The workpad user interface and methodology: Developing smart and effective mobile applications for emergency operators
Abstract. In complex emergency/disaster scenarios, teams from various emergency- response organizations collaborate in order to achieve a common goal. The use of smart mobile devices and applications in these scenarios can improve this collaboration dynamically; and poses interesting challenges, such as user’ mental attention, small screen size, unavailability of reliable network, reduced power, and battery consumption. So, to design and develop interactive applications to be used in mobile and pervasive scenarios requires novel methodologies which combine user-centred design approaches and software engineering approaches tailed for distributed architectures. In this paper, we outline the methodology, adopted successfully in the European WORKPAD project, and describe the work done from getting the requirements to developing the interface of the desired system.
Evaluation of usability of Workpad: test and compare WORKPAD user interface under controlled experimentconditions:pre-test in the second phase of the project: online questionnaire for online evaluation, 13 users Second Usability Testing with Real Prototype Using Cooperative Evaluation Methods: cooperative evaluation with the first real prototype in two parallel sessions with one user each of about one and half hour long, Each user performed several tasks with the different WORKPAD components, while they have been recorded audio and video, 4 users, usability testing with “external” users: 21 external users
two-fold methodology (bottom-up and top-down) high-level approachwith various HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) techniques with focus on user-centred design (UCD) principles to develop an adaptive peer-to-peer (P2P) software and communication infrastructureBottom-up approach: A concrete case study of emergency management in theCalabria region was conducted. Potential users were intensively involved in thisproject phase− Top-down approach: On the one hand we investigated European legislation, recommendations,and initiatives with respect to emergency management, and on the other hand, related European research projects were examined regarding the adopted requirements analysis methods, the concrete outcomes and their validity for the WORKPAD project.
User requirementsResults of former projectsFor user interface: (1) grasping the users' mental attentions onto the system as little as possible, (2) reducing the resource consumptions (computational power, bandwidth, and battery)
No certain deviations
Case study for bottom-up approach: 32 interviews, each approximately 45 minutes long, from officers and generic actors of the most important organizations involved in emergency management in the Calabria regionCollecting results of former related projects
Designing software and communication infrastructure to support operators in emergencyScenarios And Evaluate usability of software
Methods applied are useful
Pre-test:Most of the participants were agreed that all WORKPAD components are understandable and intuitive. 8 users agreed and 5 users partially agreed that the Task Management component helps them in performing different tasks in the case of an emergency.12 users said that it is comprehensive to perform a task by undertaking different steps. 10 users agreed that the instructions and the buttons are clearly formulated.10 users considered the chosen symbols as appropriate, while the one said it was very appropriate.Second usability test:Fully AgreePartially AgreePartially DisagreeDisagreeComponents are intuitive and easy to use31xXComponents run without any interruptions and crashes31xXScreen design is attractive22xXScreen text is easy to read22xXComponents are easy to navigate22xXWORKPAD supports in performing tasks in the case of an emergency31xX
Not applied
Show findings of EU project WORKPADsoftware and communication infrastructure to support operators in emergencyscenarios
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