GR1 - Project Proposal and Analysis

User Analysis

Many users experience difficulties when trying to schedule their courses for the semester. After interviewing three MIT students we concluded that there were common steps taken to create schedules such as looking up lecture and recitation times on websis, creating schedules in google calendar, and sharing the finalized schedule on facebook. We also concluded the following issues were common problems that the users faced when trying to schedule courses:

• When making a schedule, had to first look up times on the course catalog on websis. Some problems with this are:
  • Difficult find whether class in sp or fall
  • Recitation times are not out before official schedule comes out
  • Graphical design hard to read
  • Not interactive
• After making the initial rough schedule, then had to wait for the official schedule to come out on websis. Problems:
  • Did not have all recitations listed, so had to go back to the course catalog to recheck all recitation times
  • Hard to read (not laid out graphically, only text )
• After finding a schedule time that works, had to then ask friends for information on which recitation they were taking. Problems:
  • Takes time, very inefficient
  • Have to keep track of all friend's recitation times by yourself
• After finalizing the schedule, have to make a calendar on Google calendar then take a screen capture to share with friends

Task Analysis

Users would like to be able to perform all the steps of creating a class schedule in one central location, which includes creating and optimizing the schedule and sharing with friends. The high level tasks have been listed below.

Create Schedule: Be able to find and add classes (lectures and rectations) to a schedule

Preconditions

• Students need to know what classes they are taking to add them to the schedule

Frequency of use

• end/beginning of every semester

Subtasks

• log in to the site
• search for class number
• add class, lectures and recitations, found to schedule
• block off times for free-time/extracurriculars

Possible Errors

• classes conflict
• enter wrong class number
• add wrong class
• block off times such that no schedule is possible

Edit Schedule: Allow modifications to finished schedule, moving around times

Preconditions

• Schedule has been made

Frequency of use

• end/beginning of every semester

Subtasks

• add additional classes
• remove classes
• change blocked off times
• switch lecture/recitation times
• view which friends are in what recitation/lecture times

Possible Errors

• removing the wrong class
• add wrong class
• switch to undesired time
• change blocked off times such that no schedule is possible

Share Schedule: Share schedule with friends on Facebook and export schedule outside of application

Preconditions

• Schedule has been made and finalized

Frequency of use

• once end/beginning of every semester

Subtasks

• log in to Facebook
• share onto Facebook with wall post
• export schedule to calendar (Google Calendar e.g.)

Possible Errors

• share wrong/incomplete schedule