Enlighten

Brett LeberMark ChoiParita Kapadia

A3: Ubiquitous ComputingBasic Interaction DesignFall 2011School of DesignCarnegie Mellon

Table of Contents

Project Definition 3Research 4 Exploratory 6 Generative 18 Evaluative 22Video Sketch 34Solution 40Conclusion 42Reflection 42

Project DefinitionOur project, which we named Library Futures, explores a ubiquitous computing scenario that addresses the difficulty people have finding books in the physical space of a public library. We designed a system called Enlighten that augments the library environment with panels of colored lights to lead a patron to a book, making the search easier and more pleasurable. While somewhat futuristic in presentation, this system is grounded in current technology—radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and readers, and LED lighting.

Assignment BriefOur 6-week project began much more broadly as an investigation of “opportunities and design challenges around ubiquitous computing with regards to activities in the realms of live, work, play, and move” (Basic Interaction Design assignment brief). Under the guidance of Professor Peter Scupelli and TA Clarence Yung, we were asked to:

• choose a specific place and audience;

• discover a problem/opportunity worth solving;

• conceive of interaction in a design space well beyond the current interaction design conventions; and

• communicate our solution through a video sketch.

We were given the freedom to implement our own research strategy, with specific checkpoints along the way.

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Location BrainstormingWe began by brainstorming a list of potential locations and their populations. We wrote our ideas on sticky notes and arranged them on the table. In addition to locations, we also described populations, topics, experiences, and technologies that interested us.

We arranged the sticky notes by affinities we saw between them. We were drawn to public spaces, or places where people congregated. Two of our most-liked spaces were public parks and libraries. For the park, we liked the challenge of integrating computing in a place that seems so distant from it. For the library, we were drawn to the wealth of information and activity in libraries, the book as object (potentially trackable and addressable, in the ubicomp sense) and the activity of book reading.

While there seemed to be a lot of potential in both places, we also had to consider the availability of people in these spaces, and with winter fast approaching in Pittsburgh, library patrons seemed eminently more available than park goers (who also might be alone and possibly startled by us trying to talk to them). We chose the local library as our space, and the library patrons as our audience.

ResearchWe followed a user-centered design process, with three main phases:

Exploratory: Through site visits, observation, and interviews, we would get a feel for the space and the needs (latent or expressed) of the people we were designing for.

Generative: We would use the interviews as inspiration and rapidly generate 50+ ideas. We would expand a small set of those ideas into storyboards.

Evaluative: We would use a research method called speed dating to get feedback on ideas presented in a set of refined storyboards, and discover how well our interpretation of user needs overlapped with the needs expressed by a handful of potential users.

A portion of our affinity diagram before we organized it.

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ExploratoryOnce we decided on the domain of libraries for this project, we were eager to go take a look and observe library space from a different perspective. All three of us frequent Hunt Library on campus, but we realized that getting outside of CMU would allow us to design for a much broader population.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) is Pittsburgh's public library system with a main library in the Oakland neighborhood and 19 branch locations. We visited the main library in Oakland, referred to as CLP Main, and the Squirrel Hill branch.

Squirrel Hill Branch

This particular single story library had undergone a major renovation in 2004 and has a modern interior. As this was our first trip, we had a lot of information to absorb. We felt an effective way to do this was to walk around the space and take lots of pictures for future reference. We documented signage, made notes on the décor of different sections, interacted with the facilities such as the self-check out kiosks and online catalogs. We also made a few basic sketches of the seamless, open-concept layout and in this way realized that the entrance had more of a bookstore feel with racks titled “New Releases”.

There were also a wide variety of seating options dispersed through the space. While an eclectic collection of big lounge chairs were arranged near the tall windows, affording long hours of leisurely reading, the rest of the library hosted a good number of study desks capable of seating 4. We jotted down information on the demographics of patrons. We were curious to find out if these demographics would change based on day and time. This trip was made on a weekday in the evening. We planned to come back mid-day on a weekend to see if we noticed a difference.

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The Squirrel Hill Branch. Clockwise from top: the entrance, with newer books strung vertically on wires, patrons using the self-checkout ma-chine near the entrance, and seating along the glass-paned wall facing Forbes Avenue.

CLP Main

On the weekend, we planned a trip to the main branch of the Carnegie Library in Oakland to gauge the differences with the branch in Squirrel Hill. The library in Oakland is an impressive space spread over three floors.

The first floor here was also recently renovated but showcases a character of its own, different from that of library in Squirrel Hill. It has large glass display panels, a coffee shop, an outdoor patio that serves as a reading room. Little details like recommendation boards for patrons to recommend books and staff-pick shelves made the activity of browsing informative and interesting. CLP Main is well segmented into dedicated departments for children, teens, job search, audio and visual, etc.

At first we walked around and took general observational field notes about organization of books and demographics of patrons. Next, we tried to look up a book on the online catalog and then actually find it to comprehend how easy or complicated the task was. We spent about 15 minutes in the art section, moving around between bookcases as we had difficulty determining how the call numbers progressed.

Our agenda also included speaking to patrons, but we soon realized that it wasn’t a good idea to interrupt them, so we approached the librarians instead.

The first two librarians we spoke to worked in the children's section, and each had over 40 years of experience. We asked them questions about how children choose books, what kinds of help they needed, and how seasonal displays are thought of. We also asked about the challenges they face in their day-to-day work, and if they felt that any facilities were being under-utilized.

We then headed to the Teen section, which was an extremely exciting, energetic, and audience-specific space. The colorful posters and signage had the same tone of voice as any American teen. The stacks were painted, there were beanbags scattered on the floor, and there was a big glass-walled game room in the center. The librarians here were not of the typical kind you might imagine. They were two young women who had 4 and 5 years experience, respectively. They weren’t the sort that would ask patrons to lower their voice.

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The Squirrel Hill Branch. Clockwise from top: the entrance, with newer books strung vertically on wires, patrons using the self-checkout ma-chine near the entrance, and seating along the glass-paned wall facing Forbes Avenue.

This page: the children's department. Opposite: the teen section.

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We began by asking the librarians the same general questions about facilities and challenges, but our conversation with them went in a different direction. Since they had put up signs of teen parties in the library and the like, we began talking about those and made an interesting observation. These librarians really cared about the patrons and wanted to make sure that it was a comfortable place for them. They mentioned that they would most likely buy all books that patrons would request. Their ultimate goal was for people to get as much out of the library as possible.

A third visit to CLP Main was made when we acquired a contact in the library through our social network. This person was a staff member in the Audio Visual section of the library, and he agreed to a more focused interview where we sat down for 90 minutes and discussed the back-end functioning in the library in great detail. He gave us insight on where the library’s staff spends the most time, effort, and money. One area was the logistics involved in the inter-branch loan system. He also explained how every time someone dropped off a book in the bin, which was every now and then throughout the day, it would then be registered and show up in the catalog but would have a lag time because the librarian wouldn’t have put it back on the shelf quite as fast. He really saw a scope for computers to improve this haphazard system.

Wayfinding emerged as a major issue too. Our interviewee complained that people always overlooked signs and preferred asking the librarians instead. Most of the time the patrons seemed frustrated if finding something took too long. These interruptions considerably slowed down library staff in performing their other tasks, and satisfying disgruntled patrons was tiring. He also brought up a recent design intervention by Maya design in Pittsburgh, which definitely "looked cool and welcoming at the entrance’", but didn’t really help navigation.

Angled glass panels in CLP Main outside the teen section, with pro-jections on the glass, and a scrolling marquee.

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General Questions

-- Why-did-you-come-here-today?

-- How-would-you-compare-the-library-experience-to-the-bookstore-experience?-Do-you-go-to-both?

-- How-often-do-you-come?

-- How-do-you-choose-where-to-sit?-Have-you-ever-used-these-tables-for-group-work?

-- Has-your-experience-of-using-the-library-changed-over-time?

-- Do-you-plan-to-come-to-the-library-with-a-group?

-- Have-you-ever-met-someone-new-at-the-library?

-- Why-did-you-pick-this-library?

-- What-is-your-impression-of-this-library?-

-- How-much-time-do-you-spend-at-the-library?

Questions related to library resource usage

-- What-resources-do-you-use-at-the-library?-(video,-internet)

-- Do-you-check-things-out?-If-so,-what-kinds-of-things-do-you-check-out?

-- Do-you-use-the-catalogue?

-- Do-you-use-self-checkout?

Questions related to library usability

-- How-easy-is-it-to-find-things?-How-long-does-it-take?-Is-it-frustrating?

-- How-do-you-choose-what-to-get?--(stuff-at-front,-books-next-to-books)

-- Do-you-check-things-out?

-- How-do-you-find-things-you’re-looking-for?

Questions related to social reading/collaborative use of the library

-- Are-you-a-member-of-a-book-club?

-- Would-you-find-it-interesting/useful-to-know-what-other-people-are-reading/checking-out?

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Patron Interviews: Questions

Our conversations with the librarians really helped inform the interview questions we brainstormed for the subsequent interviews with patrons. We began with a short 30-second elevator pitch of sorts that would help us introduce our area of research to interviewees without giving them too specific a topic that they would feel obliged to craft their responses toward it: “We’re graduate students at Carnegie Mellon researching how people use libraries. We’re trying to figure out how to improve the library experience.”

We phrased and re-phrased many versions of questions targeted towards patrons because we didn’t want to influence their answers in any way. We also realized from our past experience that if the question was too open ended, we either wouldn’t get anything useful from it, or we would get a very obvious answer. To tackle this problem we assumed some of the answers beforehand and created a few follow-up questions for each of these to re-direct the conversation in case they got sidetracked. For example, instead of asking "Why do you go to the library?", we asked "What brought you to the library today?" as a starting point.

The questions we considered are shown on the opposite page, though we typically only asked a few of these, and instead tried to have a conversation as naturally as possible.

We interviewed 9 patrons at the Squirrel Hill branch. Their approximate demographics:

Age Gender

11 male26 male28 female30 male50 female60 female65 male70 female70 female

Interviewing was not without its challenges. We decided that the best way to interview a patron would be in teams of two, just outside the entrance/exit at the top of the stairs. We would only interrupt patrons as they were exiting. This seemed to work well, although we had to move nearer the elevator to talk with a few senior patrons who didn't take the stairs.

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Patron Interviews: Key Findings

A main finding for us was that use of the library is diverse. The table below shows some of that diversity.

Age Gender Use

11 male avid user when time permits26 male uses internet, finds unorthodox books28 female works at a branch and is a student30 male studies with his girlfriend50 female gets movies, books every 3 weeks60 female attends writing workshops, gets books65 male reserves books online, picks them up70 female uses internet and books everyday70 female donates books, finds murder mysteries

We learned that the computers with internet is a primary reason many patrons come, including young children who stay at the library after school while their parents finish work. Some quotes:

"I'm looking for a quiet place to study."

"I get books every three weeks. I don’t read here; I just take things out."

"I visit the writer’s group here that meets weekly. I also look for large-print books."

We tried to get some insights into whether patrons preferred to browse or search, but this varied as well. Almost like a personality trait, their style of library use seemed unlikely to change easily.

We were surprised to hear from a number of older patrons how easy it was to find things they were looking for. A couple younger patrons expressed frustration at the difficulty of finding things. A couple of senior patrons mentioned learning the Dewey Decimal system at a young age, which is notable also for the fact that the Carnegie Library doesn't use Dewey—they use the Library of Congress system almost exclusively.

We asked questions about a topic that interested us in particular: social reading. We wanted to find out if patrons are interested in learning about what other patrons are reading or watching. On this, we got mixed responses:

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“Not really; I’ll just stick to me. It’s probably mostly Harry Potter and romance novels that other people are reading.”

“Yes, if it were broken down by topic.”

Social reading interested us (and others in our class) in a few ways. In one sense, we wondered about making patron reading patterns more public. We noticed in Squirrel Hill that the storage of materials on hold for patrons was eye-level, in bookcases that looked like any other. A small sign said something like "Please respect the privacy of others". But we wondered if this information, when shared anonymously, might be interesting. Secondly, we wondered about the process of reading, and whether patrons might want to share that process through annotations and reviews, but we didn't ask anything about this during our exploratory research phase.

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GenerativeWe now had a basic understanding of the library space and some current uses by patrons, and could generate some ideas for future scenarios. We didn't narrow our process to a specific building at this point, nor did we focus on one sub-population. Instead, we left this open.

We were asked to generate 50+ ideas using a grid, which we did using a whiteboard. This was a new method for all of us: using a set of labels on the x-axis and another on the y-axis, we would try to come up with an idea for a product/service/interaction based on the intersection of labels. For example, the intersection of "come and go" with "elderly" was a drive-through window for the library.

Along our x-axis on the top, we listed themes that appealed to us and were also revealed during our interviews. Along the y-axis, we listed the various age groups of library patrons, followed by some ubicomp technologies (e.g., RFID, tangible interaction, sensors) and library locations. The goal was think as divergently as we could, with limited filtering and critique.

As one might predict, we had a number of bizarre, marginally useful ideas, but we did have a few promising ones, which we chose to develop into storyboards.

Storyboards

We performed two rounds of storyboarding. The first was primarily individual, and each group member chose a few ideas they found promising and tried to develop them into stories. Some of these ideas are shown on the following few pages.

Creating storyboards was a great way for us to fill in gaps in our own thought process and flesh out ideas to a considerable level. We worked with concepts related to the themes of wayfinding, browsing and social reading. These weren't necessarily filling a need that users expressed. Instead, we were looking for opportunities where the library experience could be enhanced. We tried to answer questions like "What should I read?", or "I know what I want to read, but how can I find it more easily?"

Our grid of ideas on a whiteboard. Below, an initial storyboard about an interactive table surface that recommends books to read.

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EvaluativeOur primary evaluative method was "speed dating", a design method whereby you present storyboards to prospective users in a "needs validation" session as a way of jump-starting a conversation.

Because these storyboards were to be presented in a speed dating session to patrons in the library, we iterated them to read more like scenarios. Getting responses from actual users would be a great way to validate our ideas so once again, just as we did for the initial interview questions, we charted out storyboard objectives to help us guide conversations with patrons in an effective way. Additionally, writing out these objectives helped all three of us in the group to arrive on the same page. Along with this, we formulated opening questions with which to introduce each storyboard and finally listed a few follow-up questions.

Refined Storyboards and Speed Dating Results

Each interview took its own pace and we had to improvise a lot depending on whom we spoke to. For example, we described the interactive table as a giant iPad to one of the children we interviewed. Sometimes, instantaneously coming up with an alternative example was hard. The good part though was that, as a team, we really supported each other.

It was certainly awkward interrupting patrons (and in hindsight, we probably would have been told to do things differently had we gotten full buy-in from the library administration), but we tried to break the ice by offering donuts from a box of donuts we purchased prior to arriving.

It was surprising how few of the patrons read the storyboards. Either we were too self-conscious about asking them to read, or they preferred not to. But in any case, we found ourselves explaining the concepts with the storyboards as visual aids.

We performed our speed dating evaluation at CLP Main, a location we were leaning toward as our space in which to design.

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1. Activity Heat MapWe envision this concept as an interactive screen situated at the entrance of the library where real-time information about traffic in the library is updated and displayed. This information primarily pertains to seating and computer vacancy across all the floors in the library, saving a patron time in walking around to find space. The patron can advance her search by selecting preferences on lighting conditions (sunlight or otherwise), noise levels, or wifi signal strength.

Objective: To understand if patrons have trouble finding where to sit? Do they have strong seating preferences?

Opening Question: How do you usually decide where to sit?

Follow Up Questions: Would it be important for you to know where other people your age are sitting? Does your seating preference change according to your visit? If patrons have seating preferences, what are they?

Library MapHow do you decide where to sit at the library?

As final’s week is approaching, Tim frequents the library for a quiet place to study.

As he enters, Tim finds a large screen at the entrance which displays a heat map of the first floor, indicating where other patrons are situated.

Tim touches the interactive screen to find a space with few people, a low noise level, and natural light.

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Responses:

Patrons:

“I’m familiar already with where I can get wifi.”

“I might not use it, but maybe for other people. I just get my magazines and go.”

“A lot of times computers are taken. I’d look at this screen.”

Librarian:

“That’s awesome. I could see it being used in tandem with a clerk or skilled person. We had these large maps in the library, but they were backwards! So they weren’t used! Wifi signal is good throughout the building.”

2. Screens that show popular materialThe main aim of this concept was too find ways of repurposing the existing screens in the Oakland library. This screen would anonymously display popular books being checked out for other patrons to find trending/popular reads or just get exposed to books outside of familiarity.

Objective: To gauge if people are really interested to know what other people are reading.

Opening Question: Do you ever wonder what books, music or movies are popularly checked out of the library? Are you ever browsing/looking for new things to read at the library?

Follow Up Questions: If yes, would information specific to books checked out popularly be more useful? Or would it be helpful to have these lists under specific sections?

Would patrons be comfortable to have information on books they’ve borrowed to be made public if it’s kept anonymous?

What would a librarian want to share?

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Screens that show popular materialDo you ever wonder what books, music, or movies are popular at the library?

On one of the large screens on the first floor of the library, a list of popular books for the month of November is shown.

As you enter the film section, another screen displays a list of popular films checked out over the last week.

Responses:

Patrons:

“Sure, I’d like to know.”

“Definitely really cool. I’m sure there are some sensitivities—like what if someone had out a book on radical Islam? More likely it’s just Oprah books. But it’s still really cool. [He talks about “Angie’s picks” at a bookstore in Bloomfield, and makes a connection to how Pandora recommends things—could it recommend stuff like Fitzgerald?] Keep in mind people come here for free books.”

Librarian:

“Cool!—but popular titles would not be available. You would need reserves. We do something just like this: we look at the holds in the county and come up with “read-alikes”—books that are like other popular titles—and put this list online. We have signage like this—we call it dynamic signage. The problem is that lots of departments put in the content, then communication and creative services enters it, facilities maintains it. It’s a logistical nightmare and a lot of work. Bulbs burn out. There was tension recently—during our budget crisis, it was painful to keep up the screens but not buy books and fire part-timers.

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I like the idea of a kiosk that shows read-alikes, the catalogue, places holds.”

How do you feel about sharing?

“Sharing would be fine.”

3. Light-based book finding systemThis is a wayfinding system that helps patrons who don’t understand the cryptic Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal system to find the book they are looking for with ease. This is made possible by a series of lights that can track the position of the patron and physically lead her to the book.

Objective: To understand if wayfinding is actually a troublesome issue.

Opening Question: Have you ever had difficulty finding a particular book/music/movie in the library?

Follow Up Questions: How do you overcome this problem?

Finding a particular bookAfter you found a book you would like to read, have you ever struggled finding it?

Jenny enters the title of a book she wants to read. She see’s that it’s not far from her in the stacks, and taps “Locate it”.

Small lights on the bookcases illuminate the path to the book.

Jenny follows the trail to the final light on the bookshelf, which pulses slowly above her book.

Responses:

Patrons:

“Sometimes I will ask a librarian. I haven’t used the catalog.”

“ I’ve been able to find most things with no difficulty. I look at signs, I know the Dewey decimal system, which I learned in school. I usually stay on this floor (the first). Once I’m in the section, I can find it.”

“Sometimes books are hard to find. What about more than one person using this?”

“That’s really awesome. I don’t ask the librarian—they’re always busy.”

“That would be awesome. I don’t know how to use the Dewey system. I ask how to find it. It’s also aesthetically cool.”

- Librarian:

“I love it. Very cool. Can it follow your feet? What about when finding a list of books? Finding things is a real issue, especially in an old building like this.”

4. Traces of ActivityInteractive tables surfaces record the titles and covers of books that are set on their surface. Like the popular reading material screens, these too help you chance upon different kinds of books that might make an interesting read.

Objective: To gauge interest levels in a concept of browsing

Opening Question: What if some tables at the library showed traces of the things that had been placed on them over the course of the day? Would that be interesting to you?

Follow Up Questions: How would you feel about leaving traces yourself?

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Traces of activityWhat if tables at the library showed traces of the things that had been placed on them?

Mary’s going to get books for her holiday. As one of the patrons leaves the table she was using, a virtual trace of the book she read remains behind.

Mary notices that although the table is clear, it displays the covers of books and media that had been placed on its surface.

She sees an interesting title and taps on it. A brief synopsis is shown. She taps a button to see a map of where the book is located in the library.

Responses:

Patrons:

“I like to see how things are rated by people I know. That means more to me.”

“ Sometimes a title will catch my eye. I’ll look in a book someone leaves, at least to read the synopsis, or if it’s a certain author.”

“This is art to me. Cool to see traces of books. It’s not just about utility—people know what they want. I don’t browse.”

Librarian:

“I think about privacy, stalkers. We have good security. But stalking is an issue. Think about this: a woman is looking at a book about how to file your own divorce. Her husband sees is, and beats the crap out of her outside of the library. It raises my hackles.”

5. Personalized RecommendationsThis interactive surface generates recommends books/music/movies based a patron’s past selections or likings.

Objective: How do patrons feel about a table that can identify them?

Opening Question: Would you use an interactive table that recognizes you and recommends things to borrow? Would that be interesting to you?

Follow Up Questions: Which would you prefer? More Amazon-like recommendations? Or recommendations from the librarian or other readers?

Responses:

Patrons:

“ Recommendations? Not from here. I will read them on Amazon.”

“ I wouldn’t mind. But I usually know what I want to get.”

Personalized recommendationsAn interactive table recognizes you and recommends things to borrow.

Mike wants to get a good book to read but doesn’t know what to borrow. He sits down at one of the interactive tables and places his library card on it.

The table displays books that other people Mike’s age have read recently, as well as some other books that are similar to things he’s read in the past and rated favorably.

One book looks interesting, so he taps it. The table displays the first few pages for him to read, as well as some recent reviews by other readers.

Mike thinks this book would be worth reading. He places his eReader on the surface of the table and drags the book toward it to load the book onto it.

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6. Social ReadingAn e-reader allows you to annotate content you’re reading and engage in an asynchronous conversation with another patron.

Objective: How comfortable are people with annotating?

Opening Question: What if you could mark up any magazine or book and share those notes with other readers?

Follow Up Questions: How often do you leave reviews on items you've used, or media you have seen? Would you be interested in what other people have written?

Responses:

Patrons:

“People without means come here. You need to keep that in mind. I could ask my mom to buy me a Kindle, but many people are less fortunate.”

Librarian:

“Holy Mackerel. I’m thinking about copyright laws. The Kindle is an interesting story. Everything for Kindle we have to put on hold for patrons. We can’t buy them quickly enough. 1 copy of a book is licensed for 1 person.”

Comments on annotating:

Patrons:

“ I once got a book on Amazon that was already underlined. I was curious. I haven’t reviewed anything online.”

“ I write in textbooks. I would help someone if I knew what they were asking about.

“What would it be like for many people to annotate Joyce?”

Librarian:

“This could be good in an academic library. We spend a lot of time erasing notes. I think it’s very arrogant of someone to write in a library book and think that other people want to read what they’re writing. We have volunteers who just erase notes.”

He leaves a comment on the page about his confusion.

Social readingWhat if you could mark up any magazine or book and share these notes with other readers?

Jeff is reading the latest issue of Scientific American on a library eReader. He comes across a description of solar winds that he doesn’t understand.

Later that day, Allison reads the same article at the library and see’s Jeff’s question.

She responds by explaining the formula, which she learned recently in a college course.

He responds “That makes sense—thanks!”

As soon as Allison posts her comment, Jeff is notified on his cell phone even though he’s left the library.

Still at the library and reading another article in the magazine, Allison is notified of Jeff’s message.

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Speed Dating Reflection

These comments from patrons and the librarian were very helpful and we went back to them many times as our design took shape. Most importantly, however, it was valuable for us to hear the different perspectives on three key issues: privacy, universal design, and emotional response.

In terms of privacy, we expected to get pushback on a few of the scenarios (screens that show popular material, for instance). Patrons had no privacy issues with anonymously sharing their borrowing history. But our librarian informant was adamantly opposed to the traces of recent activity scenario, which was surprising.

Universal design was a topic that came up a few times, most memorably in a conversation with one patron who reminded us that the library is a public space for people without the means to buy books and movies, or pay for the internet. This argued against solutions that required personal devices such as eReaders or smart phones—we couldn't just design a smart phone app that would facilitate book finding because only some patrons have smart phones. Universal design, to us, also meant finding a solution that would cater to patrons of all ages. The storyboard on social reading would be more fitting in an academic library, for instance, not a public library.

Emotional response was something we gauged by carefully watching the reactions of our respondents. Some storyboards invoked a clear positive emotional response, while others fell flat. We wanted to gauge how people perceived the library and whether an element of fun could be introduced easily.

The diagram on the opposite page shows these results in a visual grid.

The light-based book finding system was a clear winner. Our interviewees could easily see themselves in a situation where they would use it. Almost all had strong, positive emotional responses. Being built into the environment, there was no need for any additional device, and privacy was not violated by using the system.

An evaluative grid showing our sto-ryboard concepts across the top and a few important metrics along the left-hand side. A blue circle means the metric is fulfilled positively, while a red circle means it is not.

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Video SketchWith strong feedback from our speed dating session, we starting developing the story for our video sketch. Although we thought we knew the system we were sketching, a number of details were defined during the video sketch process.

The StoryIn our video sketch, we wanted communicate the frustration a patron feels while trying to find a book in order to introduce the problem, then follow up with our character encountering and consequently experiencing our solution. We hoped to portray a final outcome where the patron finds pleasure and fulfillment in both the speed and act of book-finding, and might continue to visit the library to find books in the future.

We decided to focus on a non-recent patron to the library and base the story on bringing that individual back to the library. We needed the system to be novel to the protagonist. We showed a building frustration that stemmed from past experiences searching for books, to the current day where she is frustrated standing in a long line to be helped. (We asked a librarian whether a long line was realistic on a weekend, to which answered with a resounding "Yes!".)

We introduce the solution working in full force but leave it to the patron to discover the solution by means of a visual engagement and subsequent interest. We decided to show the system in use with multiple users because this answered a comment question/concern we heard, which was "How does this work with more than one person using it simultaneously?"

We wanted to show only the necessary amount of kiosk interaction since our solution was focused on a new finding experience, rather than a book-searching interface.

We deliberately showed a scenario where the book-finding does not occur on a single level because oftentimes libraries are multi-level, as is the case with CLP Main, the setting of our video sketch.

CharacterWe saw our book-finding tool as a solution not focused on any user population in particular. Therefore, given the audience of the class we were presenting to, we decided to find an actor similar to the class in age.

VoiceOne difficulty was in figuring out how the main character would encounter the solution. We thought she might see someone else finding a book successfully, but we had to brainstorm ways of communicating that without a third-person narration. We consciously chose to use first-person throughout the video sketch, as third-person seemed to be used very often in video sketches we had seen. In some cases, it can sound insincere or overly descriptive, giving the video sketch an impersonal tone. We tried to invoke a casual, believable tone from our protagonist.

First Draft of Video SketchWe made our first storyboard of the video sketch using images we took with our camera (see storyboard on following pages). Given the easy access and hours of Hunt Library at CMU, we used it as the setting for this first draft.

We took the images into iMovie and experimented with the timing and pan-and-scan techniques to create a rough cut of the video. We actually combined pictures taken at different libraries, but the story was still clear enough to get feedback.

The experience helped a lot with figuring out framing pictures, effective camera angles, ideal lighting situations, and number of shots required to show sequence. We also received excellent feedback during class, which prompted us to modify the story slightly —we would show the protagonist getting two books instead of one, and she would receive a printed receipt at the kiosk to help her find her book.

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It’s been so long since I’ve stepped foot in this library to actually find a book.

This is taking forever. But it’s probably faster than trying to find it myself.

Last time was a disaster.

And that cryptic code! Did capital Q mean oversized?

[system prompts him to scan his card. “To be guided, please scan your card and carry it with you: the lights will follow you. The book you’re looking for is located on the second floor. Look for the blue lights as you exit the stairs.” ]

[close up of patron typing out the name of the book]

[Sign says ‘Can’t find your book? Try the book finder’]

Huh! I should find out how to do that too.[sees colored lights as a patron walks by. Another patron comes by and follows the lights to a book that she pulls off of the shelf]

[and finds his book. the light slowly dies out, marking the end of the search] That was quick. Very cool.

[patron follows the blue lights]

Storyboard for first draft of video sketch.

Final Draft of Video SketchFilming at CLP Main proved to be challenging. We had to provide a list of all shots to the Library's public relations manager. We were not allowed to take pictures of patrons, and had to negotiate to take pictures of librarians with their consent. The library was open on the Saturday we chose to film.

Voice Over

Our voice-over actress (another student, and not the person playing the protagonist in the video) provided a great voice-over that none of us expected: she ad-libbed through various parts of the script, including the scene where the main character is waiting in line. Her spunk and natural frustration helped bring the main character to life.

Music and Sound Effects

We decided to start the music at the point in the video where our main character finishes using the kiosk. In this way, the following frames where she is using the system to find her book are soundtracked.

For a music selection, we looked for hopeful, bright, instrumental tracks. We tried setting the video to a song by Bon Iver, but we received feedback that the song might be too recognizable. We settled on an interesting track from electronic musician and bass virtuoso Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson).

For sound effects, we settled on two minimal sounds: a soundscape of a city street for the first few seconds of the video, and the sound of a barcode scanner beep. We experimented with other ambient sound in the library, but it sounded unnatural.

Video Editing and Photoshop Effects

Both video editing (in After Effects) and Photoshop work required meticulous attention, and more work than we anticipated. Timing audio to video and figuring out optimal sequences were surprisingly challenging, although it did help to have completed a first draft in iMovie.

The Photoshop work was perhaps the most time-intensive and challenging task. We spent many hours trying to settle on a realistic light effect, eschewing the small LEDs of our first draft for larger, more realistic lights. Some visual inspiration for these lights is shown on the opposite page. It was also challenging arranging the lights in a grid that matched the perspective of the picture (we built a grid in Illustrator and used that as the template in Photoshop).

Visual inspiration for our system of lights.

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SolutionWe named our solution Enlighten, and gave it the following summary:

Enlighten is a system of guiding lights for finding a physical resource in a public library.

To use Enlighten to find a book, a patron would use a kiosk to search for a book. If found in the library, a button would be available to find the book with Enlighten. The system would prompt the user to scan their library card, and the guiding lights would begin at the entrance to whichever floor the user's book was on.

The kiosk would print out a receipt that had the title, location, and call number for the patron's book(s), and also a bar code that they could scan in case they decided to look for the book at a later time.

Utilizing current everyday RFID tracking technology on individual books in conjunction with RFID readers installed on library shelves, an internal system would first be able to pinpoint the location of each book in the library. Then an embedded RFID chip in your library card would serve as an identifier that would locate your position within the library and update the route to your book in real-time guided by a system of moving lights.

Grids we printed and drew on to experiment with various sequences of lights.

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ConclusionWe’re very satisfied with our project because our final solution was able to integrate ubiquitous computing without letting it take over or fundamentally change the way we behave in libraries today. Our solution is a good example of Mark Weiser’s “calm technology” since it allows patrons not using the system to ignore it or appreciate it as art without directly interacting with it.

Additionally, it also answers many concerns that the librarians, patrons, and the rest of our class had. It is a system that works alongside the existing Library of Congress system rather than replacing it. It is embedded in the environment rather than in a device so it includes everyone. Finally, it has an aesthetic value and can serve as a spectacle to other patrons not using the system.

ReflectionIn this project, we were able to get quite a bit of feedback and insight into the design problem through the process of creating a video sketch and receiving feedback from the class. Trying to create a visualization of the system at work raised issues that we were able to consider, then adequately answer. It helped us realize that:

• multi-floor, multi-book, and multi-user finding would be an issue unless we considered each carefully

• we needed to show at least a minimal interaction with the kiosk in order to draw a full picture of a believable system

• the size and placement of the kiosk were an important consideration (we decided to simply augment the current technology and layout within the library)

• we needed to consider the case of abandoning/timing out of a search

• we needed to design the light patterns in sufficient detail

• we needed to consider a higher resolution for the array of lights

It was certainly challenging to work on an ubiquitous computing project while being unfamiliar with much of the research and some of the technology. Perhaps that is an advantage in that we weren't able to draw on many existing tropes, but some more familiarity may have helped, especially during the generative research phase.

<Multi User State> <Found State>

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One specific thing that we could change would be the social reading storyboard. If it wasn’t based in an academic setting, maybe more people would have identified with it and it would have been received better.

We also reflected on how our system augments the user's skills, and whether it helps them acquire new skills or not. In short, do patrons desire to learn the Library of Congress system or are they just concerned with complete a task as fast as possible? Although we didn't explicitly ask users whether they wanted to learn the Library of Congress cataloging system, that was something we chose to answer in our design. The wayfinding lights would not specifically be used to teach the system. But if patrons wanted to acquire this new skill, they could definitely make use of hints from the system. So, unlike our experience going back and forth and circling around stacks, they would begin to understand patterns. That being said, we believe that they're more interested in finding books and reading them than understanding the rationale for how they're placed in the library.

Other Applications of EnlightenWe can easily envision this system being used by librarians to find lost books or re-shelf books more quickly. It could also be used to teach people about the organization of books in the library.

Outside of the library domain, our system could be used to improve efficiency on a warehouse floor or relieve frustration by guiding people in huge parking lots like those at many airports.

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