Fike Recreation Report
This is the report written by my team detailing the last stage in our project. Team members included myself, Russell Lortz, Derek Mrozik, and Casey O'Toole.
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Introduction
The program desk on the 2nd floor of Fike Recreation serves as a registration location for intramural sports, fitness classes, and rental equipment, as well as providing information about each of these programs and about club sports. Currently desk processes are inefficient. The largest problem faced by desk employees is confusion about rental procedures. In Project 3 a solution concept was developed, evaluated and refined based on the target specifications developed in Project 2. The focus of Project 4 is concept testing. In Project 4 the concept was tested and refined. Finally the completed concept was prepared for implementation and presented to the client.
Iteration I
Method
In the first iteration, we used our raw concept to find out what areas needed further refinement. The original employee training pamphlet, provided by our client, was divided into sections and placed in the Desk Manual. Sample photos of rental equipment were taken and made into an example CORE rental picture page. A calendar model was created. A sample Department Information Board was printed on paper. A club sports handout was designed. The system was evaluated based on the metrics developed in Project 2. For each objective metric, the system was analyzed by the team and employees. For all other metrics, the system was used to estimate the value as accurately as possible.
Results
Iteration I resulted in the creation of the first version of the employee manual consisting of desk procedures and information in a three-ring binder divided into sections with colored tabs. A rough draft of the layout of the Department Information Board and Club Sports Handout were developed (App. # and #). A sample email (App.#) was produced and Paperwork Delivery Deadlines set. Test results were recorded on the chart found in App #. Some metrics in this early iteration achieved their marginally acceptable values such as “Students referred to the correct department” and “Communication between departments”. “Time to find information” and the cost metrics all reached their ideal values.
Discussion
In the design of the employee manual, we took at look at the information most needed by the employees as well as finding a way to make it the most accessible to them and easy to read. We broke down the table of contents into the six sections; Fike Information/ Contacts, Membership, Intramural Sports, Club Sports, Fitness Classes, and Employee Training. Within this design an email template was formed. The email was organized in the same order as the manual for the sake of consistency and usability for the users. Including a template is a behavior-shaping constraint (Vicente 99) that ensures the writer of the email will only include necessary information and it will always be in a format accessible to readers. We talked to our client to discuss the responsibility this email requires on his behalf, and he was willing to receive information from each department and then send out this information weekly. The rental picture book was formed during this iteration. Digital pictures were taken and entered into a sheet that gave descriptive information about the cost and location of each item. We chose to test against our original metrics in order to find out what areas of the system needed more work and which had already reached their marginally acceptable values. Our results revealed that many desk procedures were still missing from the manual, as well as information needed to answer students’ questions.
Iteration II
Method
In the second iteration, the manual was revised; the language was standardized, prices and CORE procedures added and some procedures not included in the original were added. The CORE rental picture book was added to the manual itself. A filing system consisting of hanging files was added to the system during this iteration to provide a place to store forms and handouts used by desk employees. A scale model of the Department Information Board was made from poster board and the “Courses Offered” section of the Board was eliminated. The calendar was eliminated from the design during this iteration. The system was tested using objective surveys taken by desk employees.
Results
Following test results found in Iteration I, the manual was updated and the CORE rental picture book was added to the manual. A hanging file system was developed and a scale model of the Department Information Board was produced. Employee surveys of the system revealed that color should be added to the Club Sports Handout and the Department Information Board needed to be made more professional. The entire system was ready to implement.
Discussion
In the second iteration many revisions were made to the handbook. We received feedback from the desk workers on how they felt about the book itself. From this feedback we were able to add prices for necessary items such as fitness classes and CORE information for the desk workers to have to inform students of the program. The wording for the manual was changed to make instructions clearer for employees, and to make the language used uniform throughout the manual. Feedback received on the information board led us to eliminate the classes offered section. Information about class offerings would only be relevant the first few weeks of the semester, and caused a lot of clutter on the board making it hard for people coming to the desk for information to read. We then eliminated the Master Calendar all together. It was found that any information that would be on the calendar would also be mailed out in the weekly email. After talking to our client and the heads of the departments we discovered everyone involved was more willing to commit to reading the email than constantly checking and updating the calendar. During this iteration we took the CORE rental picture manual and included it in the CORE section of the notebook. It eliminated the need for a second book and eliminated the confusion and therefore be less likely to lose one or the other as well as having the total amount of information for CORE in an organized section. The most immediate problem with the system at this point was that the hanging files was not a part of the color-coding.
Iteration III
Method
During the third iteration the manual and Department Information Board were implemented. First, sign-up and reservation sheets from the desk were added to the manual. Contacts and schedules of classes were also added to the manual. Employee comment sheets were placed in the back of the manual. The filing system was color-coded according to the colors used in the manual. The Department Information Board was tested at two locations for readability and attention by observing and questioning customers. Testing of this iteration consisted of the Department Information Board results and the employee comments and responses collected in the back of the manual.
Results
In addition to the implementation of the manual, a full-size model of the Department Information Board with correct information was implemented at the Program Desk. Testing by user comments revealed a number of technical errors and omissions in the employee manual, such as the omission of Swimming Classes in the Fitness Classes section and the inclusion of payroll procedures no longer performed by desk employees. The numbers on the Department Information Board were found to be out of order, and discussion with users revealed that the Board did not attract enough attention.
Discussion
Employees commented that they liked the Employee Training section, especially the inclusion of employee responsibilities which had never been laid out for them so clearly before. A problem encountered during this iteration was confusion about the prototypes. Even after speaking with some employees and leaving a note describing the purpose of the test, some employees were unsure if the board was the actual board that would be used and if the entire system was for a test only or would be used permanently at the desk. On the Department Information Board the rooms were listed in the order found on other signs in Fike. The list did not progress in order by room number, but by rank of the employee using the office. The files were designed to have the same color as the section of the manual associated with the contents in the folder. This association makes the appropriate forms easy to find utilizing concepts from the organizational step of the human-tech ladder (Vicente 183).
Iteration IV
Method
In the fourth iteration the completed, corrected manual was printed on colored paper. The CORE rental picture book was completed with new photographs of every piece of rental equipment. The colored folders which hold all forms stored at the desk were implemented. The Department Information Board was revised and completed on a cork board. All manual and board texts and files were saved to a CD that was stored in the back of the manual. Formal testing was done by testing each measurable metric in its actual environment with the most realistic setting possible and testing all objective metrics by survey. The results of this formal testing were compared to the marginal and ideal acceptable values developed in Project 2. The entire system was delivered to the client.
Results
This iteration yielded a completed product. The manual, Department Information Board, email system, paperwork delivery deadline, color-coded files, Club Sports Handout, CORE Rental picture book and system CD were all completed. Test results found that all metrics in the final system had reached their marginally acceptable values, and many reached the ideal values. All metrics scoring a client importance rating of 5 scored above the ideal value except “Turnover time for new information”.
Discussion
Although “Turnover time for new information” scored the lowest of the metrics with high importance ratings, with the email system developed, the client could send out a mid-week email if a situation required more immediate attention. Some metrics, such as “Percent of student questions answered,” in the final testing have strangely high scores. Although it is unlikely that desk employees could answer all questions, this is the score achieved during our testing because no questions were asked by actual customers that could not be answered by employees.
The whole system at the end of Iteration IV was ready for delivery and implementation. The CD included in the manual contained text files for every page of the manual, the email frame, and general implementation and usage instructions.
Conclusion
This project met its objectives of testing and refining the final concept. Using the metrics created in Project 2 ensured that the final concept selected met the user and client needs as well as being an improvement over the original system.
Recommendations
Following Project 4 we can now recommend the client implements the system developed.
Vicente, Kim (2003) The Human Factor. New York: Routledge.
Click here to view or download this document using Word.
Click here to view or download this document using Word.
Introduction
The program desk on the 2nd floor of Fike Recreation serves as a registration location for intramural sports, fitness classes, and rental equipment, as well as providing information about each of these programs and about club sports. Currently desk processes are inefficient. The largest problem faced by desk employees is confusion about rental procedures. In Project 3 a solution concept was developed, evaluated and refined based on the target specifications developed in Project 2. The focus of Project 4 is concept testing. In Project 4 the concept was tested and refined. Finally the completed concept was prepared for implementation and presented to the client.
Iteration I
Method
In the first iteration, we used our raw concept to find out what areas needed further refinement. The original employee training pamphlet, provided by our client, was divided into sections and placed in the Desk Manual. Sample photos of rental equipment were taken and made into an example CORE rental picture page. A calendar model was created. A sample Department Information Board was printed on paper. A club sports handout was designed. The system was evaluated based on the metrics developed in Project 2. For each objective metric, the system was analyzed by the team and employees. For all other metrics, the system was used to estimate the value as accurately as possible.
Results
Iteration I resulted in the creation of the first version of the employee manual consisting of desk procedures and information in a three-ring binder divided into sections with colored tabs. A rough draft of the layout of the Department Information Board and Club Sports Handout were developed (App. # and #). A sample email (App.#) was produced and Paperwork Delivery Deadlines set. Test results were recorded on the chart found in App #. Some metrics in this early iteration achieved their marginally acceptable values such as “Students referred to the correct department” and “Communication between departments”. “Time to find information” and the cost metrics all reached their ideal values.
Discussion
In the design of the employee manual, we took at look at the information most needed by the employees as well as finding a way to make it the most accessible to them and easy to read. We broke down the table of contents into the six sections; Fike Information/ Contacts, Membership, Intramural Sports, Club Sports, Fitness Classes, and Employee Training. Within this design an email template was formed. The email was organized in the same order as the manual for the sake of consistency and usability for the users. Including a template is a behavior-shaping constraint (Vicente 99) that ensures the writer of the email will only include necessary information and it will always be in a format accessible to readers. We talked to our client to discuss the responsibility this email requires on his behalf, and he was willing to receive information from each department and then send out this information weekly. The rental picture book was formed during this iteration. Digital pictures were taken and entered into a sheet that gave descriptive information about the cost and location of each item. We chose to test against our original metrics in order to find out what areas of the system needed more work and which had already reached their marginally acceptable values. Our results revealed that many desk procedures were still missing from the manual, as well as information needed to answer students’ questions.
Iteration II
Method
In the second iteration, the manual was revised; the language was standardized, prices and CORE procedures added and some procedures not included in the original were added. The CORE rental picture book was added to the manual itself. A filing system consisting of hanging files was added to the system during this iteration to provide a place to store forms and handouts used by desk employees. A scale model of the Department Information Board was made from poster board and the “Courses Offered” section of the Board was eliminated. The calendar was eliminated from the design during this iteration. The system was tested using objective surveys taken by desk employees.
Results
Following test results found in Iteration I, the manual was updated and the CORE rental picture book was added to the manual. A hanging file system was developed and a scale model of the Department Information Board was produced. Employee surveys of the system revealed that color should be added to the Club Sports Handout and the Department Information Board needed to be made more professional. The entire system was ready to implement.
Discussion
In the second iteration many revisions were made to the handbook. We received feedback from the desk workers on how they felt about the book itself. From this feedback we were able to add prices for necessary items such as fitness classes and CORE information for the desk workers to have to inform students of the program. The wording for the manual was changed to make instructions clearer for employees, and to make the language used uniform throughout the manual. Feedback received on the information board led us to eliminate the classes offered section. Information about class offerings would only be relevant the first few weeks of the semester, and caused a lot of clutter on the board making it hard for people coming to the desk for information to read. We then eliminated the Master Calendar all together. It was found that any information that would be on the calendar would also be mailed out in the weekly email. After talking to our client and the heads of the departments we discovered everyone involved was more willing to commit to reading the email than constantly checking and updating the calendar. During this iteration we took the CORE rental picture manual and included it in the CORE section of the notebook. It eliminated the need for a second book and eliminated the confusion and therefore be less likely to lose one or the other as well as having the total amount of information for CORE in an organized section. The most immediate problem with the system at this point was that the hanging files was not a part of the color-coding.
Iteration III
Method
During the third iteration the manual and Department Information Board were implemented. First, sign-up and reservation sheets from the desk were added to the manual. Contacts and schedules of classes were also added to the manual. Employee comment sheets were placed in the back of the manual. The filing system was color-coded according to the colors used in the manual. The Department Information Board was tested at two locations for readability and attention by observing and questioning customers. Testing of this iteration consisted of the Department Information Board results and the employee comments and responses collected in the back of the manual.
Results
In addition to the implementation of the manual, a full-size model of the Department Information Board with correct information was implemented at the Program Desk. Testing by user comments revealed a number of technical errors and omissions in the employee manual, such as the omission of Swimming Classes in the Fitness Classes section and the inclusion of payroll procedures no longer performed by desk employees. The numbers on the Department Information Board were found to be out of order, and discussion with users revealed that the Board did not attract enough attention.
Discussion
Employees commented that they liked the Employee Training section, especially the inclusion of employee responsibilities which had never been laid out for them so clearly before. A problem encountered during this iteration was confusion about the prototypes. Even after speaking with some employees and leaving a note describing the purpose of the test, some employees were unsure if the board was the actual board that would be used and if the entire system was for a test only or would be used permanently at the desk. On the Department Information Board the rooms were listed in the order found on other signs in Fike. The list did not progress in order by room number, but by rank of the employee using the office. The files were designed to have the same color as the section of the manual associated with the contents in the folder. This association makes the appropriate forms easy to find utilizing concepts from the organizational step of the human-tech ladder (Vicente 183).
Iteration IV
Method
In the fourth iteration the completed, corrected manual was printed on colored paper. The CORE rental picture book was completed with new photographs of every piece of rental equipment. The colored folders which hold all forms stored at the desk were implemented. The Department Information Board was revised and completed on a cork board. All manual and board texts and files were saved to a CD that was stored in the back of the manual. Formal testing was done by testing each measurable metric in its actual environment with the most realistic setting possible and testing all objective metrics by survey. The results of this formal testing were compared to the marginal and ideal acceptable values developed in Project 2. The entire system was delivered to the client.
Results
This iteration yielded a completed product. The manual, Department Information Board, email system, paperwork delivery deadline, color-coded files, Club Sports Handout, CORE Rental picture book and system CD were all completed. Test results found that all metrics in the final system had reached their marginally acceptable values, and many reached the ideal values. All metrics scoring a client importance rating of 5 scored above the ideal value except “Turnover time for new information”.
Discussion
Although “Turnover time for new information” scored the lowest of the metrics with high importance ratings, with the email system developed, the client could send out a mid-week email if a situation required more immediate attention. Some metrics, such as “Percent of student questions answered,” in the final testing have strangely high scores. Although it is unlikely that desk employees could answer all questions, this is the score achieved during our testing because no questions were asked by actual customers that could not be answered by employees.
The whole system at the end of Iteration IV was ready for delivery and implementation. The CD included in the manual contained text files for every page of the manual, the email frame, and general implementation and usage instructions.
Conclusion
This project met its objectives of testing and refining the final concept. Using the metrics created in Project 2 ensured that the final concept selected met the user and client needs as well as being an improvement over the original system.
Recommendations
Following Project 4 we can now recommend the client implements the system developed.
References
Urlich, K.T., and Eppinger, S.D. (2004). Product Design and Development (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.Vicente, Kim (2003) The Human Factor. New York: Routledge.
Click here to view or download this document using Word.
# posted by Abby-Wan Kenobi @ 10:48 AM 
