Week 9 - A summary of so far...

Initially, we had decided to create a Natural Disaster Map. I myself personally, liked this idea as Trove would be able to utilised to get significant pictures and newspaper articles when these disasters occurred, however we decided that this was too boring and that idea of a supernatural event map would be explored instead. We brainstormed for a few weeks on how everything was going to look including the different supernatural beings that we would include. We decided on ufos, ghosts, yowies and a other category. 

We have developed this idea further and changed specific aspects to cater for a design that will visually please, such as reposting buttons (which was pointed out in the paper prototype), removing the timeline as this further expanding the haystack in which we were already trying to find needles, as well as other minor changes such as font and font colour.

Week 7 Journal

This week in the studio classes we demonstrated our paper prototypes as well as tested some other groups paper prototypes. 

Our prototype was mostly complete but did lack a few more specific features that we intend to implement. This provided a few limitations to the tester which they will be able to use in the final product. One of these limitations was map zoom and movement functions as well as a user profile page. However, the tester was still able to navigate through the main features of the application. I found in the prototypes that I tested, that some had features that were limited by the paper prototype and required it to be explained by the person who was the 'computer'. Some applications though, were very well represented by their paper prototype. I found the one about the article chains to most effective and best represented, this also was the one I gave the least 'general' feedback but focused more on specific features that may need to implemented such as specific error catching.

We were given quite a bit of feedback on areas to improve, mostly relating to general interface and ease of navigation. While being a 'user' of other groups concepts, I tended to give feedback on some of the more subtle human-computer interaction aspects. For instance, one group displayed a video immediately at the start explaining how to play, this window also featured a 'skip' button which I immediately pressed without having any idea of how to play. Once I got to the next screen, I pointed out that there was no way for someone who may have skipped the intro video (even accidentally) to find out how to play without having to go back/refresh their browser.

I found that the feedback given was generally reliant on how well-done/complete the paper prototype was. Prototypes which still lacked in displaying basic features such as some navigation generally required more 'effort' to use. Ideally, the application should be engaging but not be too difficult or take to long to get to the substance of it, otherwise the user will be disengaged and less likely to come back to use it.  I found that the prototypes that were most complete, needed the least amount of feedback, compared to those which still needed refinement where I was most confused about how it works. In terms of our prototype, although it was complete the feedback we were given suggested that some aspects needed to be further demonstrated in the prototyped. Overall, I think we needed to be a little more specific in what was presented and to not assume that the user will do a particular action or take a particular path.

The most useful piece of feedback we received would have been to include a whole new bar at the top of our page to provide more user functions. This would be used to put a number of different functions that were scatted in other areas on the page together in one location that is central and easier to find for the user. The least useful would have been having a zoom in function. We couldn't really implement this into the paper prototype but were going to implement it already. The exact method to which the markers would be displayed at different zoom levels is going to required some trial and error within the google maps API but we already have a basic idea of what we want.

The paper prototyping was a success and it highlighted some things that we need to remember when implementing. For the next week, we will be starting to implement different aspects including building a database/s, getting the basic html/css done, looking further into the maps API and finalising the trove search articles.

Paper Prototyping Feedback

This is some of the raw feedback we received from the paper prototyping:

Number 1
Steps: Register - > Login -> Map
Never heard of Demon sightings?? Change maybe?
Hard to find the information??
Simple interface
Interesting Idea
Paddle Pop?? Easter egg

Number 2
Steps: Register - > Login -> Map -> Look at the icons -> Markers
Timeline have a slider, limit range to make it specific
User Rank System
Trove article need to back up with users being able to edit maps
Not verified by the higher ranked users

Number 3
Steps: Continue to Map
Able to navigate 3 different ways: Timeline, Categorise, Search
Images: Article may have images, and will be displaced with the article
Maybe when clicked on a marker, it only displays only that marker and removes all the other ones

Number 4
Step: Continue to Map
Filter with Timeline and Icons to display very specific data
If its not, it will be displayed in a popup and will say that it is not a verified source

————— After Adjustments —————

Number 1
INTERACTIVITY - If a state is selected, certain statistics will appear about the state in relation to the categories
Percentage of [Category] in [State] in relation to Australia.

Number 2
Top-Rated Lists for pinpointed locations - Community Based
Filter what wants to be shown
Zoom in Function
The further zoomed out, the least points are shown (only higher rated points are shown)
The closer zoomed in, the more points are shown (even lowly rated point are shown)
Timeline
In Decades
Have arrows going left and right for year previous and ahead
OR
The whole timelines only appears as a certain decade
Have arrows going left and right to change the decade

Number 3
Add a function to filter the more recent marks which are added in by users
***Do we HAVE to absolutely find an article from TROVE to add a point of interest on the map?***
Profile page for users
See what points you have added
Have a new bar on top to access your personal stuff
***How to administer the page when users will place duplicates of the page***
Zooming out will summarise the points in certain areas of the map

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For our meeting next Monday the following roles have been assigned.

Research Trove Data: - Anthony / Remosy
    Yowie
    Ghost
    Demon?
    UFO
CSS/HTML Basic - Ian Wong
Timeline - Liam Buttery
Database - Remosy
    Markers
    Users
Google Maps: Basic Coding - Daniel Homer