UNDERSTANDING THE FUTURE scenario representations - future technology in context Gerrit C. van der Veer Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam Faculty of Sciences;

UNDERSTANDING THE FUTURE

scenario representations -future technology in context

Gerrit C. van der Veer

Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam

Faculty of Sciences;

Dept of Computer Sciences;

Section Human-Computer Interaction, Multimedia and Culture

new technology - just another toy?

Look back for a second:• how would you communicate without mobile phone• how would your department organize activities

without fax and email?

What came first - the mobile phone or mobility?

How quickly did your (grand) parents learn, how quickly will your children learn?

New I.T. changes the world

Understanding the future involves more than technology:

• the users – knowledge and expectations, needs

• the organization of people - their communications, their relations, and their work and procedures;

• the context of use and the culture

So assess new IT before building it

Design and a changing world:A model of the dynamic relationship between the

end-users cultures and system design

The new system and the design process

Existing/newEnd-users culture(s)

Influence (do)

•fit (has to)

•change (do)

•initiate (do)

Fit (has to)

cultures in short run are “stable” the need for fit

• task analysis to know the organization, the context of use, and the culture

When fit condition is not fulfilled

design for the future world:

• Holtzblatt & Beyer (1998) - contextual design

or the design will fail

• the early fax (early 20th century)

• IBM’s first in-house text processing system (‘70s)

• Pliskin (1993) - management information systems case study: failure of implementing an EES (Employee Evaluation System)

Change (do)

culture is socially constructed and, consequently, it is subject to continuous change

need for envisioning the changes that lead to the “new culture of use”

“envisioning design”

Initiate (do)

create a new culture

the need to envision “the (totally) new culture of use”

initiate culture case:

Apple Advanced Technologies is an example of a design company that on purpose not only tried to change but to initiate new cultures of use, e.g., for future education. Ways to support such a culture included stimulating the development of journals like “MacUser” intended to create an “elite” user culture with its own journals, discussion forums, etc.

The new system and the design process

End-users culture(s)

needed:

1. envisioning• changes in culture and context of use• or total new culture of use

2. aiming at usability• without the duty to learn• intuitively acceptable• appreciated and useful

Tools for envisioning: scenarios

Scenarios are “informal narrative descriptions” of the user’s activities when performing a specific task (Carroll, 2000)

A well specified and sufficiently detailed description of individual instances of events, artefacts, procedures, situations

• described in full context of use• from the point of view of actors (users, not the client of

design)• proposed as envisioning, not as finished design

document

types of scenarios

Formatted as:

• written story

• story board

• performed by actors (e.g., video “Star fire”, SUN; ‘95, HP)

• script to be acted, if needed with mock-ups of potential technology

Main role is the user with motives, goals, knowledge, …..

• prospective user can imagine themselves - “suppose you …”

• other stakeholders may imagine somebody else - a “persona”

levels of scenarios

High level scenarios • the overall motives that prospective users might have

when they come to the system and the general kind of interaction they might experience

• In this type of scenarios detailed specification of dialogue or of look and feel is lacking

Low level scenarios• specify precisely the system’s functionality and the

interactions between user and system”

high level scenarios – are suitable for situations where the main problem is the difference in cultures

between the “current” situation and the envisioned context of use.

– cultural aspects can be represented in:

• goals, values and needs of users in the future situation

• norms, habits, “fashion”

low level scenarios – will be applied in later iterations of the design process

– cultural aspects mostly represented in:

• dialogue and cultural symbols in the interface

• details of the context

Scenarios and culture

Step 1: build, from initial requirements, a conceptual model of the new technology

• which problems / requirements does the design approach

• which (types of ) tasks may be delegated to technology or performed with the help of technology

• the cultural context (especially in high level scenarios): how will these tasks affect the culture of use (other roles, other value systems, other business processes)

methodology to design for new cultures of use

Step 2: develop one or more scenarios

two points of view (foci):

actor (user): the “audience”, or “personas” (Cooper, 2000)

• goals and values in relation to use of the system (meanings assigned to the technology)

• meanings of the system’s representations and dialogue (low-level scenarios)

situation

• needs and motives to use the proposed functionality

• allow the prospective user to imagine the actual situation

Step 3: confront the prospective users and other stakeholders with the scenarios and analyze the reactions (early assessment)

mental models of prospective users as initiated by the scenario (in users’ mental models cultural aspects are reflected - Mantovani, 1996)

claim analysis• what is different from the current system & situation?• what was the goal for this feature - is this goal reached?• what are side effects and their valence (+ / -)?

claims analysis participants: designers of relevant disciplines, client, prospective users, sceptical users and stakeholders

Step 4: feedback the results to the conceptual model

Corrective feedback:

• the conceptual model is not understood as intended.

• would the design be needed, acceptable, in the envisioned culture of use.

• discovered in a very early state where not too much design effort is spend on dead ends.

Creative feedback:

• end users and stakeholders interpret (project) their imagination and develop new ideas about the conceptual model

• an early and rich source for refinement and re-design.

Example of high-level scenario with multiple personas -

SUN Starfire• Claims of envisioning:

task level: co-ordination; communication; efficiency; organisational simplicity

functionality: representation of information; speed and availability

interaction: dialogue styles; flexibility

technology: efficiency of available technology

• In search of opinions of prospective users on usability:

learnability, ease of use, affect

Discuss the claims of SUN Starfire

• Claims of envisioning:

task level: co-ordination; communication; efficiency; organisational simplicity

functionality: representation of information; speed and availability

interaction: dialogue styles; flexibility

technology: efficiency of available technology

• usability: learnability, ease of use, affect

Another example

Home technology:

• Digital scale - Ideo

Example of high-level scenario - low budget student scripted and acted video

A communication-device for regular guests of hotel chains

original requirements:• guest should feel “special”• speed• flexibility• ease of use

Current situation:

making reservations,check-in and check out -both for one time guestsand frequent guests

bothersome instructions (ease of use?)formalities (flexibility?)repeated info requests (special guest?)time consuming (speed?)

Envisioned situation

for frequent guests: flexibility

of location• in the office• in the air• on the road

of procedure• go to desk• use special device

frequent guest feels “special”

relevant personal info known

and extra facilities:

e.g., info available- layout hotel- room number - local information and street plan- something nice (taxi on hotel bill)

speed

no need to be in the queue,

no need to find passport or credit card

ease of use

no key, device is key

Example low level scenario(Xerox, CHI’98 short video)

Digital Ink (DI)

a “universal” communication device

scenario with “persona”

details of dialogue

“I discover a small garden yesterday, it was warm and dry and there was almost nobody around. And it was really the most relaxing place I had been to in months…”

“So I sat down, I did some writing and drawing and thinking that it was months that I communicated with my friends’ back home…

I decided that I should send them some of my garden sketches by e-mail.”

record

“So, in order to send the e-mails:

I pressed the mode button on the side of the DI.” re

cord

“That changes the mode from record my drawing and hand writing...

To command mode which allows me to tell DI what I wanted to do next.”

com

man

d

reco

rd

“In this case I wanted to send e-mails to my friends so I simply write:

the word send followed by their e-mail addresses.

The “->” terminates the command and sends the message

Once the send command has been written and read, the screen displays the progress of the command

Now my sketches are on their computers.” Send to [email protected]>

Send to [email protected]>

send

ing

Claims analysis

For each new feature in the design

Identify the feature - what is the actual novelty

• Ask what is the aim - and will this be successful?

• Ask for side effects that could be considered bad / dangerous / intrusive - in what context?

How to assess future users’ mental models

Ask them to “externalize” - teach back

Interpret the protocol - hermeneutics

Feed back to designers:

• corrective

• creative

Some examples

• of protocols

• and their interpretation

Well understood,

but rather conservative regarding the dialogue possibilities

Extrapolation based on intuition and consistency

Reliability in interpreting visual protocols ?

requires training

User created verbal command mode

User supposed restrictions in dialogue - why ??

A wish list of functionality

and with context specifically referred to

The pen “does understand”

Exploring an envisioning scenario - a “quick and dirty (?)” analysis

Domain:

Department of international association of Musicologists,

a world wide society of professionals and music libraries• department: libraries of original manuscripts and old prints • entrance on appointment,• for registered members

Requirements for new system:• safety• ease of use• multi-lingual (international membership)

Scenario description, to go with the mock-upGeneral story:• Musicologist (M) has made reservations to study old print• M is at the entrance of the build, and has not registered yet• M has not been here before

“Suppose You are M”

Alternative global ideas for access system

a. Individual personal pocket device, to be used world wide in buildings of associated libraries (members carry their device)

b. Automatic registration device in hall of each associated library

c. “Smart” jewel, to make automatic connection to registration-desk in each associated building (with desk operator)

Scenario a: Pocket device

display area

“soft” buttons

sensors

International Musicologist Pass

M(usicologist) enters building building of Salzburg Mozarteum, and takes his device from his pocket

Geef je keuze aan

International Musicologist Pass

locale bibliotheek

functies

overige

Please note:

my personal device speaks in my own language (Dutch) to me

What shall I do?

Welkom bij Mozarteum

Salzburg

International Musicologist Pass

toegang tot reservering

check reservering

cancel reservering

Geef vingerafdruk

voor identificatie

International Musicologist Pass

Welkom Gerrit. Mozart, Le Nozze, B&H, 1812, ligt klaar in kamer 23. Onthoud je kamernummer

International Musicologist Pass

23

Welkom Gerrit. Mozart, Le Nozze, B&H, 1812, ligt klaar in kamer 23. Onthoud je kamernummer

International Musicologist Pass

23

Welkom Gerrit. Mozart, Le Nozze, B&H, 1812, ligt klaar in kamer 23. Onthoud je kamernummer

International Musicologist Pass

23

Welkom Gerrit. Mozart, La Nozze, B&H, 1812, ligt klaar in kamer 23. Onthoud je kamernummer

International Musicologist Pass

23

Dit device is nu je kamersleutel

International Musicologist Pass

23

Dit device is nu je kamersleutel

International Musicologist Pass

M is now registered and “inside”.

International Musicologist Pass

Suppose you (M) want to have an electronic facsimile of some of the pages studied ....

overige

Geef je keuze aan

locale bibliotheek

functies

Scenario b: registration device in hall

Details front panel

screen

sensorsprinter

Mozarteum Salzburg

Default system state

Only for members Int. Music. Association

If you made a reservation for the library:

please, provide fingerprint for identificationMozarteum Salzburg

English as

default language

M is now registered and “inside”

Welkom bij de originele oude drukken afdeling van het Mozarteum Salzburg.

Geef je keuze aanMozarteum Salzburg

toegang tot reservering

check reservering

cancel reservering

Speaks now my language (Dutch)

Condities: M is geregistreerd, boek is gereserveerd.

Het kamernummer en de details van de reservering staan aan de achterkant van de print.

De deur gaat open door het paneel naast de deur met de wijsvinger aan te raken.

Veel succes met de studie.

Mozarteum Salzburg

Scenario c: “smart” jewel

(this is a pin)

The individual pin of each member communicates to a computer at the desk, as soon as M is in the region of 1 meter to the desk

Screen at the desk, visible to the desk operator D who is another type of IT user with another

specific role for this system

As soon as M approaches the desk, the task of desk operator D is temporarily interrupted:

What will D do?

Dass ist Dr. Gerrit C. van der Veer, Ruffname “Gerrit” - Er ist nog nicht eingeschrieben

Bevorzugte Sprachen: 1. Niederlandisch; 2. English; 3. Deutsch

Reservierung: Mozart, La Nozze, B&H, 1812

ID OK? Y/N

Speaks D’s

language (German)

D has identified M (the system will continue to speak D’s language to D:

Gerrit’s Reservation is in room 23, till 19:00 hours

Gerrit has never been in the Mozarteum before, Please show him to the elevator.

Tell him the door will open automatically.

“return”

if ready

opgave

In groepen van 2:

• werk uit een scenario voor de volgende situatie: M ontdekt een aantekening in de partituur waaruit blijkt dat hij in feite de baspartij zou moeten bestuderen.

• voor scenario 1, 2, resp 3

conclusion• Envisioning design of future technology needs to be

based on insight in organisation, procedures, and mental models as well as culture and context of use

• Scenarios provide an early way to represent envisioning and allow “cheap” assessment of stakeholder understanding and acceptance

• Claims analysis and mental models techniques are relevant, simple, and easy to use