08/05/2012 - Progress: Development complete, project sponsor satisfied

The project has been progressing very well.

The maths game, tutorial screens and menu have all been completed resulting in a fully formed game - a coherent beginning, middle and end. So far the game has been tested on several different monitors, resolutions and two different computers and has worked as expected. No display issues were identified and the game is just as usable on a larger screen as it is on a smaller one.

The test plans have now been written and completed. A total of 45 different HCI conventions were used to compile two questionnaires. One questionnaire has been designed to capture the target users (children) experience and is worded in a manner suitable for children. The 45 questions have been condensed into 15 questions each of which will provide data on several HCI aspects. Another questionnaire has been designed to capture information from; an educational perspective, i.e. lecturers at City of Bath College, and primary school teachers; from a usability heuristics perspective, i.e. industry experts, and finally, from experienced Kinect users and developers. This 25 question survey will provide detailed data on the 45 HCI aspects being explored.

Ray Chambers and Jim Edwards who have kindly agreed to test the application with their students have been provided a copy of the game and the questionnaires. This is an excellent opportunity and will serve the project well, providing they are able to respond with the completed questionnaires in good time. I will need to start compiling the test data in a week’s time to ensure the project write up and final evaluation are completed on time.

A meeting was held with the project sponsor today (May 8th, 2012) to formally discuss the progress of the project. Arranging a formal meeting, as per the project plan, has been difficult due to illness and scheduling conflicts. The project has been discussed informally with the sponsor throughout its development, however today was the first opportunity to sit down and review everything that has been achieved to date.

The meeting was productive and the sponsor is pleased with the projects progress and is enthusiastic about the final product. Several potential changes were discussed such as adding the facility for users to add their own words to the program. This was considered during the design phase of the project but the idea was abandoned as it would place too much emphasis on the game aspect of this project and potentially detract from the core purpose of this study: answering the research question. However, this idea is certainly valid and would be a priority in further developments.

Whilst the game is being tested work will continue on the project documentation. It is hoped I will receive the results from the testing by this time next week. Currently the project is 85% complete with the final stages such as testing and the end of project acceptance review with the sponsor accounting for the majority of the work yet to be completed.