The Simpsons Portal

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The Simpsons Portal
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Overview

• Problem we are addressing
• Our user tasks
• UI design

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User Community

• Simpsons Fans
• TV Watchers
• Computer Users

• College Students

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Current user practices

• Reruns
• Trading Episodes
• Chat
• Trivia
• Research

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Picture of Users Screen
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Solution

• Allow concurrent searching, browsing, and
  watching of archives
• Provide additional information
• Plot summaries
• References
• Episode Dialogue
• Create a community
• Watch episodes together
• Interact
• Chat
• Trivia Competitions

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Solution
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User Testing Tasks

1. Browse through seasons of The Simpsons and read a
   specific episodes plot summary (easy)
2. Search for a specific episode and watch it
   (medium)
3. While watching the episode, join a chat and look
   up a piece of trivia (hard)

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UI Overview

• Button Bar
• Fixed Frames
• Different Views
• Explorer-style Information

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Button Bar

• Continuous access to all of the features of the
  site
• Select the frame to display information
• Multiple screen formats

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Button Bar
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Button Bar
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Fixed Frames
Standard View
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Different Views
Extended View
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Different Views
Full screen mode
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Explorer Style Information
Plus/minus menu metaphor
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Development of the Pop-ups
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Demonstrate Site
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Review

• Must represent many forms of information
• Must display a large volume of information
• Must be flexible, accessible

• Different info in different regions
• Menus allow deep information
• Multiple views allow customization

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Not Yet Implemented

• Complete episode information
• Proper streaming video
• Chat and Trivia functions
• Full Screen mode
• Database
• State PHP, Dynamic Page Generation

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Tools

• DreamWeaver
• Emacs
• Photoshop
• Notepad, MSPaint, vi, Front Page, Apache, etc.

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Summary

• More and more people are using the internet to
  supplement their TV-watching. We are offering a
  central location where they can watch TV and get
  related information and interaction.