Evaluation

Potential Improvements/Extensions

We conducted another walkthrough and discussion of our final prototype, and came up with a number of potential improvements that could be implemented given more time:

• Although we believe we improved the usability of the watch with the final prototype, it still requires an instruction manual to learn how to perform the functions. We decided that providing information on the watch itself would require removing the analogue look and feel. One option could be to offer digital-style versions of the watch, with a screen providing information and help (similar to "Initial Prototype 1" posted by John).
• When we designed the menus, we limited ourselves to a small screen size and tried to make large buttons. This caused issues with trying to fit all the functionality on a page, while at the same time providing enough information for the user. One potential solution would be to include some general functionality (e.g. the "Back to Main Menu" button) on the help screen instead.
• In the final prototype the user can reply to messages, which caused issues with how to implement error handling. If the user makes a single mistake, they cannot erase that portion, they have to clear the whole thing. In addition, if an error occurs, they have to start the message again. This highlighted the need for an "eraser"-style method of removing text on input screens, and possibly making input errors pop-up on the same page, highlighting exactly where the errors occurred.
• The speech input functionality was not elaborated on too much, as we made the assumption that voice recognition would be accurate in the future. If we had more time, we could explore this aspect of the system in more detail.
• The input device may appear quite daunting to some users at first (e.g. people similar to the "Derek" persona), and in some cases may not be used as much as the watch. We have tried to make the interface as simple as possible, but the amount of functionality included increases the complexity. Improvements could be made in creating a menu structure which makes the simple and necessary functions obvious (e.g. adding info, viewing info, setting contacts), and some of the less necessary functions are put in the background (e.g. changing colours, replying to messages, etc).
• More "expert" customisation could be included (for example the ability to turn off confirmation messages to speed up tasks).
• Some method of showing where the user actually is in the navigation (e.g. breadcrumbs) would help to reduce confusion, as sometimes it feels like pages are being handed to the user, rather than the user is traveling through them.
• An extension out of the scope of the project aim would be to adapt the input device so that nurses who care for people at home could use it to send more detailed information directly to records.
• One aspect not considered was that there are many opportunities to abuse the system (e.g. spamming GPs, making repeat calls to emergency services, etc). We would need to find a way to deter malicious uses of the system.
  

Overall Evaluation

We feel that we have managed to achieve the task of creating a useful device for elderly people. In particular, the watch part of the system could provide an invaluable service for any elderly person concerned about their health, while the input device has varying benefits depending on the health condition of the user and their willingness to use it.

Transferring our design to the real world is difficult to envision, as not only is it based on a number of assumptions about future technological advances, but it would also require the implementation of an infrastructure between users and health professionals (e.g. another piece of software would have to be designed for the GP to manage information being sent by multiple patients).