1. COMP106 Assignment 2 - Direct Manipulation Library System - Proposal 9

2. Choice of Metaphor The most obvious choice for a library system, is an actual library This allows for immediate familiarity of the layout of the system Books can be organised virtually, in much the same way as they would be physically Moving around the system can be similar to moving around the library, so expectations of the outcome of interaction with the system should match up well with the reality

3. Identifying Tasks 1 - Finding a Book - Performed by userPerformed by system Look through book catalogues by subject Browse through subject catalogue objects Locate book on shelf using book number and shelf labels Jump to book directly from subject catalogue link -or- Search in Book Shelf window for title, author etc. Open the book to check its details Double click book object to view its details

4. Identifying Tasks 2 - Selecting Books to Borrow - Performed by userPerformed by system Pick up book from shelf Double click book icon, and click Add to Basket from the book details screen -or- Right click book icon, and select Add to Basket from the pop-up menu -or- Drag book icon to the Basket window

5. Identifying Tasks 3 - Borrowing Books - Performed by userPerformed by system Take books to checkout desk Click Checkout and Borrow on the Basket window -or- In the Checkout window click Borrow all Books in Basket -or- Drag book icons directly to the checkout window Have the assistant scan the books’ barcodes and your library card Check the borrow request and click confirm

6. Automated Actions In the third task the books barcodes/number were not taken, this is because the books number is already known to the system as its object identifier The library card was not scanned, this is because the user logs on to the system using their library number and pin, so the system already knows who the user is on checkout Books are marked as Requested Online in the library itself, so the books cannot be physically borrowed by someone else before the user has collected them Books are removed from the virtual shelf once borrowed, and marked as “taken” when in another basket, the user may choose to “watch” a taken book to see if it is put back or borrowed

7. Metaphor in Detail My chosen metaphor is an actual library The user is first presented with a login screen, they enter their library number and pin, and “enter the library” The user now sees icons for the main areas of the library displayed in the familiar “desktop” layout To aid clarity, when the mouse is held over these icons, tool-tips, or small boxes of text pop up, describing in more detail what this section of the library is for Windows opened by default on login are Book Shelf and Basket

8. Metaphor in Detail The user may browse through all the books on the Book Shelf, with each book having an icon with a label indicating the books title Holding the mouse over the icon reveals a tool-tip displaying the title, author and published date The user may also search within the Book Shelf based on title, author, number etc. using the search panel within the Book Shelf window Double clicking a book icon opens a details screen for the book containing all relevant information about the book The Basket window is where the user can place books temporarily before borrowing them Books are placed in the basket either by dragging their icon to the Basket, or selecting Add to Basket from the book details screen, or the right-click menu on the icon The user can easily remove books from the basket using the checkboxes and remove button, so books will not be unnecessarily borrowed by mistake

9. Metaphor in Detail The Checkout window allows books to be checked out This can be accessed from a button in the Basket window, directly from the Checkout icon, or by dragging the Basket icon, or individual book icons directly to the Checkout window, or on top of its icon All checkout requests must be confirmed to be sure the correct books have been borrowed Borrowed books can be cancelled before physical collection from the Administration window, and the user is reminded this upon completing a checkout

10. Real World Experience In a real library, books are found on the book shelf, taken from the shelf, and borrowed at the checkout My metaphor closely matches this process Objects can be dragged around directly to different locations, and the result is intuitive Common desktop environment constructs such as right- click menus and double-click icons have been preserved so a user with more computer experience can transfer these skills

11. Metaphor Source Characteristics Objects and Attributes Books: title, author, date, edition, class no., ISBN, subject area, location Book Shelves: location, subject area Subject Catalogues: subject, number of books Checkout Desk: location Relationships Books put on Book Shelves Books are listed in Subject Catalogues Actions: Books are picked up from the shelf Books are taken to the Checkout Desk

12. Objects and Attributes Books: title, author, date, edition, class no., ISBN, keywords, subject area, physical location, status/borrowed ref Book Shelf: location, displayed books (defined by user query) Subject Catalogues: location, subject, number of books Basket: location, books in basket Checkout: location, order to be confirmed Icons: name, image, size, location Windows: title, size, location, type Metaphor Target Characteristics

13. Relationships Books, Subject Catalogues and closed Windows, are represented as icons Book Shelf, Checkout, Basket and Subject Catalogues are windows when open, and icons when open or closed Books can be placed in the basket Actions Icons and windows can be moved by dragging Books to be borrowed are processed at the Checkout Windows are opened by double clicking their icons Windows can be minimised or maximised Metaphor Target Characteristics

14. Mappings TaskUser performsSystem performs Task 1Select book from shelfSelect Book icon from Book Shelf window Task 2Finding a book on the shelf by looking along them Scrolling down the shelf, or narrowing the Books on the shelf by searching Task 3Take books to checkoutDrag Book icons or Basket to Checkout window or icon Task 4Open subject catalogue of the subject of choice by opening its cover Double click subject catalogue icon, and click a subject

15. Possible Mismatches Books position may change on the shelf according to search, it will maintain its relative position to the other displayed books, but this is not identical to the real world –Solution: Small explanation at the top of the bookshelf window which can be hidden for expert users, and context aware help Subject catalogues are separate booklets in the real library, but they are all contained in one window and icon in the system –Solution: Use plural icon name “Subject Catalogues” and use small iconic pictures inside the window representing different subject to give the impression of separate objects User may be confused as to what the Basket is for –Solution: Notice in basket reminding user to visit checkout, and check the basket is empty on logging out, if it is not, prompt user to checkout or empty basket