FT228/3 HCI – Final Year Project

Overview of Lecture How is HCI incorporated into a normal project? Discussion of Laoise Garvey’s thesis - arvey.pdf arvey.pdf Award winning final year project – 2005 Investigation from a functional AND a usability perspective

Project Background Objectives of this project Development of games on mobile phone Implement wireless network technology Create “Tanks”, a mobile phone game: Battle environment – Two Player- using networking technology Platform game – Single Player (One Player Game)

Contextual Analysis Project Area History of Gaming in Mobile Phones Technologies researched Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) Development Bluetooth Development User Group -?

Life Cycle Selection Water Fall Model Spiral Process Rational Unified Process Extreme programming **No usability-focussed lifecycle considered

Life Cycle Selection Time-Line for Project – Waterfall Model Specification for One Player Game - Cyclic nature of Spiral Model/Risk analysis Specification for Two Player Game - Cyclic nature of Spiral Model/Risk analysis Object Orientated View Of Project – Rational Unified Process

Requirements Specification for One Player Game Get through each level by destroying as many enemies as possible A player is set against a clock Each time a user is hit by an enemy, score count increases Once the game runs out, the game ends

Requirements Specification for Two Player Game User to defeat opponent user Games will be downloaded onto both phones Bluetooth connection used between both phones -> both users’ tanks will appear on the other user’s screen If tank is hit by bullet, tank’s position is reset to original position Wall obstacles placed in the user’s way to obstruct the line of fire Option of resetting game after game ends

Design Tools used for design Use case diagrams Activity diagrams Class diagrams

Activity Diagram Select One Player Game Initial screen displayed User selects start game from menu Game startsUser selects go User selects exit Time runs out User selects pause

Design Multiple cycles performed with each step reduce significant remaining risks One player & Two Player Number of versions of game Earlier versions too complex to fulfil in timeline Features removed from earlier versions Inexperience also a factor

Implementation After a number of design iterations: One-Player Game – classes created and methods coded Two-Player Game – classes created and methods coded

Evaluation Black box testing Tests the functionality of the application Tester does not know the internal working of the program Example of testing performed on next slide Usability testing The author stated during the course of the dissertation that usability testing was performed. However, no record of it has been provided

Evaluation Field NameDescription of Test ActionsExpected ResultActual Result Select One Player Game Select the One Player Game option. Select the One Player Game option using the up/down Keys. Start the game by pressing the Launch button. Splash screen should appear for four seconds. The initial starting point of One Player game should then appear. Same as ‘Expected Result’ Select Two Player Game Select the Two Player Game option. Select the Two Player Game option using the up/down Keys. Start the game by pressing the Launch button. Splash screen should appear for four seconds. The initial starting point of Two Player game should then appear. Same as ‘Expected Result’ Test Sheet for Main Launch Screen of Game

Importance of HCI Possible negative features noted by author: Small screens, less room for display Keys are small and less easy to operate Sound capabilities may be extremely limited

HCI Guidelines Used Guidelines set by Nokia When designing user interfaces (UIs) for mobile phones, developers should be aware of the following: 1. Target group – Designers should have a clear idea of their applications target users before design and implementation begin. 2. Early focus on users – Contact the intended users to make sure their requirements are being fulfilled. 3. Applications should be simple and not uncomfortable to use. 4. Early and constant user testing – Early testing is essential so that problems can be fed back into the development cycle as soon as possible. 5. Integrated design – All aspects of usability including UI, help system, documentation should evolve concurrently, rather than sequentially.

HCI Guidelines Used Nielsen’s Usability Principles Visibility of system status Match between system and the real world User control and freedom Consistency and standards Help users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors Error prevention Recognition rather than recall Flexibility and efficiency of use Aesthetic and minimalist design Help and documentation

How were the guideline ’ s used? Guidelines set by Nokia The game is simplistic to use Testing was done throughout the development of the game Potential users have offered their opinion throughout the development of the game Nielsen’s usability principles The system uses non-technical language Exit game option is clearly marked The system is built with minimalist design with no irrelevant information visible An ‘about’ option is accessible to users at all times throughout the game which will inform users on how to play the game

Game Run-through Splash Screen for Tanks game

One-Player Game One Player Game running on Mobile Phone Emulator

One-Player Game Game View:2D side scrolling game view. Controls:To move Right:Phone key – 6 To move Left:Phone key – 4 Tank Shoot:Phone key – 5 or up key Users Character: TankTank lifespan: The game lasts for one minute Depending on how many obstacles the tank manages to shoot in the game time the score of the tank is increased. Obstacles: 3 TypesSoldier Enemy Tank

Two Player Game Opening Bluetooth Client Connection Opening Bluetooth Server Connection

Creating a Server connection on Nokia phone Creating a Client connection on Nokia phone Two Player Game

Server phone creates with no difficulty, Client phone doesn't show tanks Two Player Game

Game View:2D top down game view. Controls:To move Left:Phone key – 6 To move Right:Phone key – 4 To move Up:Phone key – 2 To move Down:Phone key – 8 Fire Tank Artillery:Phone key – 5 Users Character: TankTank lifespan – 3 Obstacles:Walls blocking direct line of fire.

Future Work Game development is only limited to the technology it is run on Improvements to processing power, available memory, screen size and screen resolution 3D game development Tanks Map layouts for each level Sound files Any other suggestions?

Other Comments Ubiquitous computing ….. What evaluation tools could have been used in this project?

Reference Garvey, L. (2005) A Mobile Phone Networking Application