HCI Meeting - 13/02/07

Aims of Meeting - 13 Feb 07

• To all agree on final product idea.
• To define a set of 'broad' requirements for chosen product.
• To create a questionnaire based on our final product choice which helps define more specific requirements.
• A review of the personnas.

Meeting:
Following on from a previous meeting a few weeks ago about the different product ideas. It is required that we chose a final product quickly because of the time restrictions. It is also necessary to start prototyping our idea this week so will be added as a goal for next week.

Having been actively posting on the blog it was decided that we would rule out the Remote Security System and the Interactive Soap (see Product Decision). There was a little bit of discussion on the rest of the ideas with myself in favour of the Interactive Walking Guide and the majority of the group in favour of the Barcode Scanner Food Intake Device but, instead of making the Food Nutrition Device a barcode reader we decided to take a step back and allow for it to be any hardware so that we could come up with the better solution.

Now requirements needed to be defined for this product idea but, these have to be broad as we decided that a goal for next week was for each member to come up with a refined set of requirements in the form of a prototype. This would allow us to merge ideas to create the best possible solutions to the problems that are encountered based on the 'broad' requirements. We wrote the requirement on the whiteboard so that a picture could be taken (see Requirements for Designated Product)

Another one of our aims was to create a questionnaire but after a lengthy discussion it was unanimously decided that we wouldn't create a questionnaire just yet as we have a list of broad requirements which will be expanded by us. After the expansion with addition of different features we felt would the best time to ask questions and change aspects of our design based on the general user opinion.

Our final point was about the personas. We have decided to each edit the persona based on the post - Thinking About Personas by dave. We have all decided to go away and add more specific information to our personas.

For next weeks meeting:

• Create prototypes of Food Nutrition Device.

Requirements for Designated Product

We have chosen to design a product around the barcode nutrition idea posted by Shaun. We have, however, decided that we are going to broaden the idea to consider other types of inputs rather than restricting ourselves to a barcode scanner. By broadening our scope for the product we are hoping to be able to propose better solutions, refining them to our final choice in the later stages of this project.

Product Decision II

To follow the last post, as a group, we have come to a conclusion on the product we are designing as part of this module. We chose to implement the barcode scanner device because of the potential it could have as a project and for the target market. The elderly, no matter what their age are always careful with their health. A simple change in diet could extend their life by a number of years.

The Idea

As almost all foods have barcodes on them, this device would allow the user to scan the barcode of the food they are going to eat and it would tell them how much of their daily intake it would allow for. They could take the device to a supermarket too, or they could use it in the home. As the day or week progresses it would allow the user to know what is lacking from their diet and could also possibly make suggestions as to what else the user could eat to better balance their diet. The device could build up a database of either what they like, what they need or what they might like, and then could connect to either a catering company or a firm like tesco's to order the food from the database.

Requirements

We are planning a meeting soon, to broaden the requirements of the product. This way we can build a number of prototypes, each with different requirements, and see which direction the product could move in. For instance, we could rely on something else other than scanning the barcode for input.

Product Decision

We have come to a conclusion on the product which we want to develop. During the meeting, we discussed the pros and cons of each design idea and discussed the possibility's and potential each could bring to the project and also the target market.

Tris - I felt that the first design idea, the Interactive Walking Guide by GPS, could be aimed at a number of age groups, not just the retired 65+ people, and so I was not sure it was something I wanted to develop further especially as the project definition was to design something for either children or the elderly. The idea was sound, and it had a lot of potential to develop but the market was not concise.

The remote control and home security system was basically to collect all home device controls into one PDA style device, to let the elderly operate them easily. The only problem here was that the device didn't had any potential to develop. It was not very original and something like it may already exist.

The interactive soap was software orientated and i would rather develop a physical device than one developed on a screen.

The same is also true for the community website idea on the television, but it had more potential. It had the familiarity of the television and the concept was good but it was going to be hard to develop.

This leaves the barcode scanner intake device, which we will discuss in a following post.

Ben - Adding to what Tris said about the Interactive walking
Guide it is a product aimed at tackling the issue of keeping
the Elderly active, as the majority of Elderly peoples exercise
comes from walking (to and from local shops/ buses etc.). The functionality of the product could be such that it would allow
for bus stops and shops to be added as well as showing walks from the local area. Although i do agree with the fact that the scope of the product isn't age specific and could do equally as well with other age groups.

Having thought of the idea for the remote control security system my position on choosing it as a design idea has changed after some thought. There already exists systems (see links) maybe not controlled by a single device but agreeing with tris' point that there isn't much room for development.

Thinking About Personas

I haven't written my persona, but we are yet to decide on our product. For our personas to be successful, we need to set them relevant goals, skills and attitudes to in turn develop a relevant set of requirements.

From Cooper:

"Use the right goals
Each persona should have three or four important goals that help focus the design. Keep in mind that goals and tasks are different: tasks are not ends in themselves, but are merely things we do to accomplish goals. Not just any goals will do, though, so it's important to understand which types will help you make design decisions."

"... personas must be context-specific—they should be focused on the behaviors and goals related to the specific domain of a product."

It is important to make sure that we can identify these critical goals, and that we don't have these goals covered by multiple personas.

Persona - Harold Carter

Overview

Name: Harold Carter
Age: 66

Harold has only one son (Chris, 25), and two grand-daughters (Milly, 4) and (Claire, 2). Harold divorced his wife, seven years ago, because their relationship broke down and they went for days without speaking to each other despite living in the same house. He lives in a small rural town, on the edge of a commuting area for London. Harold has no physical disabilities, and is perfectly fit.

A Day in the Life

Harold usually gets up at around 8.30am, and has a nutritious breakfast, of orange juice and weetabix, while reading his favourite newspaper, the Times. His morning routine is usually clockwork and by 9.30am, he is ready to begin his day. Since he retired a year ago, Harold has found time for many sporting activities and likes to socialise and take part in community activities, daily. He is a trusted leader of the local neighbourhood watch scheme and very popular in his local community. Each day usually contains a different activity, ranging from golf, to tennis, and bowls. He also enjoys the odd game of poker with his pals fortnightly. He generally has a healthy lunch, usually consisting of salad, which means his dinner can be more substantial. On his nights off, he has a quiet night in and watches TV. He usually heads off to bed quite early, in preparation for the next day. He is visited weekly by his family on Sundays, the day Harold puts aside as a day of rest from his leisurely life.

Work Activities

Harold retired at the age of 65 having spent most of his working life as a carpenter for a local firm supplying building materials to different businesses. He believes real jobs involve manual labour and despises people earning millions from one good idea.

Household and Leisure Activities

Harold is a very keen tennis player and still plays tennis for his local club despite his age. The club arranges 50+ senior days where the courts are booked for members over a certain age, to act as a social community centre for the elderly. In between playing tennis, he enjoys playing golf with his pal (Grandpa Sully, 64) who is also a divorcee. Harold enjoys the banter during his golf games and has been known to wear slippers around the course which has angered the golf management at the club. Another one of his social pastimes is bowls, which he usually plays on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Harold is a keen bowler and has represented his county at national level. As well as the sporting activities, Harold enjoys other activities on a community level, attending weekly poker games arranged by a friend in his garage. Due to his heavy sporting regime and appearance at community meetings, Harold finds little time to watch TV and relax at home. He tries to spend as much time out the house as possible to make the most of his life. When he does have time off, he enjoys listening to the radio and watching Panorama. His views on the household are that it’s designed for rest and rest only.

Goals, Fears, and Aspirations

Harold’s aim since retiring is to make the most out of life while he is still fit, hence taking part in a range of sporting activities and his involvement within the community. He also wants to spend time with his family while he is still mobile. One of his prominent fears is becoming injured somehow, meaning his social life will never be the same again. He also fears for his son’s health who is a maniac while driving on the roads. Harold aspires to continue his sporting prowess, and represent the clubs for which he plays. He also aspires to live as long as he can, proving a healthy lifestyle is the key to living longer. He despises old people who spend their retired years in the pub, wasting their money.

Computer Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

Harold is computer illiterate and struggles to use his home computer when he needs to, which was built by his son, a computer science graduate. Once he has mastered a device such as the video recorder, it provides no obstacles for him in the future. His main problem is that he usually struggles getting started with most devices. His knowledge on technology is ever growing as he enjoys cutting out newspaper articles for his son to read.

Demographic Attributes

Harold lives in a detached cottage, in a quiet town, and has plenty of garden space. The majority of other people in the area are also retired. There is a local train station which means access to the larger towns in the area is possible. The local bus service was decommissioned a couple of years ago, after the majority of people in the area use the train to travel.

Technology Attributes and Attitudes

Harold uses little technology in the home, but once he has mastered a device, he has no problems with it there after. He is neither a fan nor a hater of technology and believes technology should be embraced on certain levels.

Communicating

Harold usually contacts people by telephone, but in some cases such as friends who moved abroad, he is also fond of writing mail. He has yet to master e-mail, because he keeps forgetting his password for his e-mail account.

Quotes

“It’s the taking part that counts”