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- We chose to implement this software on Android because the picture taking functionality translated best on a mobile application. We utilized the Android SDK, coding primarily in Java. The frontend was handled with Android's own XML view layer. The backend was handled with SQLite databases.
- In general, we followed a Model-View-Controller pattern, where the ContentProvider and SQLite abstracted the database information into data models, the XML layer contained the View, and the bulk of the Java code was the controller.
Evaluation
First User Test: Joseph Lee
Briefing: Reading briefing. Tested Portrait mode, landscape mode behavior is unspecified.
Tasks: 1)
- From home, clicked on new collection button. Says he’s bad at phone keyboards.
- Name: Test collection, Description: This is a test, Tries to push thumbnail image, doesn’t respond
- “Maybe I can change it later” (gives the appearance of affordance)
- Public/Private/Public/Private (assumes network will do stuff later like use the public/private), clicks done!
- Thinks that new item is what he wants, but checks out “edit properties” to see what it does, goes back
- Item1, takes a picture of shoe, but shoe doesn’t show up (orientation problem? camera is in landscape mode, problem), assumes just lag, and adds some tags (footwear, white). What’s that blue line (hiddennote: it’s the tag scrollbar)? Has a bit of trouble with keyboard text input, adding spaces. “Probably has fixed space for each tag”
- OH HELLO: discovers that the tag gallery scrolls, and the blue line is a scrollbar.
- Makes more items. Takes picture of backpack, picture shows up. Thinks maybe he didn’t take a picture of shoe, goes back to take that picture.
- “Can I rename the item?” click click click, “Probably not”
- Has two items, makes a third Cereal: food, basic, blue
- Goes back to shoe: “Picture present, thumbnail obtained” “That’s good”
- Tries out filter: “Blue” Yay it filters by tags, oh but not by names, goes back to previous collections screen.
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- Goes to “Edit properties”, makes it public. Am I done? No.
- Tries to figure out what to do. Filter? Menu? Search? Woops (application exits out, usability problem of non-persistence of memory)
- (Finds the sharing menu!, in edit properties)
- (Finds a bug going from Edit Properties, going back to click on an item, bug crashes!)
- “I’ll avoid this bug then”
- New Contact! Oh, acces privileges, want View. contact name: meeee
- “Done. oh woops that’s a different button” (conflicting affordance)
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- Tries the hardware search. No response, ok. goes to browse collections, searches for Crab. Oh its in emoticons. A crab! V.v.V, I found it, makes sense! Takes a picture, replaces the crab default picture.
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- Goes to animal collection. Oh i’m still filtering for crab. Clear’s the filter, oh lochness, click. How do I delete? (usability, not clear affordance), searches for a delete option. Tries the menu option, oh cool, but it’s not there. Tries to drag and drop, oh so it’s not that.
- OH the longtap. longtaps, oh i found it, ok delete the item.
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- oh, the items are renumbered after I delete.
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- Ok. games. properties. share menu. adds a friend with edit privileges. pushes cancel. oh woops. does again but with done. Can I see it again. Tries longpress (item space is too small for easy longpress!), edit sharer. What happened (pause) oh it’s on the edit bar again I see (not a clear metaphor) Ok, so add is for editing a current sharer as well (not clear change)
- List of sharers awkward
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- Takes a picture, longpresses it no response, goes to collectionscreen and longpresses the item. Oh found it, hooray I’m done! How do I get out of a context menu without doing anything? ohno, oh the back button (Should have easier optout context).
- Oh the name got squished with the picture (consistency usability issue visibility) can’t see item name anymore
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- Clicks “New Item”. Takes a picture of Risk, tags a few tags. (the + button for adding tags is a little small). Changes collection to Games. Oh wait now the spinner menu is messed up (Animals twice, no games, which its already selected to. bug). Yay you finished!
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- oh there are a lot of shoes! longpresses the shoe collection, deletes it. Now I have no shoes! (no undo action, what if i want my shoes back, safety problem)
Misc: thumbnail removing seems consistent, when you remove collection selections.
Share menu, the keyboard return item does not respond. “No way to get rid of keyboard? Oh there are ways! swipe, return, etc.”
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Usability Problems:
Second User Test: Insert Here
Briefing: Has an android phone already!
Tasks: 1)
- Making a new collection, added name and description, checked out sharing manager. asked if private or public mattered. started a new item, took a picture. started a second item with a picture. Didn’t add tags yet. Goes back to add some tags.
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- Presses the menu button, accesses sharing from the share menu option. adds a sharer and goes back.
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- searches crab from the filter, finds the crab emoticon successfully
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- immediately goes and starts longpressing the animal collection, then going back, and finding lochness and longpressing it, finds the delete option and deletes it.
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- Adds victoria to the list of sharing manager, used the menu button from the bottom
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- Tries to click the picture from the item screen, no response. tries the edit properties screen. tries to longpress the thumbnail, no response. “I have no idea.” difficult task. Finally, longpresses the thumbnail item from the collectionview, and sets the thumbnail!
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- Clicked on “New Item” but didnt make an item there. Instead goes to browse collections, and makes an item directly from the games collection.
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- Longpresses the shoe collection, and deletes it.
Debriefing: I think it’s pretty simple to use. Does the filter search by tag and text? I don’t think it’s bad to use, I got stuck on trying to set thumbnails for the collection, but other than that I think it’s pretty intuitive! There’s multiple ways of doing a lot of actions, I just noticed I can make a new item from the home screen, but it makes more sense to go from a collection to item, than directly to an item.
The recent items button doesn’t need to be so big? I think it’s easy to use, it could be a little bigger and prettier.
Usability Problems:
Third User Test: Joseph Lee
Briefing: Reading briefing. Tested Portrait mode, landscape mode behavior is unspecified.
Tasks:
- New Collection -> Title - “hello world”, Description - “test collection”, done.
- New Item -> Title - “room”, Tag - “room”
- Take Photo -> Takes a picture of the room
- New Item -> Title - “desk”, Tag - “desk”, “wood”
- Take Photo -> Takes a picture of the desk
- Clicks Item -> “oops” -> back. Clicks Edit -> Share -> Adds “Thomas” to list, clicks on Thomas and presses Notify with Email.
- First -> Browse -> Animals -> “huh...? no crab...” -> back -> Emoticons -> Crab... “Haha”
- “Ooooh...” Goes back to Browse screen -> Types in crab in the filter, and clicks on emoticons collection, then on the v.V.v.
- Browse -> Animals -> Click and hold on Imaginary -> Delete
- Browse -> Games -> Edit -> Share -> Types in Thomas, changes setting to can Edit -> Add
- Browse -> hello world -> Click and hold on the desk -> Set as Thumbnail
- Browse -> Games -> New Item -> “Ohhh....”
- Take 2 from Home Screen: New Item
- Browse -> Click and Hold on Shoes -> Delete
Debriefing:
When picture is being taken, the Cancel/Retake/Done menu is landscape as opposed to portrait.
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