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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Problem

• User community
• Fans of the TV series The Simpsons that watch
  the show regularly and use the internet to
  collect episodes, gather supplemental
  information, and interact with other fans

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Problem

• Current user practices
• Watching reruns of The Simpsons on TV and on
  their computers
• Using IRC and local servers to trade episodes
  with peers
• Participating in trivia games and chat rooms
  through the internet
• Visiting fan sites to find information about
  specific episodes and The Simpsons in general

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Picture of Users Screen
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Solution

• A single website that
• Allows users to search for, browse through, and
  watch any episode of The Simpsons
• Provides additional information about each
  episode, including
• Plot summaries, movie references, episode
  dialogue, and much more!!
• Creates a community where users can
• Watch episodes together
• Interact through chats and trivia competitions

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User Testing Tasks

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

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UI Overview
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UI Overview (contd)

• Bottom menu bar
• Continuous access to all of the features of the
  site
• Allows user to select the frame in which they
  want information displayed
• Provides multiple screen formats to allow for
  multi-tasking

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UI Overview (contd)
Full screen mode
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UI Overview (contd)
Standard View
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UI Overview (contd)
Plus/minus menu metaphor
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UI Overview (contd)
Extended View
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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.