michelle li » prototype

Keyboard Modification

admin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:53:04 +0000

I took apart a keyboard to figure out the combination of signals required for various different keystrokes. By connecting switches to trigger a certain combination, a keystroke can then be sent to the PC as input to be processed by the computer program.

Interaction Model & Rapid Prototyping

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:04:20 +0000

I conducted further interviews focused on memory recording, organizing, and sharing. In one instance, my interviewee showed me all her memory devices – PDA, cellphone calendar, appointment book – but her problem was that she always forgot to consult them to check for important dates/appointments. Thus, I realized that a reminder system is another important feature for these Baby Boomers.

An interaction model of the Memory Marbles system.

I did some rapid prototyping to communicate my interaction concept and to give a better idea of the forms and scale of the model/system. Marbles can be carried and transported around in a pouch. On the memory player, once the marbles are enclosed inside the dome, the information can be read from the marbles and transmitted from the dome.

Likewise, to record memories from the PC to marbles, placing a dome over top the marbles will activate a wireless communication between the computer and marbles.

Vending Machine Evaluation

admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:17:46 +0000

To evaluate our new vending machine re-design, we prototyped a life-sized physical model on which to conduct our user testing. We tested the prototype with 3 users and came up with some initial results to help us make improvements on the next design iteration.

User Testing

In general, users liked the coin bucket for dropping change all at once and especially the idea of being able to pay for a drink with a combination of coins and Octopus card. Having a touch-based screen with clear icons made it easier to make selections and updating the screen view based on context made it easier to understand (for example, only showing pictures of the available drinks). Additionally, users enjoyed ease of collecting the drink without needing to bend down to pick it up.

However, our interface and screen flow still didn’t easily support the task of buying multiple drinks or different kinds of drinks in one transaction. Thus, we re-thought our interface as a single dynamic screen to provide clear feedback of user choices and actions through animations. For ease of use, the interface supports variations of actions, whether it be simple selection and/or drag & drop, allows mistake fixes, and provides prompts to help users when no input/action has been received for a while.

Results

Fast prototyping of a physical model allowed us to quickly test and validate our ideas while highlighting problems to solve in the next iteration. In the book The Art of Innovation, one IDEO designer talks about “build[ing] to learn.” And indeed, our prototype helped us shape an improved vending machine concept that was understood by everyone and created an enjoyable user interaction and experience.