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The list below is a summary of our observations from user studies with a revised paper prototype. For more information, view the paper prototyping notes that we took during the trials.
- Task 1: Find a tour
- The home screen was not confusing, users knew what they wanted to click on.
- When presented with a blank map, users were unsure what to do to find a tour.
- Users thought that selecting landmarks for a tour felt like building a new tour. It was unclear that they were choosing search criteria.
- It was not clear that users should switch tabs to remove landmarks from their criteria.
- The "View Tours" button should be greyed out to indicate that it is not enabled at the start
- Users wanted to see a list version of all tours and have a way to filter that list, rather than start with the landmarks and then filter
- Users wanted to see routes shown/made based on user's location
- In the revised interface, users were not confused about how to find a tour, and they knew what to do
- Task 2: Follow a tour
- Most users Users found the "Follow Tour" button easily , although one thought it should be more prominent
- Users did not know what their first step should be, as there was no path from their current location to the start of the tour.
- Users expected some sort of feedback as they moved around, such as highlighting the closest landmark.
- The arrows to flip through the directions were confusing, most users did not understand what they were for. One user was confused because left/right arrows were scrolling the directions up/down.
- and knew what to do when following the tour (which was not the case before the revisions)
- Users felt that the tour should react to user's location and give directions based off of geolocations
- Users felt that there should be an easy way to modify tour once they had started following the tourSome users wanted the ability to edit the tour as they were following it, perhaps by removing landmarks or changing the order.
- Task 3: Create a tour
- Users remembered the "Create a tour" button on the home screen, and mostly knew to use the Android back button to get there. One user also wanted a virtual back button.
- Some users thought they might want to start with an existing tour and modify it, instead of starting a tour from scratch. Our application does not currently support that feature.
- One user added the landmarks in an inefficient order, but did not realize that the order you add the landmarks was also the tour order until the map drew the tour path. It was also not clear to the user to switch tabs in order to remove/reorder landmarks.
- The affordances on the landmarks in list view did communicate to the users that they could reorder the list.
- When adding a landmark that the users did not know the location of, it was clear to the users that they could search to find it.
- Some users felt that the list view and map view should be combined into one view, because they're so closely linked.
- Users remembered the "Create a tour" button on the home screen, and mostly knew to use the Android back button to get there. One user also wanted a virtual back button.
Prototype Iteration
- Users, however, thought it might be useful to have a quick button to get to home from other screens
- Users wanted to add custom locations
- Users wanted to take already known landmarks and add their own descriptions
- Users asked if there was an easy way to detail the expected spent time at each stop when creating a tour
Prototype Iteration
First Round Revised Interface Changes
- Screen #2 - Changed text next to "View Tours" button from directions to a display of the number of locations selected and the number of tours that contain those selections.
- Accomplishes the goal of letting users know the purpose of selecting landmarks from the map in a more efficient manner by providing useful information and eliminating the need for explicit instructions
- Screen #2 - Populate the map with all the available landmarks.
- Users now have the ability to see what landmarks are available and no longer have to guess places on the map.
- Screen #8 - Removed the arrows intended to move forward/backward between steps in the directions.. User can now select which location they wish to go to by selecting it from the list.
- Arrows were confusing for users and did not provide that much benefit. This change accomplishes the same task in a more intuitive manner.
Second Round Post-Observation Changes
- Screen #3 - Changed button to "Select for Tour."
- "Add to Tour" was giving users the wrong message. This new wording points them in the right direction.
- Screen #3 - Add "Average Time Spent Here" to pop-up info when landmarks are clicked.
- Useful information for users.
- Screen #7 - Added a "Modify Tour" button that takes users to the create tour area with the selected tour's landmarks already in place.
- Allows users to modify preexisting tours (add desired landmarks, remove unwanted landmarks, reorder landmarks) without having to create a new tour from scratch.
- Screen #8 - Added and "Edit" button that allows users to reorder the landmarks in the tour.
To Do
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- Feature for users that do not wish to follow the landmarks in the predetermined order. Useful if starting location is far from the start of the tour