to you on public transit. We did not try to emulate the situation of when drivers use other devices while driving due to liability reasons.
The prototype was easily setup. A copy of the map was printed and ready to go. We made a paper copy of the Motorola Razr with the screen section cut out. Text messages of what would happen if the user performs the tasks successfully was made and written on different pieces of index cards. The cell phone is setup by putting the index cards behind the cell phone with the text messages showing through the cut out screen portion.
Tasks
Gas Station
The participants were asked to find a gas station in the downtown area of San Francisco. Upon receiving text messages on their cell phone, they were also asked to point out the gas stations on the map.
Traffic Information
The participants were asked to find traffic information such as traffic speed, whether there are accidents, and other freeway related information on freeway 101.
Trip Planning
Participants were asked to pretend they are currently at the public library in S.F. Chinatown. Their goal is to go across S.F. to Ocean Beach by public transit.
Results for each task is stated in the Results section.
Team Member Assignments
We rotated positions between each interview so each member had a chance to be the greeter, facilitator, observer/recorder, and the computer.
Testing Procedure
The greeter began by greeting the participant and giving some brief information about our system. The facilitator then stepped into the scene and gave a demo to the user. The demo was to find ATM's within the circled region on the map. After the demo, the facilitor gave the participant the first task to be performed which was finding the gas station within the downtown area in S.F. At this point, user begins the task while the observer begins to write down any significant events or comments. After the first task is completed, we gave the user a mini break before proceeding to the next task. The user is welcomed to provide further comments about the task during this period of time. After the break, the failitator again gave the participant the next task to be performed. The second task was to find out traffic information on a freeway which we designated to be freeway 101. This is followed again by a mini break before the third and final task. For the final task, the user is asked to imagine they are currently in the public library in Chinatown S.F. and their goal is to get to the Ocean Beach at Judah by public transit. While the user is performing tasks, the facilitator occassionally answer questions from the user. After the user completed all three tasks, the facilitator proceeded to inquire the participant for more feedback. Next, the facilitator begin asking the user a set of questionaires about their background, usage, habits, etc.
Test Measures
We are mainly looking for how easy it is to use our interface. Overall, the users are able to find the approximate locations we specified in our tasks. For subject D, when we told him to find ocean beach, he circled the whole ocean in the west of San Francisco. That may create a problem in the real interface since our interface will only use the center point of the circle. In this case, it turns out that the center of his circle is where we want him to circle, so our simulation still works out. We also observed how hard it is for the users to find the locations we displayed in the text messages. They can find the general area of the displayed location on the map, but have a hard time identifying the exact intersection of the location. One of the task that they had trouble with was to find a gas station at 3rd street and S. Park Street because S. park street does not show up on the map and the label for 3rd street is a bit far away from the location. Both of our users noticed some flaws in our map. The highway 80 is missing from the map, so they spotted the problem and wondered what happened to the freeway. There were also labels missing for the freeways, the user can't tell whether it is 101 or 280 without experience.
Results
Gas Station Task
The result from this task was quite diversed even though this was an easy task. Subject H seemed to be very experienced with using a map. Because the demo was very related to this task, subject H performed this task really quick. He circled downtown San Francisco and made a check mark for gas stations. The facilitator asked him to think out loud, and he responded "Well i was just thinking this task was easy." After the phone and text message was presented to him, he scrolled down on the cell phone to view the whole text message. He was able to locate all the gas stations on the map even though the map lacked some street names. On the other hand, Subject D spent a little longer on this task. He was hesitant in drawing a circle in downtown SF, but he did it anyways. "I don't think i am doing this right" was what he stated. After reading the text message he had trouble finding the gas stations on the map. He was only able to locate 2 out of the 3 gas stations written in the text. Subject D said, "I can't find the last gas station the streets aren't even labeled." Facilitator responded it was ok that he couldn't find them all because it was our fault for the poor interface. Subject A had some trouble finding downtown San Francisco. He made a big circle around downtown once he located the area on the map. Intead of check marks subject A made X's. After he had performed this task the computer showed him the phone with text message for him to find the gas stations on the map. Subject A remarked "Wait, I expected the gas stations to be within the circle that i drew." He still looked for the gas stations from the text, but had the same trouble finding the third gas station.
Traffic Information Task
All three of our subjects had some difficulty with this task. Subject H circled the wrong freeway and made a check mark. While he was doing it he said "Ok im going to circle the freeway and make the check mark." He assumed this was right but showed confusion when the computer didnt show him any text messages. He asked for help but none of us responded. "Hmmm, O yea instructions", then subject H remembered the demo on how we flipped the paper over to read the instructions on how to do a task. He noticed the little box in the bottom right corner of the paper that stated "Instructions on back" and flipped the paper over to read the instructions on how to find traffic information. He reread the task out loud and then traced the correct freeway and made a check mark again. Now the computer showed him the text messaged and he scrolled down the phone to read the whole message. Subject D had better success on this task. Before he did the task, he was thinking about how to carry it out. He flipped over the paper and saw the directions. Subject D exclaimed, "Where the h*** is the freeway?" He looked and was prompted to trace a different freeway, but then he resolved to the correct freeway and traced it, made the check mark at the correct box, and read the text message after the computer showed it to him. Subject A took a long time finding highway 101. He was spending a small amount of time trying to figure out which direction was north. He stated, "Well i can't really find the freeway, i mean they are not labeled, so i cant do this task." After the facilitator told him to make his best guess, subject A traced the freeway along the entire map and made an x mark. He finished the task by reading the text message the computer presented to him
Trip Planning by Transit Task
This task was difficult for our interviewees. It was difficult because our task involved them finding the start and destination location. Subject H had little trouble finding the start location in downtown SF and drew a circle at the correct spot, he did however had trouble finding the destination location because of our poor instructions and bad quality map. He asked "What do you mean ocean beach?" and the facilitator clarified it for him. Then he circled the intersection, made the appropriate check mark, and waited for the text. He finally finished reading the text message on how to get from his starting point to his destination. The result from subject D's interview was similar to subject H's. He also had little trouble finding the starting location from the given instruction. Subject D did not ask for any clarification when trying to find the destination location. So he circled the entire ocean beach instead of any streets. The computer did not show him the text message so he asked for some assistant. "What did i do wrong?" he asked. Then the facilitator made the clarification of the location of the destination, so he went back, took some time in looking for the location, and made the circle. He waited but the computer still didn't show him the text, at this point he realized that he didn't make the check mark again so he did. Finally he was able to read the text message. Subject A had no idea where the starting location and destination was on the map. He made a guess of where the starting point was and made a big circle on the map. He asked for clarification for the destination location, and then drew the circle at the correct location. He thought he was finished and was about to provide feedback for us but the facilitator reminded him he wasn't finished yet. He then realized that he didn't make a mark under trip planning by transit so he made the mark and read the text message.
Discussion
Subject D and Subject H both appeared hesistant when asked to use the map interface. First of all, both participants expressed concern regarding the map's size. They both feel the map was too small and hard to find the specific place they were looking for. Both participants also expressesd interest in having a zoomed in map of the area they selected to be sent to their cell phones. However, after subject D was notified about the cost of sending a map to their cell phone, subject no longer wished such a feature. From this part of the experiment, we learned that users typically may not want a map sent to their cell phone due to cost constraints. Subject A also expressed concerns about having multiple text messages being sent to him. He thought that multiple text messages would confuse him and he would not know which one to follow first.
Subject D expressed that information expressed in text message for traffic information useless. He states that the text messages was complicated formatting. He states that regardless of the traffic information, he will not deter from going on the freeway and reaching his destination that way. From this, we learned that for certain users, the users will not deter from the route even if the route is highly congested. Subject A found little use for the traffic information as well.
Subject H expressed concern about not enough relevant information given for gas stations. He states that it would be nice to have gas stations informatoin include car repair places as well. However, when asked whether he wants to be given more than 1 text message to have more information about the gas stations, the subject states that he rather not have more than 1 text message. Therefore, we are assuming that the amount of text messages and the cost of text messaging is very important to the user. This gave us an idea that if we were to have users register their cell phone numbers on a website, we can have them fill out whether they have unlimited cell phone messages or not. If they have unlimited cell phone messages, then we may send them more details regarding the gas stations.
Subject H expressed concern about wanting to know how long the traffic accident will last. However, though we can retrieve the information for the user and send it to their cell phones, we believe that this information would not be entirely useful. How long the accident will last is simply an estimation. Whether the car accident will be cleared within that amount of time depends mainly on the tow truck. Therefore, because we already give the estimate total travel time, we feel this information is irrelevant and this can be omitted. In fact, we may even omit traffic accidents because total esimated time already encorporates the time into their estimation.
The biggest problem appears to be the fact that all users expressed disinterest in even using such a system. Subject H and Subject D are native to San Francisco and therefore, have their own system of finding gas stations and routes. They believe that this new system is more bothersome than what their current system is. Also, because they are native to the area, they are familiar with the areas enough that they are comfortable with all their current systems without really needing directions or information. Therefore, we may change our target users to users who are not completely familiar with San Francisco (i.e. not native or resided in San Francisco for more than 6 years). These users will then probably need more help in knowing where cheap gas stations are or where the ATMs are located at. With Subject A's results, we can see that the system is still flawed. Though Subject A showed disinterest in using the system, he stated that he would not use it in its CURRENT STATE. We believe the map is the main flaw in the system due to bad labeling. Therefore, we will provide a bigger map and provide a higher resolution so the map itself will be useful and can be carried around like any normal map.
Appendices
Subject H
Gas Stations:
Circle DT
Made check mark on gas
Very easy to do
Wants a bigger map, zoom in
Does not list some streets
Putting map on cell phone might be useful
Car repair places or not
1 txt is good enough
Can we do an icon of gas station
Or a certain letter that denotes some certain services
Freeway traffic info
Need better instructions
Scrolls up and down a lot
How long accidents last?
Useful information
Would not use a map for this, would call 511
Would not carry around on transit
Trip Planning by transit
Made little circles
Is there anyway to do an alternative route, transfers, different bus routes to get there, walking distance from one bus to another bus
Good to know different routes by car also
What if he cant make the bus, needs to know the next one
Alternative route check box
Shortest distance or shortest time
Feedback
Would not really use this application. A bothersome. Can always get access to the internet. Or would call 511 or 411. Would not invest in our application. =( .The pen is too expensive, 20 dollars. IF you know you are going to an unknown area, you would just look up information ahead of time.
Questionnaire
1. Do you live in San Francisco? If so, what neighborhood do you live in?
Yes, bayview
2. How many hours a day do you commute (by public or private vehicle) in San Francisco?
Weekday: never
Weekend:car 1 hr
3. Do you have a hard time finding ATMs in the city? How do you usually go about finding one?
Yea, bank'ss problem. Banks website.
4. Do you usually have difficulty finding out how to get to your destination?
No
5. When you don't know how to reach your destination, what do you do to find out?
Maps, transit maps.
6. Do you own or have access to a car?
yea
7. If you can easily obtain real time traffic information anytime and anywhere, how will this help you?
Help pick alternative routes.
8. If you drive, when and where do you usually fill up gas? (eg: when the tank has a quarter left, randomly find a gas station, go to a certain area, etc)
combination of both of a certain area.
9. Does having two different types of transportation seem useful?
yes
10. Do you care about how many text messages you are receiving in order to obtain the information requested?
yes
Subject D
Gas Station:
Subject was not certain exactly where downtown was on the map.
It was hard to locate the result returned by the search on the map.
User marking down the location returned by the search result.
The time for this task was fairly long, user had to look back and forth between the cell phone and the map.
User comments, “Are you guys sure there’s such a place? I’ve never heard of it”
User had difficulty finding the streets on the map
“What happens if I can’t find the location on the map?” – User
User had difficulty finding the location on the map because the return address was far away from where he circled.
User prefers a bigger and higher resolution map.
=> Result: User couldn’t find the gas station
comments:
Too many lines on the map, overwhelming
Needs better instructions
Would like the gas station to be in the circled region
“would only be useful if I can find what the results say!!”
If I am low on gas, I would just go somewhere I already know
The idea is dangerous because I have to look at the small cell phone screen
Traffic Information:
“Where’s the freeway at?” – user
Don’t care about the information
Have to go on freeway regardless
Even if there’s alternative routes, everyone else would use it also so not really useful
Information formatting is complicated, some information not relevant for the user.
Will probably just go according to freeway speed, won’t care much about the “real time speed” returned
Trip Planning:
A bit more used to the process of circling/tracing now
Useful but should have more buses and better instructions; “What is N.E. corner??”
Is this the fastest direction? Want alternative options: shortest time
Usually try to find the information before you go out.
Don’t usually try to find routes by transit. Tried to plan route by car before and take about 15mins and only follow the route suggested by other map service.
For vehicle, it would be better to see the route
Would like pictures of each important turn but would never be willing to pay the expensive fees associated with picture messaging on cell phones
Questionnaire
1. Do you live in San Francisco? If so, what neighborhood do you live in?
Yes, Bay View
2. How many hours a day do you commute (by public or private vehicle) in San Francisco?
Weekday: 35min
Weekend: 1hr 30 mins
3. Do you have a hard time finding ATMs in the city? How do you usually go about finding one?
No. Already know where some are. Usually just go to the same ones.
4. Do you usually have difficulty finding out how to get to your destination?
Usually no, mapquest is usually pretty well
5. When you don't know how to reach your destination, what do you do to find out?
Call a friend.
6. Do you own or have access to a car?
Yes
7. If you can easily obtain real time traffic information anytime and anywhere, how will this help you?
It won’t
8. If you drive, when and where do you usually fill up gas?
(eg: when the tank has a quarter left, randomly find a gas station, go to a certain area, etc)
At Berkeley because it is cheap. Wait till its all the way down. Then usually go to the same gas station. Sometimes would like the option of getting to the cheaper gas statins.
9. Does having two different types of transportation seem useful?
No but for other people Bus might be useful.
10. Do you care about how many text messages you are receiving in order to obtain the information requested?
Yes, I’m cheap!
Subject A
Gas Station:
Confused about target tasks in consent form
Marks “x” instead of checks the checkboxes
Big circle in downtown area
Not familiar with area
Doesn’t know he can scroll down for more information
Have trouble finding gas stations, but can point out the location of the first 2 after a while
Can’t find the third one – Park St (not labeled on map)
Expect the displayed locations are within the circle, but are not
Street names not labeled very well
Some streets don’t continue on (especially the ones crossing Market Street)
More street name labels will help
Thought the paper interface simulates a computer screen (wants pop outs)
Colors on the map won’t really help
Traffic information:
Have trouble finding highway 101 because it’s not labeled and not extended
Don’t know direction – where is north?
Can’t identify freeway because only been to SF once
Can’t find bay bridge (not on the map)
Tried finding golden gate bridge, Van ness, Embarcadero on the map for indicators of 101
Can tell freeways by the thick lines, but not labeled
Subject usually take public transit to SF, so this is not extremely useful
Subject traced 101, Vanness, golden gate bridge, and down 280 south of the 101-280 junction
The “see instructions on back” box is out of scope
Able to follow directions when he found the instructions.
Why 280 on the output display? Not sure where it is
Able to identify source and destination on display
Can’t find 80 because it’s not on the map
Display information related to route is a bit mismatched because our output does not really correspond to the user input
Some information not very relavent because the user did not trace the intended route
The displayed information is clear and understandable
Transit route:
Task: Chinatown library to Ocean Beach and Judah
The user don’t know where Judah is
Not sure where Chinatown library is, but can identify Chinatown (big circle around it)
Referred to instructions
User believes he can find northeast. Maybe a bit difficult at night
Can always ask driving if unclear
Real time information about next bus and frequency will be useful
Confusing if split into 2 text messages. Not sure which one to follow first, especially if not familiar with area
Fastest route enough – cheapest and fastest (cost vs time), like google map
Can’t find Sacramento because it is not labeled on the map, so can’t find where to get on
No 33rd ave labeled on the map as well
Can tell difference between street and avenue from the map
Will get lost with this map
Don’t know where ocean beach is
Better for people who live in the area
For traffic information, would use GPS over this interface because GPS can zoom in and zoom out
Questionnaire:
1. Do you live in San Francisco? If so, what neighborhood do you live in?
No
2. How many hours a day do you commute (by public or private vehicle) in San Francisco?
Weekday: 0
Weekend: 2 hours
3. Do you have a hard time finding ATMs in the city? How do you usually go about finding one?
Never needed. Would go to union square if he needs one. Subject would only use interface if he really needs it, but most likely not
4. Do you usually have difficulty finding out how to get to your destination?
Google/yahoo map before going to destination. If no access to internet, then he would call a friend or ask around. The subject don’t know where to go with this map. Subject would actually need to know the address or location of destination
5. When you don't know how to reach your destination, what do you do to find out?
Call a friend, stop by a gas station or shop to ask random people
6. Do you own or have access to a car?
Yes
7. If you can easily obtain real time traffic information anytime and anywhere, how will this help you?
Find an alternative route or leave later
8. If you drive, when and where do you usually fill up gas?
(eg: when the tank has a quarter left, randomly find a gas station, go to a certain area, etc)
Wait until the light comes on, so don’t care much about cost. The user only fills up about twice a month.
9. Does having two different types of transportation seem useful?
Yes. User can go to SF without a car by taking MUNI.
10. Do you care about how many text messages you are receiving in order to obtain the information requested?
Minimal is better. Don’t want 4 at once because don’t know at what sequence.
Final feedback:
At the current state, the subject won’t use it
If the streets are well labeled on the map, then the subject would probably use it
The subject mentions that many people at SoCal have Thomas guide that shows each neighborhood in detail.
Demo Script
Greeter: Hello, we would like to invite you to participate in our research for our CS160, User Interface, class. The class’s project theme is the Anoto pen where a camera is located on the pen and records every single stroke you make. We have designed a project which utilizes a preprinted map of San Francisco. The map’s interface is simply for you to find information regarding gas stations, ATMs, traffic information and directions from just drawing on the map. Would you like to participate?
Interviewee:
If says yes: Thank you, please read over and sign our consent form if you agree.
Interviewee signs.
Facilitator: So I will be demonstrating an example of how to use our system. I will simulate looking for Washington Mutual ATMs in downtown.
Facilitor looks at the map, flips it over and reads the instruction on how to find the bank information. He then flips the paper over to the side the map and circles downtown San Francisco and checks the ATM box for Washington Mutual. Then the facilitator is presented with a cell phone with a simulated text message showing the first 3 ATM’s and their addresses. The facilitator picks one of these locations and finds its ATM on the map.
Facilitator: That will conclude the demo. Please start the first task of finding gas stations in the downtown area.
Interviewee proceeds to complete the task while observer observes and records.
Interviewee finishes first task. Greeter then asks feed back regarding the system.
Facilitator: What do you think about our system so far?
Interviewee answers
Facilitator: Do you see any flaws in our system?
Interviewee answers.
Facilitator may come up with other questions on the spot.
Facilitator: Please proceed with the second task. Find the traffic information for highway 101.
Interviewee proceeds to complete task, observer observes and records.
Facilitator will ask same questions as above.
Facilitator: Please proceed with the third task. Try to find transit directions going from Chinatown
library to Ocean Beach.
Interviewee proceeds to complete the task, observer observes and records.
Facilitator will ask same questions.
Greeter: We will now ask you some questions on our questionnaire.
Greeter then proceeds to ask the questions on the questionnaire.
If says no: Thanks for your time.
ATM used for Demo Script and Cell phone:
Consent Forms
Subject H's Consent form
Subject D's Consent form
Subject A's Consent form
