User Testing Results for Interactive Kiosk Application
Introduction
After our visit to the science center in our Interactive Applications class where we develop web applications using HTML, CSS, and JQuery, we began work on a Kiosk project which is hypothetically to be featured at the St. Louis Science Center. The idea of this project came from one of the initial Kiosks that we ran into, a construction Kiosk which featured text and videos in a standard touch friendly website. The experience as a whole was dull and for children, entirely unfriendly. We sought to change that and created a prototype and a working version of a Kiosk that not only would teach children, and adults about Construction work involving demolition but would also be a fun and engaging experience. The main goal for this project was to teach users, specifically children between the ages of 7–13, of the kiosk about the setting up of a construction site alongside the differences between demolition and implosion. Thus, an app which features playful 2D characters, props, and corny sound effects was created in order to achieve this goal.
After completing the initial prototype it was time for testing where we found four willing people who gave us feedback on my project.
Testing
Users
| Name | Gender | Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Landon | Nonbinary | Food Service |
| Amber | Female | Retail |
| Chris | Male | Customer Service Call Center |
| Mike | Male | Cyber Security |
Insights
Unclear Instructions
This was the most significant reoccurring piece of feedback we received from each of the participants. Originally, the instructions were unclear with the chat bubbles stating “click the bubbles to make them go away.” Participants often would begin searching the screen for which bubbles were being mentioned when we intended for the chat bubbles to be the ones they would get rid of. In the instructions there was no indicator whether the user was the click, or drag the elements as they progressed through.
Users unsure of what is interact-able
Without hints or visual clues on what is, and what isn’t supposed to be removed or clicked on the first two scenes of the app, users were unsure of what to interact with. Some stated that certain elements that we had removable did not make sense due to them belonging in a work zone and there was a “piece of cardboard” which sat on the ground under the destructible building which many did not notice.
Many agreed on roughly the right age of target
All participants of this interview agreed that this Kiosk is targeted at children of all genders between the ages of about 5 to 13.
Sound should be added
Originally, the prototype had no sound and therefore they had no sound to verify if they were clicking the right information. Some participants stated that they would like at least some audible confirmation for their actions within the app and that sound should be added to add to the entertainment element of the app.
All users learned something from the Kiosk
When asked if they learned from the kiosk and what they learned all participants listed at least that you must a) remove trash and other unnecessary objects from a construction site before demolition and b) remove hazardous materials such as asbestos before demolishing a building.
Re-Design
All screen captures from the Kiosk are from the current updated Design
Several elements of the design were changed, even some that were outside of the responses which we felt were necessary to create a more fluid experience.
Time to complete the “Game” cut in half
Originally we had elements appearing, disappearing and overall loading taking at least 3 seconds. In order to maximize the experience for users we cut this time down to roughly one-second without sacrificing visual cues coming in when they are needed.
Buttons removed on part 3 and 4
On the third segment originally there was a “Wrecking Ball” text prompt which came up upon the loading of the scene. Participants were confused about this and did not know where to click. We replaced this functionality with an automatic roll in of the Wrecking Ball and replaced the GO Button with having the page auto-load to the next segment after the user is given at least five-seconds on the Wrecking Ball Introductory page.
On page 4 the Wrecking Ball button is again removed as it has no purpose.
Sound added to part 1, 2, and 4.2
On the beginning segment of the interactive activity we added sound as the trash is thrown into the trash bin. In the segment directly afterwards we added a squish sound effect as the User clicks on the Asbestos to signify the removal of the substance. On 4.2 we added sounds of the dynamite attaching to the poles, blowing up and the crumbling of the building as it falls.
Reworked the Explosion Animation
Due to the deadline of testing we were not able to fully capture a desired effect for the building crumbling and instead each part of the building flew down individually, giving off the appeal of a building that was just hovering. The animation was corrected and given an animation that better matches that of a building falling into its own shadow.
Congratulation Page added
As a final touch on the Kiosk a “winning” screen was added and appeared after the successfully blew up the building in the last segment of the application. This was added to signify to users that they completed the process instead of them leaving feeling like it was uncompleted.
Summary
Through this entire process we went from visiting the Science Center to grab ideas and understand how education Kiosks work to actually creating one of our own. Personally, the kiosk that came out of this project feels like one that belongs in the Science Center and one that could effectively teach children about the steps involved with construction and demolition. Through this process we learned to utilize new JQuery methods, test users and put the results of the test into the application to create a more effective application.