Interface Interactions, Friday 16.11.2007

I spent whole day working on the illustrator mock up for the desktop interface of 'Family Circle'.
I was still answering some Basia's questions but not that many as day before. She was doing some icons for me. Not many of them, I'll need much more on Monday (we are getting a bit behind schedule of the project and no one is going to work during the weekend. I'm busy too but I'll try to do something).

Also had a chat with Tom what tasks we would have for testing. I was thinking we'll need around 5 tasks to test usability:
1) to open dashboard - home note board.
2) create new member in the family circle.
3) make a call to family member
4) open an application
5) upload new application

Tom thinks it's too much, he was talking about 2-3 tasks. I think to call someone or open home note board is so simple that it will not be problem to have more tasks.

I have downloaded some images of people for icons of family members. trying to have all ages there. Also some more icon sets from istockphoto.com as an examples for our own sets of icons.
For the mock up I also did screen shots of the most popular chat programs - skype, messenger and icq. We should have our own icon for making calls, own application for 'Family Circle'.

Interface Interactions, Thursday 15.11.2007

The most of day we (me and Basia) were talking about details of the project. We found some ideas what would be good ti include into the interface. She is going too much into the designing iGoogle interface which I disagree with, I want much more floating MacOs Dashboard looking as we are working with apps, it gives much more flexibility.
Basia was asking me lots of questions about details like loging in, how to log out etc. Many details about levels in the information architecture which is my job for this project and didn't work on the metaphor and icons properly which is her job.
I have done research for icons I need to use for interface and start designing.
We have a bit problem about finding correct icon and name for our Dashboard. We are thinking about it as about a fridge surface where all family is leaving messages for others and images etc. I call it 'Fridgeboard' which I find quite clear as a metaphor. I am struggling with finding the correct icon for it. I would like to have it shiny white circle but not sure if this would clearly say it's fridge and button to click on. First level button.
I need to finish design tomorrow and I'll have two days (Monday and Tuesday) to create flash animation - prototype. On Wednesday there is testing planned.

Interface Interactions, Wednesday 14.11.2007

Me and Basia started working on the interface design, I on design and information architecture, Basia on metaphors and icons etc. We need closely collaborate.
Tom and Emily are responsible for testing. They have prepared questionnaire and trying to find families for testing.

During the day we managed with Basia to get quite clear idea about the design. We came up with:
Circle - metaphor of family, table, communication
One central computer in the place in the flat where everyone can easily reach it (corridor...)
Merging iGoogle, Facebook, MacOs Dashboard
on the interface:
main circle with family members. When you roll over member image you get thumbs of applications (Basia has list of all possible app we were able to think about to use).
thumbs: 3 types - open ones (everyone can open), thumbs linked to the main dashboard (selected to be visible when you open the dashboard), thumbs you need to log in (communication, sending messages, poke, etc., diaries....)
Dashboard - button which opens page with all app which all members dedicated for it (apps like notepad, weather, cleaning rota, stickers for notes or general messages, callendar etc.)
secondary circle with further family members - (address book) quick link to contact the other members of the family. send a message, chat, call, email. This could have two options to manage the members: alphabetical (all members icons shown) or as a family tree (family icons, when roll over, shows members and connections with other members)

Big Hard drive not needed - driven through internet (galleries stored like on flicker etc.)
tv program Nany - lots of examples how to improve the communication in the family, can be easily supplied by the apps.
Emily came with idea of including fairy tales to the interface - we agree, can be small apps and games, it works with the idea as we think about it now.
advantage - as family grows the apps are changing too, you can add and remove them so you permanently customize the interface.

Interface Interactions, Tuesday 13.11.2007

morning - discussion about possible audience.
Emily was very quiet, it seems to me that Chinese people generally don't give strong opinion to the discussion, at least the two I was working with so far (doesn't apply to Kit, another course).
Tom is really managing the project now, but didn't come with the audience really too, he didn't feel his ideas strong enough (I like his idea of hospital, doctors or patients, mainly patients but didn't find the why we should change desktop for them as they need mainly entertainment and it's closer to games than just desktop.)
Basia came up with chefs as audience. She things they could benefit from different desktop. I can't see any benefit for them as they rarely use computer and using metaphors of fridge and knife seems to me to easy. I have experience from the restaurant. When I asked how she would implement the idea, what she would like to change or what she would like to do, she didn't know. I strongly disagree with this audience and Basia didn't have points strong enough to convince me. But she also didn't want to listen to my points. She generally doesn't discuss and listen.
I explained my ideas about architects as an audience.

Reactions:
Tom - he didn't care if it will be chefs or architects.
Emily - she doesn't know architects so it would be too difficult for her so she would go for what is easier for her (I can't understand this thinking, it's opposite from mine. I love challenge and learn more and new things)
Basia just decided that architects don't need any help. No more listening.... When I argue that the project isn't only about helping people but about searching for new metaphors, she just repeated the same...

Result:
pat situation.

Tom had several good arguments to discuss with me regarding my audience.
Generally he was worried that it's too ambitious (for me it's positive; what other time I'll have a chance to do ambitious projects?; when the project is ambitious, it's interesting and challenging...).
My drawings were a bit complicated, true. It's doesn't mean the project would be. It shown problematic points to resolve.
I would need to explain them my points. He pointed it would be my project, not our project. True. (because I'm able to look further into the process and what is possible to do, it's not their project?; Is it wrong when one person has strong idea, he becomes leader of the project?; Do we need to have 'idea of all of us' which leads into the a bit boring project where no one id passioned about the project? it is just the most comfortable way and sure way to pass the project - it would be worth of discussing this with Sandra or some other tutor)

I (we?) saw we need to find another audience to get out of this situation.

Result:
Family - Emily's audience

easy, achievable, all of us kind of agreed. (is this correct way?)

Afternoon - mind mapping, decision who will do what.

Interface Interactions, Monday 12.11.2007

first meeting - some difficulties to find a way of communication, move forward with the project, whole morning we didn't agree about anything
research metaphor - I did research about Metaphor and Metaphor in the interface design. I found three very interesting articles, very helpful for our project:
1. A Summary of Principles for User-Interface Design by Talin (http://www.sylvantech.com/~talin/projects/ui_design.html)
2. Metaphor Design in User Interfaces: How to Manage Expectation, Surprise, Comprehension, and Delight Effectively by Aaron Marcus (http://www.sigchi.org/chi97/proceedings/tutorial/am.htm)
3. Ergonomic Guidelines for User-Interface Design (http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/ahtutorials/interface.html)
difficulties -
target audience - the thing that we need to test it is quite restrictive. We were talking about fisherman who could be interesting audience but there is nearly no chance to get product tested.
desktop metaphor - we learned to see the desktop only as a desktop, it's very difficult to think about the screen and its possibilities in different way

my notes - audience:
professions - architect, photographer, shop assistant, artist like painter or sculpturer, doctor
age - preschool children, elderly
other - dogs, cats, drivers patients

architect - very interesting group. they work and think in 3D, moved from paper into the computer age where they can use this tool to communicate with client more efficient way

possible point of view - screen isn't desk-top but points (pixels) which change colours; it's digital, so it doesn't need to be flat (desk, board) = open space without 'rules', we can apply any characteristics we want
possible approach - place different target audience into this pixel space and see what they could do with it:
farmer - field, growing during the time
...
architect!
I came back again to architects. The idea seems to me much clearer and more logic, I'm pretty sure it could actually work very well.
language of computer - already using architects language (information architecture, build, storage...)
levels - floors - importance
hard drive - storage - space to store information, things - like physical building for storage
=
interface - building with rooms - spaces + levels
architects already use 3d software, it would be useful to use the same or similar language
the building structure would be well working for expressing the computer system
is it too easy, flat, plain???