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KyveliVezani

Group Project -- Part I: Observation

The action we chose was exiting one's apartment. The action is taken on the door (turning the knob, opening the door). The goal of the activity is to enter a different space, and our project will focus on making sure the process of re-entering the initial space will be a pleasant, or at least an uneventful one. (meaning that you won't get locked out of your apartment and then have to worry about how to get back inside, spend money on a locksmith, etc.)

The person engaging in the activity of leaving their apartment usually uses his arm/hand to turn the doorknob and pull the door towards them. Then they step outside the apartment and pull the door shut behind them. Most people then lock the door (if they have their keys with them).

Aftert observing myself and my friends exiting our apartments, I have come to a simple conclusion: The person can be doing all sorts of things while opening their frotn doors, because this action has been done so many times that it happens automatically. One can be opening their door while talking on the phone, while talking to another person, while carrying many bags, while checking to make sure their cats aren't about to run out of the apartment, while checking to see if the lights are off, while reading something, while looking for their phone in their handbag, while looking at their watch to make sure they aren't late.

Because this is such a routine action, they don't focus their attention anywhere in particular. There is no consistent place they all look at. Their body knows where to reach in order to find the doorknob, so they sometimes do it without even looking. The physical characteristics of the medium we have to take as a given would be the door and the space around it.

Last week's Observation Exercise:

ATM

setting: bank - there are specific, designated areas where ATMs can be found and where this transaction can take place. The areas have special security features that will require people to use their ATM cards to enter the area, security cameras, etc.

physical orientation of person: standing (is this a problem for disabled people?)

what does person physically do: inserts a plastic card in a slot, or slides in and out of the slot. then he/she reads something on a screen, and uses a keyboard to punch in numbers. everytime he/she presses a button, there is a beeping sound. then he/she reads what is on the screen and touches parts of the screen. again there is auditory feedback. after a few repetitions of this, money appears through a slot in the machine, as well as a piece of paper and sometimes the plastic cars (if it was inserted, not swiped) and the machine beeps. the person takes these three items, and the machine stops beeping.

how many steps: it takes a minimum of 6 steps. could be more if the user has to respond to different questions from the ATM.

listening: each of these steps (except for the first one) begins with the person listening to the device, so (n-1). each of the steps ends with the device listening to the person.

observing people using the ATM was a bit of a problem, because it made them very uneasy and suspicious of me. i got a few strange looks. from what i was able to observe however, most of the transactions seemed rather fluid.