Center for Human-Machine System Research
Georgia Institute of Technology
jojo@isye.isye.gatech.edu
CHI '97 Workshop: Speech User Interface
Design Challenges
In our case, the quality inspectors have to notify a supervisor when one of their samples has a problem, then go back to the record of that sample and mark that they have notified the supervisor. Since the quality inspectors do not leave their work area, they do not notify a supervisor until the supervisor comes around to check on them. This usually means that they have to go back in their records and make a note. Currently they do this on paper by searching their hand written data for the piece of data that is out of limits and making a hand written note beside the out-of-limit data. However, the company is now going to an electronic data system and they will be entering the data by voice. The only way to distinguish the records from each other in the new electronic system is by the time they were recorded.
In work situations other than the notification of a supervisor, the navigation of a data grid can also be an issue. For example, in inventory control form-filling applications where the user might need to go back to make changes or add data. Navigating a data grid is an issue whenever a person needs to suspend an activity until a later time, but also continue working on other aspects of his or her job.
It is often desirable, for practical and monetary reasons, to not have a visual display. This occurs when the user is mobile and also when there is limited space in the work area. When there is no visual display this problem of navigating a data grid is exacerbated. In these cases, it appears that the user needs to have a mental model of the data in order to navigate through it. This is not only difficult for people to do but in some cases may be impossible when there are other tasks involved.
Inspector Computer --------- -------- white meat white meat 3 9 three nine tenderloins tenderloins 3 8 three eight dark meat dark meat 4 0 four zero white meat white meat 3 8 three eight tenderloins tenderloins 3 8 three eight dark meat dark meat 4 1 four one, this temperature is out-of-limits white meat white meat 3 9 three nine tenderloins tenderloins 3 8 three eight dark meat dark meat 4 0 four zero white meat white meat 3 8 three eight tenderloins tenderloins 3 8 three eight dark meat dark meat 3 9 three nine
***Supervisor comes by now, and the inspector informs him or her of the out-of-limit data and needs to mark that the supervisor knows. When they have a visual display they can see about 20 data records at a time, with the white meat, tenderloins, and dark meat on different displays.
In this next example the user is responsible for inputting data about incoming inventory. They enter the product name, product number, price, quantity, supplier, and warehouse location. The user knows all the data for a particular shipment except for the warehouse location which is relayed to him or her after the shipment has been placed in the warehouse. Once again the computer automatically records the data and time of the data entry.
User Computer ---- -------- name product name 12 by 12 box 12 by 12 box number product number 6 7 5 8 4 9 six seven five eight four nine cost cost point 2 3 twenty-three cents quantity quantity 2 0 twenty supplier supplier Acme Acme name product name 12 by 12 box tops 12 by 12 box tops number product number 6 7 5 8 5 0 six seven five eight five zero cost cost point 1 2 twelve cents quantity quantity 2 0 twenty supplier supplier Acme Acme
***Now the user gets a message from the warehouse that the 12 by 12 boxes have been stored in row B on the third shelf. The user needs to amend the record for the 12 by 12 boxes to include the warehouse location.