Introduction
During weeks 1-2, I focused the bulk of my efforts on gathering resources to research user-centered application development and design. Initial meetings with Mike Prince/Citizen 911 were promising but quickly led me to conclude high up front investments in contextual inquiry and requirements gathering would be necessary to define and validate a viable product, leaving little time to address usability and design issues.
Accomplished
Further exploration ultimately led me to the Responder Maps project, DMI’s recently revived effort to integrate data with mapping services to display a Common Operating Picture crisis map. As constituted, many of the major features (functional requirements) have been researched, built, and/or logged for future iterations. At this stage, more effort is needed to engage and attract stakeholders (including agencies like BART) to explore their unique datasets and any specific functional and nonfunctional business requirements that may accompany them.
Challenges and Plans to Address
Key to this process is the ability to “sell” stakeholders/data providers on the benefits of sharing their data and on the overall user experience of using the RM tools. To accomplish this, we will create collateral we can share with stakeholders remotely or in person, e.g., a demo video introducing the product. These materials will need to meet the quality and fidelity expected by sophisticated users.
Thereafter, we plan to put artifacts including prototypes and a usability study into play to help validate and identify needed improvements to the product. Recruiting participants and identifying features to test/share will require ongoing efforts and investigation.
Goals
To produce the collateral, Trey has connected me with one of his design interns. This week, I will draft a video treatment for review that we can put into production as early as next week. The second challenge will require more ongoing efforts, e.g., attending DMI meetings and arranging followups with specific stakeholders to recruit participants, working with additional team members to develop prototypes, reviewing product requirements and background materials, etc. More on these items later.
Related articles
- Responder Maps: Week 6 (geoffnet.com)
- Responder Maps: Week 5 (geoffnet.com)
- Responder Maps: Week 4 (geoffnet.com)
- Responder Maps: Week 3 (geoffnet.com)
