Product Re-Design: Joyce Barrington Evauluation

From evaluating our product using the personas, we have found a number of features that need to be added or improved. The following changed to the design have been deduced from the Barringtons' test of the system:

• The button system - The Barringtons concluded that the four button system was easy to use, but sometimes too restrictive. The basic colour coding concept will remain in place, however it will be complimented with the use of some extra user inputs. Firstly a scrolling input needs to be added to the physical device. The personas found that navigating screens that had multiple options could be slow and confusing. Adding a scroll function means they can navigate menus and shopping lists much easier. To keep the number of possible user inputs to a minimum, the trolley handle will also be used as scrolling device. Pulling the handle towards the user will result in scrolling down any list, and vice versa.
  

• Speech Recognition - The second new user input will be the use of speech recognition. The reason for this is to offer the user a much wider range of flexibility whilst using the system. With the accuracy of such technology rapidly improving, the system should provide a faster and more rewarding than found in the prototype. The speech recognition will be used in situations where it would other take a number of button pushes to achieve. For example, commands such as "Go to aisle 5" or "Look at bread" will result in quicker browsing and easier product location.

• Handle Interaction - Having found that pushing the buttons on the device could cause minor involuntary trolley movement, we need to redesign the joystick style of movement that controls the trolley. Instead of a pilot's style control, the handle will now just click forward and back at a limited distance. This also means the user can feel when the device has been pushed forwards enough to push the trolley forwards, providing a greater level of confidence to the user.

• Shopping List Feature - The Barringtons commented that although the shopping list system was effective once compiled, actually preparing the shopping list took longer than desired. With the limited number of inputs available, they found it hard to add or delete things from the list. It can be conceded that using the traditional pen and paper method was still probably the most effective system available. However for regular shoppers, knowing their common items is essential in compiling an effective shopping list, therefore users will be able to add any product as a favourite item, meaning it will appear on their shopping list every time they use the system. The user will be able to jump straight to the items on future shopping sessions.

• Product Browsing - Having found the shelf browsing system reasonably easy to understand, Joyce felt the sheer number of products on offer was sometimes overwhelming. The way the products are displayed therefore needs to be clarified. When the user is browsing down an aisle, the products available in the section will be visible using information 'boards' above the aisle, as found in a real supermarket. The products will not all be visible, rather classified by type and in easy to understand sections. Expanding these sections further will then offer further options such as viewing nutritional information. Although this process can make selecting a single product involve a number of button presses, we feel it is better design to relieve the user of information overload while shopping. This is combined with the fact that items can be added quickly from the 'favourites' shopping list.

• Undo Feature - The Barringtons identified a problem that we had not considered, adding an undo facility. They found that if accidentally adding a product to the basket, it was hard to quickly remove it. Similarly if mistakingly clicking the checkout button mid-browsing, they would have to navigate all the way back to where they were shopping. It is therefore essential to add an 'Undo' facility as found in most modern applications to ensure that any errors can be quickly resolved.

• Device Height - Joyce Barrington noted that when using the trolley handle device from a table top position, the handle bar was too high to result in comfortable and natural. It is therefore essential to make the device fully adjustable so it can be used by anybody, and in a number of locations (i.e. armchair or table-top).