ProjectProposal-YiminYao
From CS160 User Interfaces Fa06
Contents |
Digital Lab Notes To Reduce Health Risks Due To Contamination of Work Space
Target User Group
Biological/Chemical or other Hazardous Laboratory Scientists, Surgeons and Surgery Assitants
Major relevant tasks and desires:
- Record daily procedure (laboratory protocols, experimental setups, data, surgical observations)
- Review and Analyze the records and measurements at a later time
- Prevent contamination of separate working environments (office desk vs. operation room, lab bench vs. computer work area)
Problem Description
In a normal laboratory at present day, each scientist or student keeps his or her own laboratory notebook, where they write down the details (setup, parameters, observations, etc.) of the experiments everyday. In most cases, there is no necessity to digitalize their recording for analysis. However, the problem exists in the potential hazardous material contemination that threatens the health of these scientists and laboratory staffs.
How is it so? Scientists wear gloves around their lab benches to protect them from bad chemicals, or even viruses like HIV. Since they constantly record in notebooks as they proceed with their experiments, the notebook and the pens they use are unevitably contaminated with hazardous materials. What happens then? After they are done with lab work, they take off the gloves, and carry the notebook to their work/office area (where they could be eating lunch the next hour) for review and analysis.
You think this is ridiculous because it obviously is a threat to the health of scientists, but this is truly what happens in common laboratories.
Similar problems occur in the case of surgeries (especially involved with clinial trials where detailed notes of surgical obversations are desired). However, cartains of contamination are preventing adequent notetaking.
Problem Context and Forces
The target user group is reasonably well educated, but with only limited experience with computer. On the other hand, most lab workers are trained with a few professional softwares related to their research, so they are comfortable with simple computer interfaces. The biggest motivation for them to employ alternative solutions lies in the reduction in health risks.
Current Solutions:
In laboratories, strict lab conduct rules are "enforced", such as prohibition of gloves and laboratory equipments in office areas, labeling of pens used for lab benches. But no solid solution exists for the sterile lab notebooks.
In Surgical rooms, videotaping is employed as a mean of recording. Some hospitals allow specially hired notetakers to obverse and record from a distance.
Solution Sketch
Wireless communication between anoto paper interface and the computer eliminates the necessity to bring the notebook out of the lab area. Digital papers and pens will remain inside of the bench area at all times while the lab workers can just walk to their work station with their computers to review and do further analysis on their notes. This alone can solve the critical issue of health risks for these scientists. The digital version can also be maintained in a notebook format, with matching page numbers with the real notebook plus the additional time stamps. Other data features can be added based on how comfortable users are with digital operations; otherwise the notebook can be printed out and assembled in its paper format for record keeping.
Similar application can be used in the case of surgical recordings.
Efficient Surveying & Election
Target User Group
Survey Conductors / Election Administrators (desires):
- Simplicity in designing easy to follow surveys and ballots
- Reduce the processing time
- Instant ID check against database desired for voting
Survey Takers / Voters (desires):
- Easily understandable direction/tasks
Problem Description
Many survey conductors spend most amount of time entering information filled out by survey takers into the computer system for further analysis. The process is tedious and may lead to incorrect survey results due to loss of paper surveys or error in human operations.
In the case of elections, paper ballots can be tossed without trace of their existence to skrew the election results; hole-punching techniques can effect the accuracy of the results due to difficulty in carrying out proper operations by the voters. Counting paper ballots by hand is tedious and error prone.
Problem Context and Forces
Survey:
- Paper format survey is still the most prevalent. - People are comfortable circling choices on paper - The nature of survey limits most survey quetions to fit the format of multiple choices - Many surveys are carried out outdoor, frequently on the street, where computer surveys are not applicable.
Ballots:
- Circling voting decisions on paper are most primitive, thus paper interface are desired (especially for lower class or computer illiterates)
Possible Solution
Digital Pen/Paper System for taking Surveys or at voting stations. For example, survey and ballot designers can layout the questions and choices using special software and select "hot spots" where if the pen strokes fall in that selected area, corresponding quantitative and qualitative input is updated in the survey/voting result spreadsheet. For voting, voters cast ballots using secured digital pens provided at each of the voting stations. IDs entered by marking preprinted numbers allow instant ID recording without OCR, which can be stored with voter's voting time stamp. A few highlights of such application are listed below:
- Instant indigitalization of results (format can be preset when designing the survey/ballot by using the interface software)
- Easy intructions for survey takers/voters: circling their choice. (one way to digitalize results is to calculate the center of the marking to determine the choice made)
- For voters, instant ID check against database to ensure the same voter has not voted twice, and the ID is valid.
- replicates of voting records (paper & digital) improve fairness and reduce possibility for one to destroy records.
- Time Stamp from digital pen allow better organization of data, taking into consideration of time factor, or investigation in case problem occurs
