A Researcher Perspective on BUL

1
A Researcher Perspective on BUL

• Mark Chignell

2
Overview

• The Process
• The Motivations
• Finding a Problem
• Selling the Project
• Creating Deliverables
• Sample Project

3
The Process
BUL Staff
Researchers
Bell Champions
Discovery
Proposal
Selection Committee
Bell
University
Outcome
4
The Motivations

• Researcher
• Fund students, Lab
• High quality industrial finding for leveraging
• Opportunity for access to realistic settings
• Bell
• External Expertise
• Luxury Projects
• External accelerators and catalysts for critical
  projects

5
Finding a Project

• Talk to BUL
• Package Research Internet to Make it Relevant to
  a Bell problem
• Pull, not Push
• Participate in Discovery Session
• Motivate Champion
• Jointly submit Proposal

6
Selling the Project

• Make the benefits and outcomes obvious and
  desirable to the champion
• Communicate the excitement to BUL
• Create the academic story that shows the science
  value of the work
• Publications, theses, dissertations

7
Creating the Deliverables

• Regular meetings with the champion
• Recognize that the target is moving
• Implement project management and project tracking
• Regularly spaced and welcome deliverables
• Comprehensive report as platform for further
  funding

8
Sample Project
9
Project Motivation

• Bell (Sympatico) very little research available
  to guide us in developing further applications
  for the productmarket growth is currently
  stalled
• Researchers Gain expertise in voice-based
  interaction
• How should voice menus be designed for an
  evolving voice portal?
• What are the usability characteristics of a voice
  portal as compared to other wireless services?
• How can voice portals be personalized so as to
  make their use more efficient and enjoyable?

2
10
Project Activities

• A) Understand Past Usage
• Which services do people use most? Like best?
• What are the characteristics of VN customers?
• B) Expand Present Offering
• Make web-based personalization features also
  available as speech-based application over phone
• Usability testing of VoiceNet
• C) Develop Future Applications
• Develop fun useful and services that compel
  people to use VoiceNet
• MovieFinder, Restaurant Reviews, Driving
  directions, etc.

3
Voice Portal Project
11
MovieFinder Application
12
MovieFinder Application

• MovieFinder Provide movie and theatre listing,
  show times and synopsis
• Project team performed competitive analysis with
  two other voice portals ? Competitive Analysis
  Matrix

6
13
MovieFinder Competitive Analysis
11
14
Prototyping the MovieFinder

• Mock up prototypes of Email application and
  sections of Movie Finder using SUEDE
• Perform Usability testing on Wizard of Oz
  prototypes
• Measures
• Objective measures of time and error
• Subjective preferences for menu types and
  dialogues
• Feed results back into another design iteration
  to establish sound design standards and
  guidelines for Voice Portals existing as well as
  planned voice services

15
Movie Finder Application

• Potential improvements
• Enable the user to skip options easily
• Only use one consistent voice
• Use a natural voice instead of synthetic to
  increase excitability
• Remove long pauses
• Allow personalization of what menu item first
  appears (choose city, choose genre etc)
• Added features such as directions to the theatre
• Allow purchase of tickets via phone
• Use confirmation as an error prevention method
• Enable the use of multiple synonym words for main
  menu prompts
• Avoid dead ends and continual loops by removing
  repetitive error messages
• Incorporate ratings and reviews for movies

7
Voice Portal Project
16
The Problem
17
Questions or Comments?