Freestyle Blog

My freestyle blog is based on the widely known console game, Devil May Cry. One of the reasons why I am doing my blog on this particular game is because, it is one of the greatest games I have ever played.

The game can be played on both Playstation 2 and Xbox formats. It is a one player game and the player takes on the role of the mature Dante.

There are many factors in contributing my interest for the game. First of all, the storyline is paramount in imagination and innovativeness. I was compelled by it after only watching the first scene, which comprises of Dante in action with a horde of creatures.



Brief storyline

Long ago in the demon world, Sparda the legendary dark knight betrays his fellow demons in order to save humanity from destruction. He closes the portal where demons can travel to and fro the human world, using his sword ‘The Force Edge’. Sparda has twin sons with a mortal wife. One is Dante the half demon, half human which the player plays with in the mainstream game. The other is Vergil. Dante is in the knowledge that his mother and brother were killed by the evil Lord Mundas after his father had passed away. This has caused Dante hatred towards the demons and had set up business as a demon slayer. The main objective of the game is for Dante to find and kill the murderer of his two family members.

Another aspect I like of the game is the style of combination moves the player is enabled to do. The player can also use the gun and sword weapons simultaneously which is ‘cool’ to watch while performing it on screen. There are so many diverse controls in the game that it is hard for the player to do the same moves too many times (getting to the point that it becomes boring). It’s also amazing how a small human such as Dante can kill huge monsters with such ease (even though I know it is just a game). For example at one point, Dante comes up against a gargantuan spider creature, it seems Dante will find impossible to defeat it, however in the cut scenes Dante uses his incredible strength and speed to overpower the creature.

The cuts scenes are special because of the moves Dante performs. They simply have the ‘wow’ factor. A hero can kill enemies just like that in many ways. There is the normal way, the brutal, the stylish way and then the extreme stylish way. The producers must have used a lot of ‘out of this world’ brainstorming in order to come up with stuff like this.





















Below are some video clips you can view which show a few of the cut scened from the game:

Studio 12, 13 & 14: Running a Quantitative Study

The novice user will be a person from another group within the class.

Before we picked another user, I recorded down Sharaz’s results. These are displayed below:

Task 1) Time taken: 36.9 seconds, Number of errors: 0.
Task 2) Time taken: 19.0 seconds, Number of errors: 0.

The new users results will be evaluated against the experienced users results. The user’s results (from a different group) are displayed below.

Task 1) Time taken: 1 minute 07.2 seconds, Number of errors: 3.
Task 2) Time taken: 31.5.0 seconds, Number of errors: 1.

User comments:

• ‘Ah! this is the video, where do you go to use the camera instead’.
• ‘Phone is alright to use especially for a first timer.’
• ‘The contacts task was simple enough but it was easily forgotten how to and where to input information such as email and address.’

Based on this I feel that this certain mobile phone is actually usable. This is because the camera task was done quite quickly for a first user although one error was made (going onto the video camera instead of the digital camera). This was done by accident and the user had actually resolved the problem straight away. This must mean the camera icon was clearly visible to the user, thus they could select it quickly without thinking for too long. The adding contacts task took a bit longer than expected but in the end it was completed. It could be argued that there were 3 errors made during this task making it unusable. This is true but this would be a one off mistake. If I was to ask the user to do the same thing again they should do it with no errors and in minimal time. In fact this should mobile phone could be further tested next time including the recognition and memory attribute.

Block 3: Reading exercise

· a user study of a large multi user interactive in a real world scenario.
· how successful technologies of this kind are in a communal context.
· an implementation of a system called Dynamo in a high school common room.
· Interest in studying the extent to which the students would use the Dynamo surface.
· Visual of the results found from the 10 days deployment of the Dynamo system
· How easily Dynamo is adopted and how frequently it is used.

Example 1 of qualitative data:

There were 150 students in the 6th form; most of the students had been together at the high school for a number of years and so knew each other relatively well, although obviously some were better friends than others. There was considerable ovement in and out of the room during the course of any day. In the period prior to the Dynamo deployment, we observed up to 20 students (at any given period) spending time in the common room between classes and at breaks.

The students made use of the space for a variety of purposes. They would hang out with friends in free periods, sometimes doing schoolwork, but mostly socialising. Often they would be in small groups sitting or standing around the tables, and occasionally sitting on their own. We saw instances where students staged spontaneous activities and performances, such as playing a guitar. They also brought in CDs and played them in the room on the shared CD player. A preliminary survey showed a high level of personal device ownership, with mobile phones being most popular, and digital still cameras, USB and zip disks and MP3 walkmans the next most commonly owned devices. We observed instances of students passing around their digital cameras to show others photos they had recently taken. We also observed students sending each other photos via their MMS mobile phones. The students reported high use of email and IM for communication and media sharing.’
(Page 4, paragraph 1 and 2).

Example 2 of qualitative data:

5.2.1. Drawing Others In

This first vignette presents a typical interaction around Dynamo:

Mike (second from left in Figure 10) goes through items from his
pen drive and from the parcels on Dynamo. For the next 15
minutes, people come in and out of the room, and occasionally chat
to him about the visual material on-screen. Shortly, two groups
gather on two of the back tables (right of Figure 10). Mike opens up
a series of items, spreading them out across the screen: these
include MP3s and some photos. He then opens a PowerPoint show
containing a series of visual illusions. As he goes through each
slide, he turns to the others in the room, gauging their reactions and
engaging his friend sitting next to him in banter:
‘That’s quality!’ ‘Oh yeah, it is very good, yeah’…
‘Do you have any more like that?’
Soon the others in the room become an audience, watching keenly
and discussing the illusions amongst themselves. During the show,
some others arrive and watch whilst still standing, and contributing
verbally (‘ahh – oh mate, I love those ones!’). When the slides
finish, Mike then puts on some music, and opens some photos, upsizing
each one consecutively, and each time getting an audience
reaction. He then proceeds to go through the parcels, looking at
photos and leaving some open down the right and left sides of the
surface. He leaves his PowerPoint show in a public parcel when he
finishes.

Figure 10: Mike (pictured front left), performing to the room

(Page 6, paragraphs 3 and 4)

Example 1 of quantitative data:

Based upon these high-level actions, a density of interaction over the course of each of the 10 days of deployment can be generated (Figure 5). The value in each cell indicates the number of discrete interactions as logged by the system for a particular time slot. It is worth noting how the general rhythm of use followed the overall daily timetable with usage peaking around the morning break and lunch time. The usage on Day 5 reflects a fieldtrip day without classes, with a significant number of students (who did not attend the fieldtrip) spending most of the day in the common room.
(Page 5, paragraph 1)

Figure 5: Aggregate usage through the study (numbers refer to direct interactions as defined in section 5.1)

Example 2 of quantitative data:

During the course of deployment students used the surface to display a wide variety of media. Figure 6 shows the types of media displayed on the surface.

(Page 5, paragraph 2)

Figure 6: Media displayed on the Dynamo surface

Example of qualitative data represented as quantitative

One example of qualitative data which has been represented as quantitative data is the down is the different types of downloads children did. The method used to display the information is a bar graph showing the specific downloads made and the number times they were made. This is qualitative data as the researchers had seen and recorded children offering and requesting downloads from each other.
(Page 5, paragraph 3 and figure 7).

Studio 11: Applying Quantitative Usability Methods

Group Members: Me, Sharaz Amin

Chosen Device: Samsung D600 mobile phone

The purpose of the evaluation i will design is to see to what extent the phone is successful in terms of visibility.

‘Visibility-The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time’.

The method we will apply for this evaluation is to do quantitative technique call usability engineering. We feel this is an appropriate method for this particular scenario because as it states in the lecture notes it is a ‘powerful tool for evaluating prototypes’. Therefore we can consider the already made phone to be a prototype.

Basically the users will be given instructions to complete two tasks. While doing these tasks they will be observed by us and all results will be noted down. The results will include the time taken to complete each task, the number of errors the user made and any gestures or comments they made which would help the evaluation. There will be 2 users all together. As this is Sharaz’s phone he will be taken as an experienced user and he will undergo the tasks first and i will be observing. Once he has completed the tasks, his times will be compared against a second user who does not own the same model phone. The difference in experience will determine how well the phone is generally usable, more specifically in visibility terms (Nielson Heuristics).

Attributes:

• Visibility of the system status.

Measures and Metrics:

• Time taken to complete each task.
• The number of errors that occur
• User comments

Users (2):

• Sharaz Amin (experienced user)
• Inexperienced user

Tasks for the user:

• Add a new contact with complete details; email, telephone number, name, address.
• Take a picture of the classroom, while zooming in. Then view the picture just taken.

Instructions for the User:

We are carrying out a usability test on the Samsung D500 and we will be grateful if we could just take two minutes of your time and you could complete the simple tasks stated below. After you have completed each task please put the phone down and give us a brief feedback on the task you had just completed. Any comments are welcome.

You can begin each task once we say go and have pressed the start button on the timer, this way we can record your timings.

Task 1) Add a new contact with complete details; email, telephone number, name, address. Make a call to that person.

Tasks 2) Take a picture of the classroom, while zooming in. Then view the picture just taken.

Thank you

Studio 10: Smart Homes

Imerge MS5000 Media Server

1) The Imerge MS5000 Media Server combines state-of-the art functionality in one beautifully-integrated AV device. A High Definition hard disk-based single source video server is seamlessly united with a 5-source audio SoundServer, a multi-terabyte network RAID server, an integrated DVD player (with HD up-scaling) and a first class CD player. Dual video outputs provide independent main-room and multi-room TV user interfaces allowing simultaneous control of music and movies.

MS5000 provides fast, responsive access to any movie or piece of music from a central media library into any room of the house. Automatic titling and cataloguing of movies and music makes it easy to build a superb entertainment library. Collections can be easily browsed and control screens can be matched to home decor. Personalised genres, playlists, 1-touch presets and jukebox-style playback bring new dimensions to home entertainment, and music can be transferred between computers and portable players. The removable RAID hard disk means all of your home entertainment libraries are protected in the event of a hard drive failure.
2)

Philips TSU9600

The sensational looking Philips Pronto gives you complete control of all your audio visual entertainment, lighting and music throughout your entire home. With a 3.7" screen, ergonomic design and built-in stylus the Pronto is both convenient and comfortable to use. The user interface can be personalised to match your unique tastes and preferences, and multiple devices can be controlled with a single touch, even if the device is in another room.

Arcam Solo Movie 5.1

The Arcam Solo Movie 5.1 is the epitome of audiovisual engineering with world class picture and sound performance. It combines a DVD player, amplifier, DAB radio, and once connected to speakers can deliver stunning surround sound. Music and video can also be seamlessly integrated using either Arcam's rDock or rLead. The Solo Movie 5.1 takes over the control and amplification with all iPod text appearing on the front panel display of the unit.


Runco RS-1100 and RS-1100 Ultra 1080p DLP™ projectors
span style="font-family:arial;">Both models incorporate single-chip, digital light processing (DLP) based light engines, engineered and calibrated for the finest video reproduction.

Both the RS-1100 and the RS-1100 Ultra are available with Runco's exclusive CineWide™ scaling technology. This enables the picture to be stretched vertically, so the black bars at the top and the bottom are eliminated and the active picture area fills the screen. The anamorphic lens then stretches the image again, horizontally this time, restoring the picture to its original, geometrically correct, and full 2.35:1 CinemaScope aspect ratio. The resulting image fills the entire screen, producing an image that is 33% bigger with no black bars and increased resolution and brightness.

The RS-1100 Ultra is also available with AutoScope. With this option the anamorphic lens is motorized to allow maximum resolution on both 2.35:1 and 16:9 screens, ensuring the most accurate reproduction of either 2.35:1 aspect movies or 16:9 HDTV material.
Both models also feature Runco's proprietary SuperOnyx™ light engine and Selectable Lamp Intensity Control™ (SLIC) which provides two selectable lamp intensity levels to allow maximum flexibility for screen size, ambient light conditions, brightness, contrast balance and preservation of usable lamp life.


Artcoustic Diablo Panel Subwoofer


The Diablo Sub Panel floor standing and wall-hanging subwoofer is the perfect complement for all the speakers in the Artcoustic range. It employs twin 10" X2 long-throw woofers and the X2 bass system to precisely control airflow and pressure inside the cabinet, achieving a bass response down to 20Hz. All of this, in a compact slimline design that can be placed on the floor or hung on a wall. The Diablo Sub Panel comes with a PA-300: a 300 watt amplifier. The Diablo Sub Panel is ideal for use in high-end installations, where sound quality is paramount, such as in medium to large sized home cinema installations.



Keyton Dune and Dynamic massage Chairs

Keyton, Europe's top producer of massage chairs, have gone from strength to strength by introducing a host of innovative products since the arrival of the first ergonomic massaging robot in 1993, In 2004, Keyton patented a new and revolutionary technology called Sensor Scan, which scans an individual back's state and personalises the massage to the needs of each person.
The latest additions to the range of massage chairs are the Keyton Dune and Keyton Dynamic, both featuring the Sensor Scan option.

Each massage will activate the touch receptors in your skin with the appropriate level of pressure, which has been shown to reduce stress, combat insomnia, alleviate neck pains, eliminate tension in the shoulders, relax the dorsal muscles, reduce back pains, alleviate lumbago, combat heavy legs, and stimulate circulation - all at the touch of a button.
Keyton Sensor Scan - The first massage chair that identifies and meets the needs of your back.

Studio 9: Overview of 203CR in Term 1

Blog work for Term 1

1. Definitions and Images of Pervasive Computing
2. Reading Week 1-‘Everyware’ Extract
3. IPod Usability Explorations
4. Design Approaches
5. Usability Tools
6. Writing Reports
7. Identifying Research Activities and Methods; Advice/Supervision on Key Assignment
8. Overview of 203CR Term 1

Coursework for Term 1

Option 1 Report: Usability Evaluation of a Mobile Device or Devices

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate understanding of the concept of pervasive computing and howthis differs from, and extends, desktop-based computing.

2. Discuss issues and challenges in designing for usability in the area ofpervasive computing (i.e., designing for ‘pervasive usability’).

3. Demonstrate knowledge of a range of problem spaces for pervasive usability,including single-user and collaborative systems; systems for work, learningand leisure; and mobile devices, smart devices and information appliances.

4. Appropriately select a usability method whether this be user testing, metrics,ethnography, or other; and effectively carry out usability evaluations.

5. Generate prototype solutions appropriately for given design problems.

6. Critically reflect on approaches and achievements.

How these learning outcomes were met

Learning Outcome 1 – i have met this learning outcome by researching and giving definitions for pervasive computing in the first studio (can be found in ‘Definitions and Images of Pervasive Computing).

Learning Outcome 2 – The evaluation on my Sony Ericsson phone demonstrates my understanding of how difficult it is to design a product which incorporates the idea of pervasive computing.

Learning Outcome 3 – In one of the studios we were required to do ‘yes but’ on the different ideas of pervasive computing. By doing this i was able to identify problem spaces for these ideas. Therefore i have met this learning outcome.

Learning Outcome 4 – i have first demonstrated this in my coursework where i have produced an in depth evaluation on my mobile phone. I have clearly explained my methods for testing and for analyzing the information obtained. I have further demonstrated this in the studio work ‘Usability Tools’ and ‘Identifying Research Activities and Methods; Advice/Supervision on Key Assignment’.

Learning Outcome 5 – i have again demonstrated this in my coursework suggesting improvements and solutions to problems for my phone. I was able to do this after the thorough user testing and detailed evaluation.

Learning Outcome 6 – this is clearly shown in this blog where i have related the learning outcomes with the work i have done so far. I have also reflected on the work i have done by creating this blog.

Reading Week 1- 'Everyware' extract

• 'Computing has leapt off the desktop and insinuated itself into everyday life.'
• 'Will appear in many different contexts and take a wide variety of forms, but it will affect almost every one of us, whether we are aware of it or not.'
• 'An "invisible" computing, a computing that "does not live on a personal device of any sort, but is in the woodwork everywhere."'
• 'But computation would flourish, becoming intimately interwined with the stuff of everyday life.'
• 'Ordinary objects, from coffee mugs to raincoats to the paint on the walls.
• ' People would interact with these systems fluently and naturally, barely noticing the powerful informatics they were engaging. the innumerable hassles presented by personal computing would fade into history.'
• Mobile phones (Philips, Samsung and Nokia).
• 'Wireless-enabled, embedded sensors and microcontrollers known as 'motes'.'