Carlos Marin Burgos

Course Project: Variations

Description of the Project

1. Design Variations: Start by choosing a “base document.” This should be a standard expository document (e.g., a typical academic paper, a report, etc.). Then, without greatly changing the content, create four variations on this document. You have great latitude in your choice of variations. These, for example, are all good options: STOP, QuikScan, a Knowledge Map, Prezi (infinitive canvas), a video. One of your variations can be hypothetical; that is, you can describe something you do not actually create—such as a VR environment. The variations don’t need to improve the original document; your goals are to exercise the key course concepts, to engage in a creative design activity, and to establish the foundation for a truly interesting analysis paper.

2. Variations Analysis Paper: The Variations Paper is a discussion of your base document and the four variations. Discuss the particular characteristics of your base document. How does it differ from other standard expository documents? Then discuss your variations drawing upon the concepts taught in the course. Finally, explain the strengths and weaknesses of each variation. 3. Variations Reflection: Separately from the analysis (though in the same document is fine), discuss what you learned from the variations project. Successful reflections will include references to course concepts and topics, and explain how your personal thinking and understanding has evolved over the course of the project.

Heuristic Evaluation

Heuristic evaluation consists of a method of analysis where evaluators comment on what is good or bad about an interface design. The main purpose of the study, Heuristic Evaluation of User Interfaces by Rolf Molich and Jakob Nielsen is to demonstrate the benefit of conducting heuristic evaluations when aggregating the evaluations from several evaluators as opposed to conducting evaluations with a single assessor. To support this claim, the researchers conducted a study consisting of four different experiments where a number of participants were asked to analyze an interface heuristically. The outcomes were compared with the usability problems developed by the authors. As a result, the study demonstrates that, on average, only 20 to 51% of the problems were found by individual participants. However, the authors note that the percentage of usability problems discovered increases when several people conduct the evaluation and their results are aggregated to form a larger set of usability problems. The study, through use of graphically displayed results, shows that “the ‘collected wisdom’ of several evaluators is not just equal to that of the best evaluator of the group.” Aggregates were formed by randomly selecting different numbers of evaluators from the total set of evaluators in the experiments. Based on the results of these random sets of aggregates, the study recommends conducting the heuristic evaluation with three to five evaluators in order to maximize usability problems discovered while minimizing the cost of having too many testers.

Privacy

This paper conducts a critical examination of the privacy issue raised in the article “Privacy, Intellectual Property, and Hacking: Evaluating Free Access Arguments,” where the author argues against free access to personal information. The first part of this essay presents the position and arguments of the author against the idea that “information wants to be free.” My criticism of the author’s argument follows, including mistakes or fallacies in the subject explained from my point of view. The next part of this paper consists of how the author would respond to my critique in defense of his position. Finally, this essay will expose my views on the privacy and intellectual property subject.

Information is Everywhere

This assignment focuses on the ubiquitous nature of information. Part of this project was to spend at least one day collecting, browsing, and experiencing information without the use of the internet.

Intellectual Property and the Google Library Project

This paper conducts a critical examination of the intellectual property issues raised in the article “A Risky Gamble With Google,” where the author questions the last endeavor by Google, the Library Project. The first part of this essay presents the position and arguments of the author against this web application. A criticism of the author’s argument follows, including mistakes or fallacies in the subject explained from my point of view. The next part of this paper consists of how the author would respond to the critique in defense of his position. Finally, this essay will expose my views on the intellectual property subject.

Value-Added Evaluation for the iPod Digital Media Player

In 2001, the company Apple revolutionized the digital media player world by introducing the iPod. This paper focuses on analyzing this gadget using theories and concepts from R.S. Taylor, including a description and an evaluation of this digital media player system. The description of this information system includes intended users, user situations, organization of information in the system, storage, search, retrieval capabilities, applications, functions and features. Subsequently, an evaluation of the iPod explains how the gadget meets the values- added definition of an information system. The analysis and critique include evaluation of the system in terms of user value criteria, values added, and related system processes. Finally, some recommendations for improvement based on Taylor’s analysis are explained.

From Lucy to Me

This argumentative paper will discuss the human biological evolution from our ancestors the Australopithecus to the last branch of the human evolutionary tree, the Homo sapiens sapiens. Human evolution is the result of several interrelated processes such as adaptation, genetic variations, natural selection and speciation.