HCI Mini-Presentation

M.A.C.S. Project

304-424 Human Computer InteractionBy Jeremy Cooperstock

McGill University

M.A.C.S.

Team Members:

• Steve Ingold

• Maryse Medawar

• Daniel Sud

M.A.C.S.

“The purpose of the project is to gain experience in applying some of the concepts and techniques from the class to a real-world problem”

-Jeremy Cooperstock

M.A.C.S. Features

• electronic calendar

• alarm

• whiteboard

• digital art gallery

Using M.A.C.S

• user centered design

• intended user population– average adult– little or no computer literacy– basic reading skills

M.A.C.S. Usage Senarios

• calendar– add an event– check for an event

• calendar + alarm– check next day’s events– set alarm accordingly

M.A.C.S. Usage Senarios

• whiteboard– write a quick note for yourself

• digital art gallery– display images– add new images– turn it off at night

Prototype Design Evolution

?

Why MACS?

Calendars

Reminders

+

Design Stages Approach

• paper design

• storyboard

• html prototype

• initial prototype (visual basic)

• final prototype (visual basic)

feedback and re-evaluation of criteria

feedback and re-evaluation of criteria

feedback and re-evaluation of criteria

feedback and re-evaluation of criteria

Paper Design

• drawing

Driving Concepts

• visibility

• feedback

• clear conceptual model

Storyboard• user testing

Initial Prototype (VB)

• example of design evolution

Final Prototype

• example of how it involved:

Feedback Provided by the Evaluation Team

• buttons lacks affordances.• whiteboard mode lacks feedback and

conceptual model.• calendar cannot set the date, touchpad

keyboard is a slow input device.• photo mode lacks options, and are

ambiguous to set.• clock has ambiguous enable disable button.

Weaknesses

Feedback Provided by the Evaluation Team

• There is instantaneous and appropriate feedback.

• The photo settings mode, is a good step by step

process.

• Entering information into the calendar is easy.

• The system is simple to use for most tasks.

Strengths

Evolution of the Interface

Buttons

|sleep||home| |alarm| |cal| |photo| |board| |help|

|sleep||photo| |alarm| |cal| |set pic| |board| |help|

Evolution of the Interface

• white board: conceptual model created with addition of “Note to Self” and “Written on”.

• calendar: No touchpad keyboard,

• other:

-addition of time and date viewable in all modes

-term shuffle changed to cycle

M .A.C.S. Evaluation Criteria

• speed of use

• visibility

• feedback

• good conceptual model

HCI Concepts Applied

• user centered design

• iterative design

Want More of M.A.C.S.?

www.ece.mcgill.ca/~dsud/hci/project