Radial UI for Corner Buttons

Alternative UI Discussion

With our decision to use buttons extending from the corners, we have come to a dilemma as how the canvas size should be handled.

In the example UI above, we have our corner buttons in black, with the sample canvas size in grey. In a possible full canvas, you can draw behind the buttons, which is disconcerting to the user and hides a portion of the drawing. In a possible small canvas, you could shrink the canvas size, but would minimize the impact of the corner buttons, since they would not be in the corners... We are unsure how to proceed and are leaving any options open to discussion.

End of Week 3

Tasks accomplished for the week:

• Worked on SRS - 5 hours - Full team
• Summary
• Users
• Use Cases
• Usability Requirements
• HTAs
• Prototype screens
• User classes and layout brainstorming - 1 hour - Full team
• Splitting up project for prototype implementation - .5 hour - Full team
• Exploration of Flex capabilities and limitations - 2 hours - Full team
• Created working 'flex image -> email' web service using PHP - 5 hours, Rob
• Performance enhancements in prototype drawing code - 1 hour, Rob
• Create icons for the GUI - 2 hours - Dan
• Create working on screen keyboard for the email screen - 2 hours - Dan
• Blog Posting .5 - Rob
  

Tasks to focus on next week:

• Integration of 'email' and 'drawing' screens in functional prototype (evolutionary) ~ 2 hours - Matt B
• Preparation for cognitive walkthrough ~ 1 hour - Full team
• Begin a concise Design document for project using the provided template ~ 2 hours - Full team
• User session implementation ~ 2 hours - Rob
  

Challenges and Issues:

• Matching HTA's to a common style for the SRS
• Defining how to best present the capabilities to a new user. One good idea that developed was to explicitly ask the user if they had used the program before.
  

New prototype layout

Possible layout for our main UI with expandable menus from the corners.
From class on 03-23-09.

End of Week 2

Tasks accomplished for the week:

• Project proposals developed through meetings, emails, and chat sessions - 3 hours - Full team
• Painting project brainstorming on interface options and possible end users - 1 hour - Full team
• HTA for Painting, Erasing, Color Picker, and Emailing - 1 hour - Full team
  
• Blog setup & postings - 0.5 hours - Rob and Dan
• Wiimote connection research - 2 hours - Rob and Dan
• SVN Repository setup at assembla.com - 0.5 hours - Rob
• Learned and practiced Flex - 3 hours - Rob
• Figured out how to change color picker properties - 1 hour - Dan
  

Tasks to focus on next week:

• Develop SRS - ~4 hours - Full team
• Split up project for prototype implementation - ~1 hour - Full team
• Exploration of Flex capabilities and limitations - ~2 hours - Full team
• Test PHP (or similar) mail server interaction with Flex - ~2 hours - Rob and Matt B
• Create icons for the GUI - ~2 hours - Dan
  

Challenges and Issues

• Wiimote bluetooth connection requires specific driver packages, can BSOD XP in vmware.
  

Prototype Interface 0.01alpha

Here it is our first interface prototype in all its glory.

Project brainstorming from week 1, wed class

We can try to build up our ideas for the projects here, which will be compiled into a document to be submitted by saturday @ 11:59

For each idea, assume a goal of comparing the presented method to a traditional approach, with metrics gathered from actual users

Ideas

-Wiimote as a kiosk-type interface device

• pointing a device at what you want, is it more intuitive than a trackball/mouse/touchscreen?
• accelerometer could be used as well

-No-click gui, actions initiated by hovering or cursor gestures

- Context sensitive 'ring menus, ala Maya or Quick Silver.

Ideas for applications to test these ideas for usability strengths/weaknesses

- Card game, such as solitaire or blackjack

Post in the comments section with follow-up notes or new ideas
-rob

Blog created

first post
-rob