Mulit-Function Devices

In the Wellesley college libraries, there are multi-function devices (MFDs) that are both copiers and printers. This blog post is a detailed analysis of the MFDs. I worked on this project with Amy Feldman, so we have similar data/information, although our wording is different.

Analysis of the MFDs
The analysis was created using the 7 stages proposed by Donald Norman in The Design of Everyday Things. 

• Forming the goal
• Print: The goal is to print a document from a library computer on an MFD.
• Copy: The goal is to copy a physical document using an MFD.
• Forming the intention
• Print: The person intends to print a document.
• Copy: The person intends to copy a document.
• Specifying an action
• Print:
• Pressing the print button on the computer
• Approving the print command
• Walking over to the MFD
• Logging into the MFD
• Press username
• Type username
• Press enter
• Press password
• Type password
• Press log in
• Press ok
• Approving the print command
• Pressing the start button
• Copy:
• Walking over to the MFD
• Logging into the MFD
• Press username
• Type username
• Press enter
• Press password
• Type password
• Press log in
• Press ok
• Lifting the top off of the copier section
• Placing the document on the glass in the correct position
• Closing the copier section
• Pressing the start button
• Remove document
• Press access
• Press log off
• Lift top off of copier section
• Remove original
• Executing the action
• Print: Execute the specified actions.
• Copy: Execute the specified actions.
• Perceiving the state of the world
• Print: Seeing paper(s) come out with words and/or images.
• Copy: Seeing paper(s) come out with words and/or images.
• Interpreting the state of the world
• Print: Noting that the paper(s) that came out are connected with the previous actions performed
• Copy: Noting that the paper(s) that came out are connected with the previous actions performed
• Evaluating the outcome
• Print: Comparing the paper(s) that came out with the original electronic document.
• Copy: Comparing the paper(s) that came out with the original paper document.

How easily can one:

• Determine the function of the device?
• Relatively easily if one is at all acquainted with printers or copiers.
• Tell what actions are possible?
• Not particularly easily, as the device is ambiguously covered in various trays, drawers, and buttons.
• Determine mapping from intention to physical movement?
• With difficulty, as the device’s screen and buttons do not afford clear understanding of the actions necessary to print or copy documents.
• Perform the action?
• Print: With relative difficulty if one is not acquainted with the device and the systems added by Wellesley College.
• Copy: With relative difficulty if one is not acquainted with the device and the systems added by Wellesley College.
• Tell what state the system is in?
• With relative difficulty, as the process takes place completely within the MFD. The MFD does provide feedback in the form of certain sounds, but the user would have to be very, very well acquainted with the MFD in order to determine which sound goes with which state.
• Determine mapping from system state to interpretation?
• With difficulty, as the device does not provide good feedback regarding the system state itself, making interpretation difficult.
• Tell if the system is in the desired state?
• Somewhat easily, as paper(s) with the desired words and images only come out if the system is in the desired state. However, there is a time lag between achieving of the desired state (by pressing the “Start” button) and hearing the whirring noises that accompany the device’s document production.

Based on this analysis,

What is effective about the MFDs?

The MFDs provide clear feedback about whether or not an action was executed properly, but only after the action is complete. When one perceives the state of the world, interprets the state of the world, and evaluates the outcome, it is immediately obvious whether or not the action was successful.

What is problematic about the MFDs?

There are many steps that one must specify and execute in order to print or copy a document. Also, under "perceiving the state of the world," one is not able to sense if an action was executed properly until the paper does or does not come out of the MFD. This is poor feedback and thus problematic.

Needs Assessment

Observe (approximately 10-20 minutes of observation)

• One girl pulled off one of the trays while trying to print
• People would sometimes ask others how to use the MFDs
• Some people found the task quite simple and completed it by apparent rote
• One person got help from others
  
  

Ask

Methodology: Brief, individual interviews, because we feel that is the most straightforward way to gain personalized perspectives.

Questions:

1. What year are you in?
2. Have you used an MFD?
3. How often do you use the MFDs per week?
4. When did you first try to use an MFD?
5. How would you describe that experience?
6. How would you rate the ease of use of the MFDs the first time you used one? (scale of 1 to 10, 1 being brushing your teeth, 10 being climbing Mount Everest)
7. How about now?
8. How did you first learn how to use an MFD?
9. If you could change one thing about the MFDs, what would it be?

Data:

Person	Year	Q2	Q3	Q4	Q5	Q6	Q7	Q8	Q9
Whitney Fahnbulleh	2017	yes	3x per week	1st wk	got help, simple once explained	5	2	explanation	no obvious flaw
Kaitlin Bohon	2014	yes	4x	late July	slower than previous, mainly b/c of touchscreen typing	5	2	trial and error	they’re okay — the complications are worthwhile, more intuitive setup would be good, we need more!
Claire Schlenker	2016	yes	5x	1st wk	slightly confusing, overall successful	5	3	instruction booklet	revert the login system to a computer basis

 *Our sample size is very small, so this data might not be representative of the entire Wellesley College community.

Try

Julie (printing): It took me a minute to figure out how to release my document from the queue, even with the instructions. I was not at all sure that I was doing the right things.

Amy (copying): It took me a while to figure out what the results would be — what size paper, what orientation, and so on. The default “auto” settings are a nice idea, but they don’t tell you what they’re planning, which seems like poor feedback.

Mind Map

Brainstorming Solutions (and eating cupcakes)

Prompt:

Find something to adjust or add to the MFDs that would alleviate their limitations.

Brainstormed Solutions:

• Keyboard below screen for ease of use
• Extremely attractive individual telling you how to use an MFD (so that you will pay attention)
• Larger buttons on keyboards and touch screens
• Simplified screens with removal/enlargement of unimportant/important options
• Print and Copy buttons
• Mandatory tutorials
• Reward system of candy when you successfully use an MFD
• Easily accessible bowl of candy for the calming of frustrated souls
• Instruction manual with lots of pictures
• Voice commands
• Screens that are step-by-step instructions
• Completely automated AI that does the whole process for you

Pugh Chart 

We did not use all of our brainstormed solutions. We eliminated (most of) the crazy/highly unrealistic ones.

Criteria	Current MFD	Voice Commands	Simplified Screens / Buttons	Keyboard Below Screen	Step-by-Step Screens	Instruction Manual w/ Pictures	Mandatory Tutorials	Candy Reward System
Cost of physical materials	S	S	-	S	S	- -	S	- -
Human effort required to implement	S	- - -	- -	-	- - -	- -	-	- -
Ease of human adaptation	S	++	++	n/a	++	S	S	n/a
Likelihood of technology error	S	- - -	-	S	-	+	S	-
Time required to implement	S	- -	- -	-	- -	-	S	- -
Time required for use	S	++++	++	+	++	-	- -	S

Sketches of 2 Best Ideas

We ended up choosing Simplified Screens/Buttons and Keyboard Below Screen as the best ideas that we came up with.

Other moments...

Smelling the MFD...For science!

Making friends.

Tired.

More tired.

I don't know what I'm doing.

There was some slight death.

Frustration.

The MFD got mad.

Trying to get the MFD to calm down.

Appeasing the MFD with cupcakes.

"The Design Of Everyday Things" Ch. 2

    I very much enjoyed the second chapter of The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman, which considered "The Psychology of Everyday Actions." The part that struck me most out of this chapter, however, was when Norman noted that "people tend to assign a causal relation whenever two things occur in succession" (p. 40). I think that I noticed this the most because I have experienced so many ridiculous, and occasionally hilarious, incorrect assumptions of causality. It also reminds me of the saying "correlation does not mean causality." If we took correlation to mean causality, then we could prove that global warming is caused by pirates.

Wikipedia.com

     I know what you're thinking right now: Obviously! How did we never notice that pirates and global temperature are irrefutably linked?! Yeah, um, so that "fact" is actually refutable. Not every data sets ever compared are influencing each other, as is likely the case with pirates and global warming. To prove causality, we must do further research in order to determine how they interact. If you can prove to me that pirates are actually alien air-conditioners and thus their existence postponed the onset of global warming, then I will believe that the lack of pirates is causing global warming. Until then, I remain very, very skeptical.
   Now, back to "people tend to assign a causal relation whenever two things occur in succession" (p. 40). Here is an example: A person is using their laptop. They open an email from someone that they don't know. The screen goes black. The person automatically assumes that there was a virus in the email and that it crashed their computer. This would be true, if there was always a causal link whenever two things occur in succession. What actually happened was that the fans in the laptop had stopped working a while earlier and the heat from the computer had burnt a hole in the hard drive. Norman claims, and I agree, that this incorrect assumption is reasonable given the information that the computer-user had. Thus, the incorrect assumption was actually the fault of the designer who did not think to have some system to alert the user that the fans were broken.

Milk Frother Disassembly

Ikea Frother ($2.49)

Features:

• Battery compartment easy to find
• Considerable amount of vibration
• Does not work well when handle held tightly - when held more tightly, the end makes a wider circle, but has a slower vibration
• No frothing when in bottom, must be near the surface = cannot froth the whole cup completely
• Relatively tiring/strenuous
• "wiggly" = not as stable
• Takes about  2:40 min for maximum froth
• Difference between soy milk (less well-frothed) and cow milk (easier to froth)
• Easily wiped clean
• 1.8 Ounces
• Length : 20cm
• Cost: $2.49

Affords the frothing of milk and spraying of people with aforementioned milk by one-handed operation.
Mapping: Laid out in a typical fashion, with a frothing end separated from the handle by a metal shaft. The motor and batteries are located inside the handle and the on-off switch is at approximate thumb location.
Feedback: The frother provides feedback in the form of vibration, noise, and bubbles in milk. When used incorrectly, the frother either does not sufficiently froth the milk or sprays innocent bystanders with milk.

Strengths: Cheap, light, small
Weaknesses: Takes around 2 minutes and 40 seconds minutes to froth the milk to the maximum frothiness that the product can create. This conflicts with the product description and consequently disappoints the consumer's expectations. It also can only be used on the surface of the liquid and thus does not completely froth the milk.


Aerolatte Frother ($19.99)

Features:

• Pulse setting
• Louder
• Stabler handle (less vibration)
• Faster - about 20 seconds to maximum froth
• Less obvious bubbles
• Appears creamier
• Easy to accidentally turn on = More sensitive switch
• Sturdy and stable
• Easily wiped clean
• 8 ounces
• Length: 22cm
• Cost: $19.99
• Can be used from the bottom of the cup of milk
• More powerful
• Prettier (more attention to detail in the painting of the plastic)

Affords the frothing of milk and spraying of people with aforementioned milk by one-handed operation.
Mapping: Laid out in a typical fashion, with a frothing end separated from the handle by a metal shaft. The motor and batteries are located inside the handle and the on-off switch is at approximate thumb location.
Feedback: The frother provides feedback in the form of vibration, noise, and bubbles in the milk. When used incorrectly, the frother either does not sufficiently froth the milk or sprays innocent bystanders with milk.

Strengths: Easy to operate the on-off switch, takes only about 20 seconds to fully froth the milk from surface to bottom, sturdy grip, can be used from bottom of the cup of milk, pretty
Weaknesses: The switch is very sensitive due to the pulse setting and is consequently very easy to turn on accidentally. This then sprays bystanders with milk.

What have you learned through disassembly of this device?

     Through disassembly of these devices, I have learned how a milk frother operates and is laid out in general. I have also learned the difference between the relative cost of the raw materials and the cost of the finished product. I have been able to compare the differences in mapping/pieces and the differences in quality of function between the two differently-priced items.

Compare and Contrast

Affordance: Both frothers afford the frothing of milk and spraying of people with aforementioned milk by one-handed operation.

Mapping: Both frothers are laid out in the same fashion on the outside, with a shaft, spring, handle, on-off switch, and battery compartment lid in approximately the same locations. The basic layouts of the insides of the frothers are similar, as well: the battery compartment is the farthest away from the shaft and the motor is between the battery compartment and the shaft. Even the motors themselves have comparable parts. Once we go deeper, however, there are some noticeable differences between the two frothers. The motor in the Aerolatte frother is larger and has more electrical conductors between the inner motor and the magnets, as well as having more wire coil holders in the inner motor. The two motors have different wire coil end insulators and wire coil end pieces. There are more washers on the central bar of the inner motor of the Aerolatte frother than on the central bar of the inner motor of the Ikea frother. The copper wire coil lengths also vary: in the Ikea frother they are each 73.25 inches long, and in the Aerolatte frother they are each 80 inches long. There are also 2 battery conductors in the Ikea frother and only 1 in the Aerolatte frother. The Aerolatte frother was also much more solidly held together than the Ikea frother, with heat stakes over the screws and with more tension between the pieces.

Feedback: Both frothers provide feedback in the form of vibration, noise, and bubbles in milk. When used incorrectly, both of the frothers either do not sufficiently froth the milk or spray innocent bystanders with milk.

Strengths: The Ikea frother is cheap, light, and small, while the Aerolatte frother is very easy to operate, more stable, more powerful, and prettier.

Weaknesses: The Ikea frother vibrates a lot and is not powerful enough to meet consumer expectations, while the Aerolatte frother is very easy to accidentally turn on.


Cost Differential
   
    I would attribute part of the cost differential to the raw materials and the number of parts used in each frother. This only explains part of the cost differential, though, so I am forced to conclude that the majority of the cost differential comes from having the name "Aerolatte" on the milk frother and the batteries. 

Choice
     
     If I were in the market for a milk frother, I would buy the Aerolatte frother. I have multiple reasons for this choice, but it boils down to this: if I were to be buying an item that is already so non-essential that it is ridiculous, then the quality of the product would matter more to me than its price. 

Spreadsheets