Blog 6 . Reflection on prototyping process and next steps

Jad Rabbaa

PROTOTYPING PROCESS

 

  • July 5, 2018 : Prototype 1

Research Question to Be Answered:

1.Can Augmented Reality help increase spatial knowledge in a complex space?

Mediums Used:

PAPER PROTOTYPING
Flip Book, printed photos + transparent layer.

Testers:
- Classmates
- CFC media Professionals

Testing type and Duration
- One-to-one testing
- 5 minutes with each user

Method of User-testing
- In-session observations of behaviour
- In-session questions
- Post-session questions

  • July 26,2018 : Prototype 2

Research Question to Be Answered:

2.How can Augmented Reality help language inclusiveness and increase engagement in museums?

Mediums Used:

DIGITAL PROTOTYPE
Unity Version 2018.1.6f1 Personal
Vuforia Version 7.2.23
Xcode Version 9.4.1 (9F2000)
Apple iPhone X
iOS 11.4.1 (15G77)

Testers:
- Classmates
- Professors
- CFC media Professionals

Testing type and Duration
- One-to-one testing
- 2 to 3 minutes with each user

Method of User-testing
- In-session observations of behaviour
- In-session questions
- Post-session questions

I- OBSERVATIONS

Positive:

  1. Users confirmed their struggle with finding their way in complex spaces, and the need for help with that task.

  2. Users whose native language was different than English tried to select other languages.

  3. All users gasped once the AR camera detected the painting and the audio started playing.

  4. Most users were trying to engage/interact more with the digital information.


Negative:

  1. Some users didn't immediately understand some of the UI elements in the navigation part.

  2. Some users felt the phone screen was too small to look to the art and preferred looking directly.

II- COMMENTS / SUGGESTIONS

  1. Display full path of the wayfinding from the beginning/ or at all times.

  2. Fade in sound and augmentation when camera detects the art.

  3. Add interactivity, buttons to show/pause, appear/hide elements.

  4. Content:What other interesting info could be added?

  5. More testing:
    Museology? Talk to museum people.

  6. Implement beacons for indoor localization precision

III- MAJOR TAKEAWAYS

Concerning Wayfinding:

  1. Work on the UI elements design.

  2. More research about how similar projects solved those issues.

  3. User test the results with more users to make sure the new design will be more intuitive.


Concerning Museum Engagement:

  1. Conduct interviews with musuem professsionals.

  2. User test with museum goers.

  3. Work on the interactive elements and UX of the digitized version of the prototype before and after every user testing.

  4. Deeper studies on the content of the extra info that is helpful to add when augmenting the arts.

  5. Digital device to be used: iPads, phones or HMDs.


IV- REFELECTIONS


This protoyping process taught me couple of important things about:

  1. The importance of user testing and the unexpected learnings that can come from it.

  2. The need to go on the field, interview museum professionals and conduct more user testing with museum goers that are outsiders to the DF program or the project.

  3. The design of the UX in wayfinding is crucial to the efficiency of the solution which calls for the right answers in the UX design.

  4. The importance of the app content is as big as the UX design.

V- FUTURE STEPS

What to change in the next iteration of my prototype?

  1. Research and study more releavnt wayfinding projects.

  2. Interview museum professionals and do more user testing.

  3. Enhancing the Menu screen to make it clearer that the user can chose any language they need.

  4. Adding the feature of logging in or signing up so the user will have the ability to define their preferences and decide previously what language and what settings apply more to them so the augmentation will correspond more to their tastes and likings.

  5. Allowing the user to zoom in over the detected painting.

  6. Allowing the user to tap on labels for more information (in the language of their preference) and tap again to hide it or exit.

  7. Allowing the user to hide or display the augmentation of the painting.

  8. Allowing the user to pause or play the interactive element such as the audio/sound in the background.

  9. Fading in of the augmentation (labels and sound) instead of the sudden appearance of the labels and text and audio

  10. Adding some sort of animation in the environment so the user intuitively understand what to expect or not expect from the real displayed painting.

  11. Trying different label designs.

  12. Adding more distance between the paintier's label and the painting.

  13. Considering some sharable experience element such as incorportating a sort of commenting system that other visitors can see.

Blog 5 . Test Report (Test review documentation)