CSG 170 - Human-Computer Interaction Homework #T1 George Shaw We intend to create a system for waiting room visitors to learn about various countries around the world. The system will give users access to factual information about each country, as well as current events in that country. The goal is to create an experience that will be interesting for users curious about other cultures, as well as a useful interface for news and current events, possibly for users who are from other countries or have family in other parts of the world. 1. Problem. The primary problem to be solved is the engagement of waiting room visitors with our system. This problem can be broken down into several sub-problems: enticing users to try the system, providing an interface that allows access to the system given their unique needs, and providing a fulfilling and meaningful experience. 2. Target users. The users of this system are likely to be elderly. They are not likely to have much, if any, previous experience with computers or interactive interfaces. They may be partially or completely immobile. The time that they will have available to use the system will vary considerably, but is not likely to be more than 5-10 minutes at a time. Users will have a wide range of cognitive and intellectual ability, likely ranging from illiterate and only partially alert, to well educated and fully mentally capable. Users will have a variety of native languages, but can all be expected to be at least partially fluent in English. 3. Solution. The initial introductory interface will be simple and engaging and may be graphical or character-based. Users will then be presented with a map, on which they can select the country they are interested in (available countries TBD). They will then be prompted to choose between background information and current events. Background information might be hard-coded into the system, or could pull from a source such as Wikipedia. Current events will likely utilize RSS feeds from local news sources. Users will have the option to add text-based comments to any country that they "visit." These comments will be visible to future users and will serve to engage new visitors through a sense of community and cultural sharing. Following presentation of background information, there might be a quiz-style game to test users' retention of the content.