iCompuGlobalHyperMegaNetster
Persona Description
Jason is a nineteen year old sophomore attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Being born and raised in Charlotte North Carolina, Jason has had the privilege of being able to get the full "college experience" without being too far from home. Jason has an older brother attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and looks forward to seeing him when he comes home in the summers to live with his mother and father.
Jason is a pre-med biology major and spends most of his time studying for his more challenging classes. However, he deeply believes in the syllogism "all work and no play make Jason a dull boy" and knows when to relax before school becomes too stressful. After graduating, Jason hopes to work at the clinic that his father owns as part of his general practice. Jason has always been an excellent student and is expected to do well in medical school. Before confining himself to the responsibility of med school and taking over his father's practice, Jason hopes to have as much fun as possible while keeping his grades up.
Jason was lucky to have a few of his close friends from high school attend university with him, but many of his old pals stayed in Charlotte to attend college locally or went off to attend different colleges in North Carolina or out of state. Jason found it hard in his first year to keep up with his high school friends with many of them living in different locations for the majority of the year. At the beginning of his sophomore year, one of Jason's classmates introduced him to Facebook and he has had a significantly easier time communicating with his friends because of the website. Still, Jason misses the quality time they used to spend together in high school.
Brainstorming Ideas - Reasons for Acceptance and Rejection
iCompuGlobalHyperMegaNetster has thought of a comprehensive list of possible ideas that may be good to increase the programmability of the application we seek to deliver. Below is a list of the ideas along with the reason the group decided to accept or reject each one.
1. A new web
application could be designed from scratch to compete with Facebook,
Friendster, MySpace, etc.
with added functionality that would lead to dominance over these other services. REJECTED
- This was too ambitious of a task and would likely not have
been successful due to the established popularity of these sites. Given our research, users have been satisfied
with Facebook but have yet to take full advantage of
some of its functionality. It was
decided that it would be more useful to add programma
2. Add a calendar
feature to Facebook to replace the Events functionality
currently in place. ACCEPTED
- Users that were observed and interviewed expressed
that they did not use the a
3. The calendar
feature will be accessible through a user’s main profile page. ACCEPTED
- Users expressed that one of the most used aspects
of Facebook was looking at an individual’s main
profile. By placing a prominent link to
the calendar in the profile, users will be inclined to use the programma
4. The link to a
user’s calendar should be placed immediately under the picture of the user,
right above the link to the photo album.
ACCEPTED
- Several users said that they use the photo album
functionality quite frequently. By
placing the link to a user’s calendar right above the link to the album, it
ensures that users will quickly become aware of this added programma
5. The link to a
user’s calendar should be placed as a separate heading within the main profile
(along with hometown, interests, etc.). REJECTED
- This turned
out to be a bad idea as the group decided that these lists tend to run over
each other, making it difficult for each item to stand out. Since the programma
6. A user will
have the a
- This is a good idea since a user can just click on a time slot on their calendar and quickly be able to add what they will be doing during this time slot.
7. A user can add
a desired time block to an event, meeting, party, etc. ACCEPTED
- This was quickly accepted as the user should have
the programma
8. There should be
the a
- This is a
good idea as the calendar will have little use if a user is unable to know what
each item refers to. There should be an
a
9. The user can
color code each item based on the type of event that it is. ACCEPTED
- This is a good idea as it allows a user to be aware of different types of events. A person can categorize their schedule based on how important or social an item may be.
10. There should
be a popup alarm that notifies a user before a calendar item is about to occur. The amount of time before the event the alarm
goes off can be specified by the user. ACCEPTED
- This is a
good idea since it will remind users when they have something to do. This will ensure that this programma
11. All users of
the application will be able to view another user’s calendar. ACCEPTED
- This programma
12. A user can
specify privacy settings for viewing the calendar for each of their friends. ACCEPTED
- This is an integral
part of the functionality to maintain the safety and privacy of users of the
application. Users that are not friends
may still view the calendar, but only can see blocked out times. A user will have the a
13. Only friends
can look at another’s calendar. REJECTED
- This idea was rejected because we found the calendar would be most useful if every user had at least limited access to viewing. However, a user can restrict access to only friends.
14. A user can
send out an invitation for a common calendar item such as a meeting. Users who receive the invitation will receive
it via an email and can choose to accept or decline the invitation. If a user accepts, the item will
automatically be added to their calendar.
ACCEPTED
- This is
perhaps the programma
15. Users who have
accepted a common event may be able to post messages in the event description
area, similar to how they are handled on the current “Wall” feature available
on Facebook. ACCEPTED
- This is a good idea as it will allow people to post comments and opinions about a certain event before it occurs. It will also allow users to notify each other about any special circumstances surrounding a scheduled event. This feature is designed to operate similar to an internal listserv.
16. Users can view
what another user is currently doing via their main profile page. ACCEPTED
- This idea was accepted because we thought it would be useful to quickly check whether another user is busy. The level of information provided will be consistent with that users privacy settings.
17. The calendar
will be displayed over the period of a day.
REJECTED
- This idea is a bad idea as the time horizon is too short. It was decided that a user would like to see more than a one day horizon at one point. A one day calendar also would be difficult and time consuming to schedule future common events.
18. The calendar
will be displayed over the period of the current week. ACCEPTED
- This idea
was accepted because it seems like a week is the longest amount of time one
would likely want to see, without being too long. A user will of course have the a
19. Strike a deal with Match.com in which a plugin on
that site can link up with the calendar functionality of Facebook. ACCEPTED
- This idea was accepted because we thought it may be useful for people who set up online dates to add these dates automatically to their calendar so they do not forget the date. The functionality will be relatively simple, as the details of the date obtained from Match.com can be rolled into the calendar on Facebook.
20. Allow for
customizable layouts of the calendar. REJECTED
- This idea was rejected because the group thought that it
would be more valuable to have a consistent look and feel to the calendar to
have maximum usa
21. Allow a user
to podcast through Facebook, preferably linked to a
specific event. ACCEPTED
- This is a good idea since it allows a user to distribute a description of a certain event before or after it happens. This saves everyone time, as users will not need to recount the story regarding an event numerous times to all their friends.
22. Users can
stream their play list as a podcast on Facebook. REJECTED
- This idea was quickly rejected as this would be an illegal action and would lead to the user and the application being sued.
23. Photo albums
can be created for events and posted on the event after the event has
occurred. ACCEPTED
- This is a good idea because it allows users and friends to quickly view photos of events after they have occurred. This is especially useful for people who may have missed an event or meeting and are curious as to how it went.
24. Users can
create profiles that synchronize with massive multiplayer online games. REJECTED
- This is a bad idea as the group decided it would be best if gaming friends and Facebook friends remained separate. It was somewhat creepy to mix reality with gaming in our redesign of the application.
25. Users can load
the default Windows/MAC games provided by the operating system and play them
via Facebook. REJECTED
- This idea was rejected because most of these games are not multiplayer based. Based on the definition of games provided, the group decided there had to be some sort of conflict and a winner in the games provided.
26. There will be
a link to the games provided by Yahoo! Games and users can participate in
online game play from that interface. REJECTED
- This was decided to be a bad idea since this would not enhance gaming through our redesigned product but simply through another existing interface. The goal of the redesign was to provide multiplayer game play with the Facebook application.
27. Facebook will
provide a small set of games that can be played using the Facebook
application. ACCEPTED
- This idea was accepted since we wanted to keep gaming within the Facebook interface. Having a limited amount of games will prevent the interface from being overloaded.
28. There will be
five multiplayer online games provided: Poker, Hearts, Spades, Chess, and
Checkers. ACCEPTED
- These games were chosen because we thought that these would reach the widest audience of users. Most people know the rules and game flow of these games and would have a minimal learning curve. Also, these games are relatively short and easier to implement than other more complex games.
29. Users will be
able to send game times and invitations via the calendar feature. ACCEPTED
-This idea was quickly accepted as it would allow users to plan their gaming through the Facebook calendar interface. Users would be able to quickly check their friend’s calendars to see if they are busy. It would be easy to send out a group invitation and add the event to the calendar.
Redesigned Product
ICompuGlobalHyperMegaNetster has decided to implement calendar programmability to the Facebook user interface. The functionality is designed to augment the social networking capabilities of the Facebook without infringing on the privacy of an individuals life. This will empower users to use the tool as a social life organizer to quickly connect people through an online environment into a physical one.
The calendar feature available will give a Facebook user the ability to add items to their calendar as they see fit. The calendar will be accessible through the main profile page through a hyperlink appearing directly below the picture of a user. There will also be a small display on the main profile page that describes the current status of that user. The profile will disappear and the calendar will load up in a similar fashion that the photo album functionality currently does. The calendar for the next seven days will appear with all of a user's items visible to another user. These items may be blocks of time that can be specified by the user. A person may also color code these events based on their type and importance. These events may include a short title and description so that other users are aware of what the item entitles. A user also can set a popup alarm to notify them when an event is approaching.
A likely hesitation many users will face when first adopting this new programmability is the idea of privacy. The application addresses this by allowing a user to specify differing privacy settings of each other user that may have access to view their calendar.
The most useful functionality provided by this calendar feature is the social networking potential it provides. Users will not only be able to view the calendars of their friends, but also be able to send out common event invitations. This will help in the coordination of the potentially very busy lives that a college student may live. Users can post comments for a common event before it occurs, allowing for discussion beforehand. This also serves an academic need, as groups can discuss ideas in an online forum without having the always meet in person. The calendar hopes to provide the programmability for users to safely coordinate their network of friends to achieve a potentially more rewarding and organized college life.
Scenario Description
Jason loves playing online poker with his friends both at UNC and elsewhere. For weeks he and his friends meet sporadically to play using various online services, but it's always a massive headache to coordinate when all of them can get online and play together. In addition to not knowing when people will be unavailable, it's difficult to let everyone know and figure out a time to play in a collective manner.
Jason hears about the new Facebook game service that incorporates the new calendar and scheduling features with a built in set of popular games - including a poker game just like the one he and his friends had been playing elsewhere. Since all of his friends already use Facebook and the new Facebook calendar, Jason decides to schedule a game based on the collective availability of the list of invitees he provides to Facebook. It turns out they're all available on Friday night at 9:30, so after creating the event, it's automatically listed on all of their calendars. When Friday comes around, they all log into Facebook and play for a few hours right within their web browser.
Storyboard Animation
Assignment Write-up
Game play, as defined by Wikipedia, includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems. It is what the player does while playing a game. Game play in the New Media sense brings this interaction to computer-mediated communication channels, such as the Internet, which can be accessed via computer, handheld, or other electronic devices. We believe that new media will allow game play to extend all across the world, allowing people that would never be able to play games with each other, to simply and easily play. Also, the Internet, which is the main driving force behind this system, it allows the game play to extend wherever and on whatever Internet access is available.
Thus, we at iCompuGlobalHyperMegaNetster believe that our application can foster game play by making it simpler for users to schedule and play games with their friends. A user can simply create an event on their Facebook calendar and invite their friends to play a game. The game can either be played now, with the friends that are available online, or a game can be scheduled for a future date. For example, if a user wants to play a game of poker whenever at least 4 of his friends are available, he can set up an event, and send out a game request to his friends, once 4 of his friends respond, he can be immediately notified, and they can start playing their game. Our application in Facebook also makes it easier to play game. Once users are ready, they simply have to choose what game they want to play, and Facebook takes care of the rest. No additional logging in or virtual game table creation is necessary. The simplicity and ease of use of the system, compared to other gaming systems, fosters game play and interaction.
According to the Entertainment Software Association, fifty percent of Americans play video games. Since the seventies, this billion dollar grossing industry has skyrocketed in popularity with America's youth. Our redesign will allow users to interact in a meaningful way with each other by using the game play feature designed specifically for Facebook. The game function will allow the user to instigate social interactions with people on their friends list via game play. Hopefully, the game play aspect of Facebook will allow users to feel that the site is a more interactive experience and helps to strengthen friendships rather than simply maintaining them. The game play feature is initially designed with a one on one experience in mind, however as people in the college age demographic largely socialize in groups, we expect that the game play function of Facebook to become popular for group play, such as poker and other group card games.
The redesigned application enables new forms of gaming by provided a method by which to organize meeting times and a centralized location for doing so. On other online gaming services, it can be difficult to track friends down through locating their username or chat room that they happen to currently be in. It is also difficult to ensure that all members are online at the desired time. With the redesigned Facebook features, it facilitates game play by provided a centralized meeting place. Since all users can post the game times on their calendars, they will be reminded when they agreed to play their friends in these online games. Also, users do not have to worry about hard to remember user names, as Facebook aliases are real names. We believe that this will provide a quick and efficient method of organizing game play online. However, some weaknesses in the redesign exist. First, the games provided are relatively simple games. This may result in users becoming bored with the service and eventually not using it. These games also may be cumbersome on the bandwidth provided by Facebook, slowing the entire application down. These problems have the potential to be fixed as technology progresses and the popularity of Facebook increases, allowing the company to purchase greater bandwidth. We think that enabling this game play is only the start to creating a faster and more fun method of playing online games with friends.