Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation

1. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Francisco Arcediano (arcedfr@auburn.edu)

2. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report • Description of the system • Alabama Law Enforcement uses the Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report to write crash reports. When an accident occurs, the Alabama State Troopers usually fill this report out on the field and, later on, they complete the report and input it into the computer back at the Station. • Our goal is to design a system for the Alabama State Troopers to use in order to input this data in such way that eliminates duplicated work and facilitates the troopers’ work. Additionally, we want to make their transition from the paper form to the digital form as smoothly as possible, without too many changes and without the need for learning too many new skills. Francisco Arcediano

3. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Touch Screen Computer Wireless Connectivity • Hardware Specifications • State Troopers will work with light, rugged, weatherproof touch screen computers, which are designed to be highly portable and to be used both on the field and on a docking station inside the patrol car. When in the docking station, the computer will recharge its batteries. • The design of the computer is symmetrical to allow its use for right- and left-handed users. When interacting with the touch screen, State Troopers will use only one hand, since the assumption is that they will have anyway only one free hand to operate the touch screen. The other hand will be holding the computer when using it on the field, or on the wheel when driving the car. (Although, in this presentation, we focus on the Traffic Crash Report interface, the computer has functionalities beyond filling crash reports that could be relevant when driving.) • The computer will have wireless connectivity to transfer information with any relevant state and national database through the patrol car. It will use this connectivity to backup all the information to a Storage Unit inside the car and to the Station’s Database. Francisco Arcediano

4. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report • SW Specifications • The touch screen unit will run with a modified version of Windows Operative System specific for touch screens and with limited usability in order to increase security, robustness, error-proof software, speed on the task, and low battery consumption, between many other features. • Menu icons (e.g., Login, New, Save, Open, etc.) and virtual scroll controller could be personalized by the State Trooper through the Settings options (after Login; not shown in the presentation). This would allow the user to organize these resources on the left (for right-handed users) or the right (for left-handed users) of the screen. Additionally, their positioning in the vertical axis can be personalized. Note that, optimally, the virtual scroll controller should be positioned in the lower third of the screen to be accessed and manipulated with the thumb of the holding hand. The other menu icons should be positioned on the top third of the screen to prevent accidental activations. Use of these icons would require probably the use of the free hand, or the alternation of hands.  • The wireless transmission and data collection are always securely encrypted. Francisco Arcediano

5. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report • Task Scenario • State Trooper Doyle is called to an accident scene in the conjunction of US-81 and US-83. A car has crashed into the side of another car. At the scene, Officer Doyle takes his touch screen computer and starts introducing the Location and Time information into the Traffic Crash Report. He is holding the unit with his left hand and selecting the cells to be filled with the fingers of his right hand. Some of the information is already there since it has been filled automatically by the information coming from the Station when he was called to the accident scene, by the computer’s clock and calendar, and by the GPS. He has to check that the default information is right, and, if it is not, to change it. To change the information and to introduce new information, Officer Doyle uses his fingers to select the pertinent cell, a virtual keyboard pops up, and the data can be introduced. • After introducing himself to the people involved in the accident, Officer Doyle starts asking to the first driver for the pertinent information in order to fill up the report. The order of the cells to be filled is selected automatically by the system (same order as in the paper form), but the officer can override it just by selecting the cell he wants to modify. Since the computer is connected with a state and national database through the wireless connection, many of the cells can be automatically filled based on previous data. If these entries are not the right, they can just be modified by selecting them and introducing the new information. Similar operations apply to the collection of information of the second driver. • Once Officer Doyle is back on his car, he checks the report again, makes sure everything is correct and save it. A copy is automatically delivered to the storage unit of the patrol car and to the Station’s database. When the report form is stored in the Station’s database, it is automatically printed on paper for traditional archiving. Francisco Arcediano

6. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Prototype Touch screen computer is off. To turn it on, the user has to touch any part of the screen for at least half second. Since we did not considerer convenient to use the screen for aesthetic/identity purpose, we decided to included two icons on the exterior of the computers to identify them (one for the Department of Public Safety, and one for the State Troopers). Francisco Arcediano

7. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Computer is on. Ready to work with the Alabama Uniform Crash Report. Turn Off, Login, Print, Save, Open, and New Menu Icons. Virtual Scroll Controller Francisco Arcediano

8. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Francisco Arcediano

9. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report The layout of the digital crash report follows the original layout found on paper. This should facilitate the transition for the users. They are already familiar with this layout. The scroll controller indicates the direction in which the user can scroll through the report. In this screen, the user can only go down on the report. Francisco Arcediano

10. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Now, the user can scroll up or down through the report. Note that the three parts of the report are color code to facilitate their differentiation. Francisco Arcediano

11. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Francisco Arcediano

12. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Francisco Arcediano

13. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report The users can make the selection of what cell want to fill up just by clicking with their finger in the desired cell. Francisco Arcediano

14. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Francisco Arcediano

15. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report The selected cell is maximized to facilitated the entry of data, and a virtual keyboard pops up on the lower part of the screen. Thus, the user can introduce new information and make modifications. Francisco Arcediano

16. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report When an information has been introduced (in this case the name of the person), the computer searches in the databases with the pertinent information for that person, and fills up the cells with default information (with no boldface to differentiate actual entries with default data). If there is more than one default option for a specific cell, that cell will show an icon for List Box and clicking on it will let the user to select the right option or edit a new entry by means of the virtual keyboard. Francisco Arcediano

17. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Selecting a Yes, No, N/A question Francisco Arcediano

18. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Francisco Arcediano

19. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Francisco Arcediano

20. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report Francisco Arcediano

21. Comp 6620: User Interface Design and Evaluation Homework #4: Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report All the entries for this interface will follow the same procedure. Some of the options are just checked with the fingers, others will be there by default, and others will have to be selected from a List Box or to be introduced or changed by means of the virtual keyboard. Francisco Arcediano