1 Design
The most important design principals that guided TravelTech's final design are: user control/freedom, consistency, learnability, and feedback.
1.1 Design Decisions
Paper Prototyping
During paper prototyping, several important design decisions were made.
- Discard TravelGroups
- Include two calendars
- Develop the new map / data representation interface
- Place the calendars and map on the same page
TravelGroups
TravelGroups, lists of people going to the same area as the user, were cut from the final design because we realized that users' travel plans were dynamic and frequently subject to change. Instead of TravelGroups, we focused on saving trips and providing easy means for the user to change details about their trips. We also decided to generate a list of emails for users to contact rather than relying on TravelGroups.
Two Calendars
Many users were confused about selecting a start date and an end date on the same calendar. To adapt to user demand, we decided to use two calendars, one labeled "start date" and one labeled "end date" in order to reduce user confusion. The calendar also grays out dates before the start date in the "end date" calendar after a start date is selected. This prevents errors and gives the user basic feedback.
Figure 1. Two calendars are used to represent a start date and an end date to reduce user confusion that arose when using only one calendar.
New Map and Data Representation Interface
Originally, we represented our data in the form of Figure 2. Several users had trouble deciphering this graph. It was supposed to represent other people traveling to a similar location during a similar time range. In order to make our design more simplistic and consistent with the real world, we decided to change the data representation page to map. (Later we would combine this map page with the first map page where users enter their destination information.)
Figure 2. Users found this interface because people are not typically represented as line graphs in the real world.
Calendars and Map
We also decided to place the calendar and map on the same page for the sake of simplicity and consistency. During paper prototyping, we had a sequence of three pages: an initial map page to enter a destination, a calendar page to select a date range, and a summary page with a map to display other people traveling to a close destination within the same time range. The summary page's map was slightly different from the map on the first page because it had adjustable bars to change the date range and change the radius. For many users, they were confused by the two really similar but slightly different maps. They also could not see direct feedback as they were setting their traveling dates and destinations. As a result, we decided to place the calendar and map on the same page. Moreover, we decided to discard the adjustable bar for dates and instead allow users to adjust their date range directly on the calendar. The radius adjuster was kept.
Figure 2. The calendars and map placed on the same page to reduce complications, give users direct feedback, and increase consistency.
Heuristic Evaluation
Calendar, Map, Chart
After heuristic evaluations and feedback from our TA, we linked selection events on the calendar to more direct feedback on the map. We also created the chart to give the user even more information scent.
Figure 3.1. Selection of a destination, start date, and end date gives the user immediate feedback in both the map and the chart. The map first zooms in and centers on the user's destination. Then, people within a user-settable radius of the destination and within the user's given date range are displayed as clickable blue markers. Clicking on the blue markers displays a pop-up containing the name, email, and travel information of the person at that location. The chart displays to the user the number of other people who will be traveling to his destination during his date range. The chart also shows the user the number of other people who will be traveling 5 days before his start date and after his end date, giving the user feedback about how many more people he could be traveling with if he were to extend his stay by a few days.
Figure 3.2. This is a date range with people who are near your destination. The people are clickable.