Smart Base

Afarin Pirzadeh, Preethi Srinivas, Steven Entezari

2011

S.A.P
Table of Contents
1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 4

2 Functional Design Concepts .................................................................................................... 4

2.1 Leaving messages ............................................................................................................. 5

2.2 Accessing Inbox ............................................................................................................... 6

2.3 Reminders....................................................................................................................... 10

2.4 Calendar ......................................................................................................................... 10

2.5 Media Storage ................................................................................................................ 11

2.6 Connected Device .......................................................................................................... 12

2.7 Connecting family members in different locations ........................................................ 13

2.8 My Shopping List ........................................................................................................... 14

2.9 Skype .............................................................................................................................. 14

3 Early Prototype ...................................................................................................................... 14

4 Physical Design ..................................................................................................................... 15

5 Internal Walkthrough ............................................................................................................. 16

6 High Fidelity Prototype ......................................................................................................... 17

7 Prototype Testing ................................................................................................................... 17

8 Suggested Changes from Cognitive Walkthroughs and User Testing .................................. 18

9 Future Works ......................................................................................................................... 19

10 Lessons Learned................................................................................................................. 19
Table of Figures

Figure 1: SmartBase Map ............................................................................................................... 5

Figure 2: Process of leaving a message in the system .................................................................... 8
Figure 3: Personalized Inbox Layout .............................................................................................. 9
Figure 4: Personalized Inbox creation process ............................................................................... 9
Figure 5: Process of creating a Reminder ..................................................................................... 12
Figure 6: Connecting SmartBase devices to one another ............................................................. 13
Figure 7: Early Prototype .............................................................................................................. 15
Figure 8: Physical Design ............................................................................................................. 15
Figure 9: Box ................................................................................................................................ 16
1 Introduction
We were contacted to review and redesign a home message center by a major national consumer
electronics company. Our team conducted a thorough review of the previous system and re
evaluated the functional and physical requirements of the system for the context of an in-home
enhanced message center. While maintaining much of the functionality from the original design,
enhancements were made to improve on the concept of a family message center. During our
redesign process, we evaluated physical aspects such as height of members, button placement,
navigation methods, as well as functional aspects including advanced functionality, connectivity,
and the definition of “family” for our contexts. Below you will find additional notes on our
design concepts.

2 Functional Design Concepts

Based on the assigned product problem space, our team envisioned a product (SmartBase) that
can be placed at a central location in the house. SmartBase will function as a home
communication center, using which audio and video messages can be exchanged between the
members within a family. The main functions of the product include:

1. Ability of a family member to leave messages to other members in the family.

2. Ability to allow a family member to check messages left in the system inbox.
3. Ability of a family member to leave reminders in the system.
4. Ability of a family member to access the calendar of the system.
5. Ability to store media (eg, audio, video, photos etc.).
6. Ability to allow an external storage device to connect to it. This should further allow
transferring of files to and from the external storage device.

In addition to these basic functions, SmartBase also provides applications like

1. MyShoppingList that allow a family member to call out items in a shopping list and send
it as an SMS to their mobile phone or to the mobile phone of another family member
2. Skype that allows family members to place skype calls from their device to another
connected device placed in a different location
SmartBase can be in one of the two modes of operations:

 Idle mode, where the current outside temperature is displayed on top right corner of the
display screen of SmartBase. In addition to this, one of the following can also be
displayed based on user modification of system settings
o Daily headlines can be displayed every morning when the system is idle. The time
up to which the headlines can be displayed can however be modified by the
family member.
o A slideshow of pictures chosen by family members and stored in the Favorites
folder in under the media section of SmartBase along with current time set as a
clock and placed on the display screen at a position chosen by the family member.
 Active mode, where the above mentioned functions and applications are provided to the
family members.

Media Play – plays audio, Another

Past: view messages, video and picture+audio SmartBase
Skype
events, reminders messages
MyShoppingList
Future: view
reminders View Ads based on
Day In
past shopping lists
Calendar
Retrieve stored list
Create New
Monthly view Store list
Delete List
Send as SMS

CALENDAR

MEDIA

Browse Existing
External

Figure 1: SmartBase Map

The rest of this section will explain each of the functions supported by SmartBase in detail.

2.1 Leaving messages

The main purpose of SmartBase is to act as a communication hot spot of any home. Considering
this requirement, SmartBase is designed to support the following types of messages:
  audio messages
 video messages
 photographs
 photographs with an audio message attached to it

An audio or video message can be recorded by means of starting the recorder, and stopping the
same once the recording is done. A counter counting down from three to one is provided before
each recording sequence for the family member to get ready with the recording process. Message
recording feature also allows the family member to listen to the message recorded and re-record
in case he/she is not satisfied. Once the family member is satisfied with his/her recording, the
message can be sent to others. SmartBase allows the family member to tag all the members in
the family to whom the message is intended, although the message can be seen by all users. The
concept of tagging will be explained in the next subsection (Accessing Inbox).

Photographs can also be sent as messages in SmartBase by using one of the two ways:

 Photographs shot live at the moment by a family member, or

 Photographs browsed from and selected from
o Existing storage on the system or
o An external storage attached to the system.

A photograph can also be accompanied with an audio message recording recorded by the family
member before being sent. The process of leaving a message to other family members may
involve steps as shown in Figure 2.

2.2 Accessing Inbox

All the messages left in SmartBase can be viewed by everyone in the family as long as they have
an associated profile. Family members can create profiles by taking a picture of themselves and
storing them in SmartBase system. Creating a profile is a one-time setup that can be done when
SmartBase is initially setup in the house or as and when required. SmartBase also allows to add
in new family member profiles or to make changes to the existing profiles. Although this feature
helps identify the different members in the family, it does not differentiate or create a sense of
privacy between the family members. SmartBase has the concept of tagging messages with the
profile pictures of family members. Family members to whom a particular message is intended
can be chosen every time a message has to be sent. This feature is used only to differentiate the
way the inbox is laid out based on the family member. It does not allow the family members to
create private messages.

SmartBase is designed to allow family members to look at a personalized inbox in a way that all
the messages that are intended for them and are unread are arranged at the top of the inbox
(sorted by time of creation of messages) with messages to everyone else in the family arranged at
the bottom (sorted by time of creation of messages). This is achieved by means of Face
Detection, which is a process that can be used to detect and identify the family members. Every
time a family member comes in front of SmartBase and activates the system from idle mode, the
system automatically detects the user profile by means of Face Detection and updates, rearranges
the number of unread messages in the inbox. Hence, it becomes easy for a family member to
quickly check messages intended for him/her. The family member can then choose to either read
other messages in the system for the day or visit the Calendar to view past messages or
reminders.

The inbox has the profile pictures of all the family members lined up at the top. This can be used
to sort messages according to the family members to whom messages are intended. An example
personalized inbox is shown in Figure 3.
 Activate from idle mode to
active mode

Select menu option Leave message

Select family members to

whom message is addressed

Select type of
message

If No
Yes
audio/video
message
Yes Live No
Start recording
photograph?

No Browse
Done Take a picture
recording?
media

Yes No
Done Yes External No
taking source?
picture?

Yes
Check for plugged- Browse for
in external media photograph
and browse for from existing
photograph storage

Yes Attach
audio?

No
Yes Set as No
reminder?

Yes Send No
Reminder
setting process message?

Select Home button to

Choose Send
choose a different
option
operation or to start over
again

Figure 2: Process of leaving a message in the system

 Profile pictures of
all family
X X X X members used
for sorting
messages
From Type of message Others tagged Time of creation
Messages
To who else this intended to the
message is family member
intended as currently using
chosen by the SmartBase
sender of the
message

From Type of message Others tagged Time of creation

Messages to
everyone else

Figure 3: Personalized Inbox Layout

The process by which a personalized inbox is created is as shown in Figure 4.

Activate from idle mode to

active mode Number of messages that are intended for
user and are unread is shown as a visual
display in main home menu under Inbox
System does backend
menu item
processing of Face
Detection

Select menu option Inbox message

Personalized inbox
created

Figure 4: Personalized Inbox creation process

Any family member has the ability to delete the message intended for them. However, if a
message has multiple people tagged, the message is deleted from the system only when all the
members tagged in the message have accepted to delete it.

Based on the messages that are left unread in the system, SmartBase will also provide a visual
indicator in terms of a LED light fixed at the top right corner. This visual indicator helps family
members determine if there are any unread messages in the system even without coming near
SmartBase or activating it. They will however not know to whom the unread messages are
intended unless they come near SmartBase and activate it to view their Inbox. Hence, even if a
particular message is intended for 3 other members in the family, the visual indicator will
continue to glow until all the three members have viewed the message.

2.3 Reminders
SmartBase provides the functionality for the family members to set messages as reminders in the
system. A reminder is not a typical message that is seen in the inbox; it is a message that will pop
up at the time set by the family member while creating it. Reminders can be repeated daily or
weekly. They can also be deleted from the system based on availability of storage space or when
the family members don’t want the reminder. A reminder is deleted from the system when the
family who created it decides to delete it. Reminders are not addressed to a particular family
member; they are addressed to everyone in general. Before a reminder is stored in the system, it
can be labeled by the family member. This process involves the family member calling out the
name. SmartBase has a built-in voice detection system that can automatically detect spoken
words and convert it to text. The process using which a reminder is created is as shown in Figure
5.

2.4 Calendar
SmartBase has a built-in calendar. This calendar can be used by family members to set
reminders, events or occasions. The calendar is set to be in monthly view. The total number of
messages in the system and the number of unread messages for each day in the month are also
displayed in the monthly view. Family members can select any day in the calendar to get to a
daily view, where they can view the messages of the day, events for the day and reminders set
for the day.
2.5 Media Storage
SmartBase allows family members to store audio, video or picture files in its storage system. It
provides access to these stored items using a conventional folder structure as seen in desktop
PCs. In addition to accessing media items in the system, the family members can also plug in
external media (USB, SD card) and transfer files to/from the system to the external media in a
manner similar to the way they can be accessed on computers. Family members can also browse
to and find media items to be sent as photograph messages or set as reminders in the system.
Two of the most important folders under this menu item are:

 Favorites-this folder will contain images to be played as a slideshow when the system is
in idle mode.
 Shared- this folder is not enabled as long as the one SmartBase device is not connected to
another SmartBase device. Once it is enabled, it can be used as a “shared” folder of
images between the devices that are connected. More information about this folder will
be given in the following sections.
 Activate from idle mode to
active mode

Select menu option Reminder Select menu option Leave message

Create message Select Set as Reminder option

(audio/video/photo)

Set time, frequency of occurrence

Delete once
activated/delete when
Select there is no space in
storage system/delete when
preferences user chooses to

Label the reminder

Done

Figure 5: Process of creating a Reminder

2.6 Connected Device

SmartBase is a connected device in that it is connected to the Internet through a built-in wireless
adapter. The built-in wireless adapter has the capabilities to automatically detect and connect to
the available wireless network. If the wireless network is password protected, the family member
can call out the password and have it stored in the system for later use in a manner similar to the
way computers store wireless network passwords. Setting up connection to a wireless network is
a one-time process that can be done when SmartBase is setup at home. SmartBase also has the
facility to connect Ethernet cable in order to connect to the Internet. The connection settings can
be modified in the Settings menu under the main menu of items. Connecting to the Internet is an
optional feature in SmartBase and a family can choose to avoid it, in which case, SmartBase
provides only the basic functionalities mentioned above.

2.7 Connecting family members in different locations

Every SmartBase device has a unique identifier associated with it called the service tag. This can
be used by families to stay connected. Hence, SmartBase is not only a communication hot spot
for members within a single home, it also connects family members staying in different locations
as long as they all have the device installed in their homes. Connecting two SmartBase devices is
a one-time setup that can be done online in the company website by giving their service tag
information.

The folder named “Shared” under the media menu item is enabled as soon as two SmartBase
devices are connected. Any images or other media items placed in this folder can then be shared
across devices.

SmartBase1 SmartBase2
Before Connection

Shared Shared

After Connection
Shared Media

SmartBase1 SmartBase2

Figure 6: Connecting SmartBase devices to one another

2.8 My Shopping List
In addition to providing basic functionality, SmartBase also allows family members to create
shopping lists on the fly by calling out items and sending them as text messages to their phones.
This feature can highly save time especially when a family member wants to instruct his/her
partner to buy some items on the way back home. The shopping lists can also be stored and
retrieved at a later point of time. SmartBase is designed to be smart and pulls, displays relevant
advertisements on the right panel. Relevant advertisements are pulled by a Web Service based on
items in previously stored shopping lists.

Once the user is done with creating a shopping list, he/she can call out the phone number to
which the list has to be sent. Alternatively, a stored phone number can be pulled out by calling
out the name of the person to whom the phone belongs.

2.9 Skype
SmartBase has the Skype application installed by default. A Skype call can be placed in a manner
similar to the way it can be placed on computers or smart phones. The Skype account cannot be
managed using this device. Any family member can login to their Skype account by calling out
their name and password. Username/password combination can be associated with user profiles
on SmartBase and hence can be remembered on the system for future use. The Skype application
on this device is designed to allow only voice calls or video calls. Chat messages can however
not be exchanged using this device.

3 Early Prototype
Our team started with very different ideas, some of which are not a part of our final prototype.
Some of the images from our early prototyping stages include:
 Figure 7: Early Prototype

4 Physical Design
The physical appearance of the device (Figure 8) was designed in order to make it easy to be
used by both adult and children. So the device has two main parts: box and stand. The box is the
system with the handle and the string. The stand behind the box is the track-structure that the
system is fixed to allowing it to be moved up and down. The string is to allow the shorter users
to be able to pull the system down even if they can't reach the handle.

Box

String

Stand

Figure 8: Physical Design

According to the Figure 9, the box includes the screen and number of physical buttons.
Minimum numbers of buttons are designed on the box. One arrow keys that is a scrollbar as well
and home button to have direct access to home page. There is also the physical message button
on the screen as a shortcut to “Leave message”. There is a back button in order to go back to the
previous page from any page. An indicator for unread messages and a webcam are located on top
of the screen as well.

Indicator Webcam
Screen

Home Page Arrow Keys Leave Message Back

and scroll bar

Figure 9: Physical Device – Front View

5 Internal Walkthrough
Our internal walkthrough was conducted by two members of our development team as well as
two potential consumers of a new and enhanced home base system. The following problems
were documented:
  Semantics
o Using the word “Send” instead of “Leave” to complete a message
o Text should be implemented with the icons
 Buttons and Physical Device
o Make Menu Show/Hide
o Size of menu should be bigger
o Determine size in metrics for evaluation
o Make sure back button is implemented
 Process
o Evaluate what image should show up after the message is sent
o Placement of people on screen should be more logical
o Functionality of the prototype may not match aspects of the scenarios. Evaluate.
o Evaluate when we should use the menu overlay over the home button
o Some interactions are hard to naturally follow
o Scroll needs to be designed for better efficiency
 Emphasize More
o Emphasize the use of the physical navigational structure
o Emphasize difference between idle/active modes more
o Identify users better on their individual inboxes
o Home button should have continuous meaning and not change at any point during
any scenario
o Audio/Video pages need to have differentiating features

6 High Fidelity Prototype

The interactive prototype can be found at
http://149.166.112.105/~presrini/I564/finalprototype/prototype/Bin/Debug/Default.html

7 Prototype Testing
There was an opportunity to test the prototype in the class and get direct feedback from users.
Usability test reveals how users work with device in reality and whether they understand our
design or not. And also what are their suggestions for design improvement. Many problems may
not be apparent until actual use exposes an omission or inconvenience. Users may also find some
features or terminology confusing. Thus it is logical that prototyping tends to help ensure that the
design will meet users’ needs.

Following points are considerable based on the user testing:

 The menu icons are not clear. For example the users cannot find media icon in the menu.
 Why there are family members’ photos on top of the inbox page? Users don’t know why
the pictures are on top of the page and whose inbox they are in now.
 The navigation between pages is not clear for users. They cannot find on which page they
are currently working.

8 Suggested Changes from Cognitive Walkthroughs and User

Testing
Semantics

Our goal will be to focus on the understanding of the words we use. Many of our users had
problems with “Leave” being the option to complete the message. Just as it is in other messaging
systems, they expected the word “Send” to be the completion process of actually “sending” the
message. Many of our participants also had some problems with the icons and their meanings. It
wasn’t immediately made evident what each icon stood for at the beginning. While the argument
was made that users will eventually learn, our team will implement words with icons because we
understand that if the users don’t initially learn, they won’t continue to use the product.

Buttons and Physical Device

The participants we solicited for our scenarios evaluated our design on a computer screen.
Unfortunately, this took much of the context out of the evaluation phase. For further testing, we
will focus on presenting the prototype to the participants more effectively by making the
prototype similar in size to the actual device. A main focus of ours will be to emphasize the use
and best practices of our menu feature. This overlay will allow easy access to essential portions
of the functionality in the device.
Process

An essential part of our redesign process will be to make our processes easier to follow for the
user. Participants acknowledged that they understood what we were asking of them and generally
knew how to proceed with the tasks, however, indicated that there was some confusion while
completing the tasks. “What does the overlay do and when should I use it” is an example of a
question from one of our participants. Natural and intuitive processes are essential to user
experience.

Emphasize

We will focus on emphasizing the different aspects of the design. We discussed with a panel,
shortly prior to the publication of this report, the uses of navigational indices of location
awareness for the user such as bread crumbs and tabs. We will need to look at what general
design processes make sense and flow well with the design and layout of our product in context
to not only it’s placement in the home but also its size and physical design.

9 Future Works
An obvious direction for future work is to conduct a thorough literature review and also
requirement analysis for redesigning this product. Having a good understanding of different
kinds of home family members’ communications can be helpful to design more usable device.
Adding different application that can be useful for family members would be a good direction on
future work.

10 Lessons Learned
In this project, reviewing the current industrial design and interface of “home message center”
product with the purpose of redesign has been done. it encompassed some learning points for our
team, as follows:

 It was interesting how media space ideas could be incorporated into households and
family life.
 The first phase of the project helped us to practice on sketching and put down any of our
ideas on the paper without considering the limitations. We came up with different ideas
with three perspectives on the device. We learned there is no need to take much time to
create sketching. It is the only way to put down our ideas, so we can easily throw it away
and work on another one.
 Over the course of the project, we conducted several meeting and talked about the
necessity of this device and the reasons that might have caused its failure in the market.
Our discussion gave us a broad view on the design of this device and in some points
encouraged us to read several papers in this field.
 Our discussion also leaded us to picture a broad view on the problem and created the
conceptual map to specify main functions and requirements.
 After discussion on the requirement, we ended up with first version of prototype. Several
walkthrough of the prototype in first phases, we found that many problems and
limitations of the device don’t show up unless we put them in prototype.
 Moving from sketching to paper prototype and then to the high fidelity prototype, we
learned the process is helpful to shape the ideas and gave us a good and thorough
understanding of the device.
 High fidelity prototype was a good practice to learn SketchFlow as a good tool for
prototyping.
 For final review, Walkthrough was conducted by members of the team and revealed final
comments on the prototype before usability test in the class. We found that we need final
walkthrough to find some minor problems of prototype.
 The user testing in the class was the other lesson learned. Different perspectives of
students and conducting several tasks by a volunteer gave us a good view of our design
and revealed some of the aspects of design that were unclear for users.