Design a usable and interactive on-line DVD rental system

Design a usable and interactive on-line DVD rental system
Brief
Imagine that you are to design a new interactive on-line DVD rental system. Which part of an existing system would you replicate, and which would you redesign? What roles do a task analysis play in the design of an interactive system? In your design work you should show the ways in which a designer can have a better understanding of a system if (s)he employs a task analysis.
You should conduct the following tasks:
Produce a problem statement
Your first action is to write out a brief problem statement (one or two lines only). For example; “The problem is to produce an on-line system to track racing pigeons”.
Conduct a brief needs analysis
Now that you have adopted a problem statement, you must say why, briefly, a new system is required. For example “No such system exists “. (HINT: you may wish to find fault with existing systems, if they exist. If they do not exist, this is a good justification for a new system!).
Carry out a brief ideas session
Before being drawn into other solutions, it is vitally important that you think through the key issues and problems that you would wish to tackle with your new system. Hold a brainstorming session with a colleague to generate some initial ideas. Beware not to get fixated by your own ideas. Be willing to change them as necessary. Write down a few initial ideas.
Observe an existing system
Go online to find an existing, online system. Evaluate it with for example, Nielsen’s heuristics, which were mentioned on lecture slides of week 3. You can also find more detail on the recommended book by Sharp, Preece, Rogers “Interaction Design” and in the lecture slides of week 15 and 16.
Identify the people who will use your system
Define the user group that you wish to target. In real life, this is a vital decision. You would have to research the needs of this group in some depth to be sure that your new product or service could be successful. Simply select a group whose needs will not be too complex. A user model is a description of their needs and preferences.
Identify the hardware / software platform
Your choices here each come with advantages and disadvantages. For example, a Smart phone affords portability but has a small screen and few accessories. Make your choice a practical one, based on availability and ease of use.
Identify the social and cultural context of your system design
The social and cultural context is crucial to the success of your system design. Briefly describe about the social and cultural factors that are important to your system. You should not go into depth at this time. Remember that these are important issues in practice and that you can work in more depth on them ion your second ear at the University. Define the social and cultural groups who will form your user population. Again, keep it simple at this stage.
Task analysis
Conduct a hierarchical task analysis of the manual task of renting DVD from a shop.You should present your HTA in the standard textual notation and include comprehensive plans for each sub-task. Below is an example of the analysis of making coffee using a coffee machine.
Example of manual task
0: Making cups of coffee
1: Boil Water
1.1: Fill kettle
1.2: Put kettle on stove
1.3: Turn on and light gas
1.4: Wait for kettle to boil
1.5: Turn off gas
2:Get ingredients ready
2.1: Get a mug
2.2: Put coffee into mug
2.3: Put sugar
2.3.1: Ask guest about sugar
2.3.2: Add sugar to taste
2.4: Pour boiling water
3: Coffee is ready to serve
Task analysis on making cups of coffee
Plan 0: Do 1 at the same time do 2 then do 3
Plan 1: Do 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 when kettle boils do 1.5
Plan 2: Do 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 then do 2.4
Plan 2.3: Do 2.3.1 and if required do 2.3.2

Using the above Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) as example, formulate a requirement specification for your new interactive on-line DVD rental system. When reporting your task analysis, describe how you conducted your interview, report any important observations and useful comments made by the person you interviewed. This may help you identify some usability requirements. Then report your textual representation and plans, as set out below. Include any points which have implications for your design, usability requirements, data that are needed or produced by the system, the environment in which the task must be conducted and the intended users of the task.
Show your work to your tutor in the lab before submitting the final version of this coursework to Turnitin.
Discussion and Conclusions
Final component of your coursework is a simple discussion and conclusions section. This should be an overall discussion that should consider your methods, results and any conclusions that you think are important, as well as any important points that you have learned.
Marking criteria
Your coursework hand-in must include the components identified in the table below. Your report should be as brief as possible (max 8-10 pages).
You must get your lab tutor to check your work at every stage. They can give you advice so that you can do a good job, but do not ask them to estimate your grade in advance, as they are not allowed to do so!
Marks will be awarded for a written report according to the following scheme.
Produce a problem statement 5%
Conduct a brief needs analysis 10%
Carry out a brief ideas session 10%
Observe an existing system 20%
Identify the people who will use your system 10%
Identify the hardware / software platform 5%
Identify the social and cultural context of your system design 5%
Task analysis 25%
Final Discussion and Conclusions 10%
Standards and levels
As a guide, the following general descriptions of the characteristics of work expected at different levels is taken from the University Regulations.
Note that exceptional marks (>80%) will only be awarded to truly exceptional work.

70%+ High level of abstract thinking original ideas understanding is generalised and applied to new contexts ideas drawn to conclusions highly reflective sharply perceived generalised from personal experience shows metacognitive understanding goes beyond what has been given the whole is conceptualised at a higher level of abstraction than in purely relational terms
60%-70% Ideas coherent – student demonstrates selectivity and judgement uses the appropriate language of the discipline explanation or application rather than a list – trees become the wood aspects are seen as making sense in relation to the whole a qualitative change in learning has occurred
50%-60% Several, or many, elements of the topic are understood, but are not drawn into a coherent whole often forming a list (knowledge telling = snowing with many facts) student sees the trees but not thewood – a necessary but insufficient preliminary to full understanding
40%-50% The work meets one part of the task, but misses other important attributes little evidence of moving from the specific to the general often focuseson terminology sparse understandings, or some higher level understanding offset by some misunderstandings
<40% Responses may simply miss the point or may use tautology to cover lack of understanding (sometimes can use elaborate tautology)
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