phase 2:
Selection & first design iteration
February 26- March 19, 2003

weekly update

week 10

Phase 2 Presentation (A3)
This week marked the culmination of phase 2 of the project. Hearty Breakfast presented our concept to the class, professor and guests on Wednesday, March 20. The PowerPoint presentation is included in the documents at right. Our system sketches and user scenarios are also included.

week 09

User Research & Functionality Diagrams
Hearty Breakfast began last week by “diving” into user research. After Ben demonstrated the carious components of his scuba gear, we compiled a list of media that is collected and needed during a diving expedition. In order to redirect our focus from this lengthy list, we each described what we wanted this shared personal media system to achieve. This conversation led to the creation of user profiles and an elaborate functionality diagram that examined the various phases of the trip in relation the capturing, sharing, archiving, reminiscing of the experience. In an attempt to clarify the vision of our project, several members of the team met with the Splash Dive Company in Pittsburgh to discuss the possibility of attending several of their sponsored functions in order to interview some of their club members. They eagerly talked about their own dive experiences as well as recommended several enthusiastic divers who would be invaluable to this project. Later in the week, another group of Heart Breakfast members visited the “50 Below” club for an informal dinner and scuba discussion event. These two user meetings really propelled us to re-examine our first functionality diagram and begin to prototype product forms. This week we will continue to interview users on videotape and develop a set of user scenarios that will help guide us through the range of functionalities and capabilities we are discussing.

week 08

Choosing a user group:
Through individual research and group discussions, our group developed a list of 10 potential user groups for this travel device. Several participant ideas included: school-student exchanges, specialized travel groups such as archaeology trips, church groups, and team building adventures. One group in particular, scuba drivers, sparked a particular interest among the members of Hearty Breakfast. Understanding the need for further development, we decided to select scuba divers for our user group. This was based upon the diversity of diver’s experience levels, variety of activities during trips and sense of community that could be strengthened through shared media. We are currently researching aspects of scuba diving and interviewing local divers, club members and shop owners. Once this is accomplished we will be able to further define elements of the functionality and form.

phase 2 documents

week 10

mar 20

Phase 2 Presentation (5.8 MB)
A presentation describing our process, concept and future steps.

mar 16

System Sketches (4.5 MB)
A pdf document showcasing the team's interface and system sketches for the collaborative sharing device.

week 09

mar 15

Functionality Diagram(104 KB)
A matrix matching functions and stages of the trip.

mar 15

Experience Matrix (60 KB)
A cross-reference "experience" guide, outlining what each of our users would be experiencing at the different stages of the dive trip.

mar 13

Functionality Brainstorm (1 MB)
The team's brainstormed ideas for product features and functionality.

mar 12

Functionality Objectives (88 KB)
The identification of the stages of the trip experience and possible actions/functions needed.

mar 12

User Profiles (1 MB)
5 high level user profiles in a PowerPoint.

mar 12

User Profiles (56 KB)
A "situational" introduction to 0ur 5 trip participants, ranging from a divemaster to a non-diver.

mar 11

Meeting our User Group (96 KB)
Documenting an informal dialogue between Hearty Breakfast team members and the 50 Below Club.

week 08

mar 5

Phase 2 schedule and research plan (56 KB)
Pdf document describing the team's next steps.

mar 5

Problem statement and user group (52 KB)
Pdf document describing the focus of our product.