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Our user base comprises of three basic classes: beginners, intermediate users and advanced users. For the purpose of User Analysis for each of these classes, we interviewed and have worked with the following robotics groups at MIT:
- Robust Robotics Group at CSAIL
- Synchronized Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) projectÂ
- Andy's airplane group
Typical Characteristics of the classes are:
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- Age : Variable since the user could be novice to the robotic system at any age but a substantial chunk would be from late-teens or early 20s (UROP age).
- Education : Well-educated individuals with analytical skills and ability to comprehend mathematical charts.
- Physical Limitations : Our user audience is one that is capable of being mobile on the robotic arena to justify the need for a mobile interface.
- Computer experience: Ability to operate a phone app interface, to operate the robot's software and initiate experiments via the computer. No prior programming or networks experience is necessary.
- Motivation: Motivated learners interested in learning about robotic system, controls and performance.
- Domain Experience : No prior experience with LCM or communication tools requiredis expected.
- Application Experience : Ability to use a phone app and read analytical charts.
- Work Environment and Social Context: This user with work under a supervisor who has significant experience in a robotics lab in terms of software and hardware. He/she would be working on a specific subsystem in the lab possibly in collaboration with other novice users on the same or different subsystem. The work environment varies significantly depending on the type of robotics e.g. SPHERES works with experimental satellites on a laboratory glass table or in an epoxy floored clean room.
(2) Intermediate Users: Industry researchers and Visiting students to a Robotics Lab
- Age : Can vary from from mid-20s to a variable age where-in the individual is active a student in a Robotics Lab
- Education : Well-educated individuals with analytical skills and ability to comprehend mathematical charts. They would be highly motivated to perform learn about research tasks and familiar . Familiarity with the specifics of their hardware and softwaresoftware and hardware is not expected.
- Physical Limitations : Our user audience is one that is capable of being mobile on the robotic arena to justify the need for a mobile interface.* Computer experience: Expert computer users who mostly use Linux based systems and are familiar with medium to heavy command line use. They understand networking at a medium level i.e. know what an IP address is and are familiar with TCP, UDP, broadcast, etc
- Motivation: Motivated robotics researchers who are willing to dedicate large amounts of time to understanding robot dynamics, interactions, controls. They are Current interfaces are available only on desktops and the outputs are floats with very little flexibility on the graphical/statistical representation of data and selectivity of the comm channel.experimentalists but are too busy to dedicate large amounts of time to learning new interfaces unless its use is immediately obvious. Communication latency and delay are important considerations for the interface model they use.
- Domain Experience : May have used communication tools such as LCM before
- This user experience varies from robotics software knowledge, Linux knowledge to none at all.
- Motivation: To learn about robotics systems.
- Domain Experience : May know comm tools like LCM is not expected to.
- Application Experience : Ability to use a phone app and read analytical chartsApplication Experience : May have used desktop applications such as LCM-spy (previous desktop interface) whose output is an array of floats.
- Work Environment and Social Context: This user class works in 5-20 person labs. They are willing and able to ask for help and collaborate significantly with each other in terms of exchanging tools and debating resultswith work in collaboration with a supervisor who has significant experience in a robotics lab in terms of software and hardware. They share interpretations of results with each other (i.e. among other researchers) and sharing tools.Environment noise level varies: one user operates a wind tunnel and , another user operates a very loud air compressor and a third works in a clean room.
(3) Advanced users: Academia Researchers in Robotics
- Age : Can vary from mid-20s to a variable age where-in the individual is active in a Robotics Lab
- Education : Well-educated individuals with analytical skills and ability to comprehend mathematical charts. They would be highly motivated to perform research tasks and familiar with the specifics of their hardware and software
- Physical Limitations : Our user audience is one that is capable of being mobile on the robotic arena to justify the need for a mobile interface.
- Computer experience: Expert computer users who In order to learn, they would require to plot different parameters of the data transmitted against each other - a facility not supported by the current interface.mostly use Linux based systems and are familiar with medium to heavy command line use. They understand networking at a medium level i.e. know what an IP address is and are familiar with TCP, UDP, broadcast, etc. They understand the working model of the robotic model very well and are able to make decisions/judgments about the data received very quickly.
- Motivation: Motivated robotics researchers who are willing to dedicate large amounts of time to understanding robot dynamics, interactions, controls. They are experimentalists but . They also do not have the time to invest to build a new, flexible and user-friendly interface and are too busy to dedicate large amounts of time to learning new interfaces unless its use is immediately obvious. Communication latency and delay are important considerations for the interface model they use.
- Domain Experience : Have used communication tools such as LCM before
- Application Experience : Have used desktop applications such as LCM-spy (previous desktop interface) whose output is an array of floats.
- Work Environment and Social Context: This user class works in 5-20 person labs. They are willing and able to ask for help and collaborate significantly with each other in terms of exchanging tools and debating results. Environment noise level varies: one user operates a wind tunnel and , another user operates a very loud air compressor and a third works in a clean room.
Task analysis
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