Spring Charter:
Our final design goal is to create a graphical user interface to replace the outdated paper system currently in
use by the air force. In completing this we intend to revamp the way AOCs and Units communicate their contractual
needs. We will do this by implementing a ‘smart’ back end which will allow the end user to more quickly view
resources, complete contracts and communicate back and forth with their counterparts. The user interface will then
be prepared to send and receive SOAP messages which contain contractual information, although where the information
goes and is coming from has been removed from the scope of our project. We will first prove this design and it’s usability
via paper prototyping which shows the look of the front end without actual coding behind it, just the knowledge of what
should happen. Once our design is proven and refined it will be coded using HTML, CSS, AJAX and a to be determined
scripting language. We will then undergo usability and load testing to check for areas where the user could be more
benefitted or the server could be less stressed.
Paper Prototyping
Originally proposed by Dave Czluada of MITRE paper prototyping is a way to test the usability of a UI prior to coding:
Steps
- Write Unit Scenarios
- Design Paper UI
- Run paper testing with volunteers
- Correct design based upon test results
Change...process evolution
In turning from a paper based system to a web application we are able to make extrodinary changes to the procedure of
creating unit contracts to make them faster, more usable and more thought inducing. To see area's we could attack we brainstormed:
- How will the AOC user interface be organized?
- How would someone find resources?
- How would someone make a new contract?
- How would contracts be organized?
- How would resources be reserved?
- How will the Unit user interface be organized?
- How will the Unit maintain which resources are available?
- How will the interaction between the unit and AOC happen?
Where it all led...
The paper protoype
This is our origional, marked up paper prototype
which has since been refined.
The changes made will be able to be seen here, once
our live prototype has been coded.
What's next...
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