Human Computer Interaction Assignment 1

User Bio

The user I observed is a 25 yr. old, male, Ph.D candidate in the field of Linguistics. He attended Western Washington University, receiving a B.A. in English and continued to Binghamton University in New York where he earned a Masters in Creative Writing.

I observed the user in three different circumstances, all via recorded video from his iPad; first, as a student in his Phonology and Phonetics class; second, during a break and short preparation period for a Composing Research class he is teaching; finally, for the first 10 minutes of his Composing Research class he is teaching.

Artifacts

Activity Log

Videos

Candidate Applications

During my observation I noted several behaviors, annoyances and frustrations from the user.

  • user had to break concentration to take notes
  • several times the user strained to see the blackboard
  • a chatty office mate prevented the user from properly preparing for his class
  • the user struggled to find his keys while hands were full
  • power cables were retrieved, plugged in, and tripped over multiple times
  • syncing notes between devices consisted of email the document to himself
  • user had to retrieve an RFID card from his wallet to gain access to building

Candidate applications I came up with included:

  • wearable availability LED indicator for back of neck. online/do-not-disturb/busy states
    • touch to cycle through states: green (available), red (DND), yellow (busy)
  • an automatic note taking application for your phone
    • transcribes voice to text
    • leverages open source auto summary library
    • auto tags sections of notes with timestamps in original audio
  • phone case that has compartment for a single, commonly access key
    • potentially 3D printable!
  • pouch sewn into a laptop case or jacket that held a single, universal power cable
  • a camera application that would automatically send the photo to any number of connected accounts: email, Evernote, Facebook, Blackboard, etc.
  • phone case that has compartment for single RFID card