COMP106 Assignment 2 Proposal 11

The Choice of Metaphor The metaphor that I am going to chose is the library. I have decided to use this metaphor because of its familiarity and intuitiveness to the real world. The metaphor that I am going to use, library, can be compared to the real world. The part of the system, where details of the books are kept, represent the shelves, where the books are held in real life, so in a way, the library metaphor will be representing a virtual world, of what occurs in real life.

Finding the book to borrow If the user wanted to borrow a book, they would firstly have to find the book. This would be done by walking down the corridor in the library, and finding the subject of their choice in which they would want to borrow. The virtual library which I propose, would work as follows. Firstly, the user would be able to enter the name of the book that they would like to borrow. Once this was carried out, the book would either be found, or it wouldn’t be found. If the book was found, then a message would be displayed, saying the book had been found, and the item would be listed below this statement. The virtual library, would then take you to the part of the library where the book was stored, using 3D graphics. If the book was not found for any reason, perhaps because the book is not currently stored in the library, then a message would be displayed saying so.

Selecting a book to borrow If the user wanted to select a book to borrow, they would firstly have to think of the book that they wanted to borrow. (Cognitive process). They would then search for the book through the existing interface on the library website or alternatively go and select the book at the appropriate place in the library. I propose, using a virtual environment, that once a book has been selected, either by entering the ISBN number of the book, or entering the author or title of the book, that the system (in a new window), would take the user to the book, and the system would provide relevant details about the book. The user would then be able to decide if the book was appropriate or not as the case may be.

Actually borrowing the book If the user wanted to actually borrow a book, s/he would select the book they wanted to borrow, go and retrieve the book via various corridors, and go to the librarian, so they could scan the library book which was to be borrowed, hence, library records would say that the book had been borrowed. My proposed virtual environment, would firstly ask the user to enter their library ID number and password. The user would then enter the book that they wish to borrow. The book would then appear, with the corresponding ISBN number, to uniquely identify the book. If the user wanted to borrow the book, from the shelf, s/he would add it to their basket, by clicking and dragging the book into their basket. The user could continue searching until all of the books they wanted to borrow had been added to their basket. Once all the books the user wanted to borrow had been added to their basket, then their would be an option for the user to take the books to the checkout. Here the user would be able to borrow the book, as the library ID number will have already been entered, altering the appropriate records. If the book is already borrowed, then a statement will appear, saying that this is the case.

Metaphor source characteristics Objects and attributes: Book: Title of book, author, ISBN number; Shelves: Title of book, author, ISBN number, subject; Borrowing desk: Title of book, author, ISBN number, library ID number (library card). Relationships: The books are stored on the shelves; The books are issued at the borrowing desk Library ID numbers are stored on a database.

Metaphor Target Characteristics Objects and attributes: Book: Title of book, author, ISBN number; Shelves: Title of book, author, ISBN number, subject; Basket: Title of book, author, ISBN number, subject, library ID number (to uniquely identify the person); Checkout: Title of book, author, ISBN number, library ID number and pin number/password. Relationships: The books are stored on the shelves; The books are added to the users basket; The books are issued at the checkout.

Experience If the user is an expert user, then the existing way in which you would borrow the book from the library is slow, and can become tedious. Therefore it would be preferable for the system to accommodate the expert user by providing various short cuts, which the existing system does not have. Allowing the user to borrow a book using a virtual environment, by using a web browser would be preferable. The existing system for borrowing a book is preferable for an intermittent user, which is likely to be the most common type of user. If however, if this type of user were to use the virtual environment, with the option of help prompts as the user goes along, this can be overcome.

Mappings Task 1: The use currently finds a book in the library by looking for the book that s/he would like to borrow. Using my system, the user would find the book that s/he would like to borrow by entering the name of the book that they would like to borrow in the search box, and press the search button. The virtual library would then take them to that book, (opening a new window as it does so), and show the user where the book actually was, if the books exists. Task 2: The user currently selects a book in the library by finding the book that s/he would like to borrow, and reading it, to see if it is appropriate or not. Using my system, the user would enter the author, title or ISBN number of the book, of which they wish to look at, in the search box, and press search. Details about the book would be displayed, and the user could decide if it was appropriate or not.

Mapping Continued Task 3: The user currently borrows a book by finding the book, selecting the relevant book, and taking the relevant book to the borrowing desk in the library. The library assistant then scans the barcode in the book, and then this alters records to clarify that the book has been borrowed. Using my system, the user would click the enter library ID number box, and enter their ID number, and then click the password box, and enter it. If the book was found, then the user would have the option of dragging the book into their basket. The user would then take their basket to a virtual checkout, when they have found the books they have been looking for, and borrow the books.

Possible Mismatches 1.The user may think that they can borrow a book that has been borrowed. The solution to this would be to display a message to say that they can not borrow the book currently, because it has been borrowed. 2.The user may think that they have entered their Library ID number and password, but they have entered one incorrectly. The solution to this would be to display a message saying either their library ID number or password had been entered incorrectly.

Mismatches continued 3.The user may think that s/he can read the contents of the book on the shelf. The solution to this problem would be to display limited details about the contents of the book. If the user then tries to find out more details about the book, the user can go and view the book in person from the shelf, if the user feels the need to.