To: James Ford From: Ben Mendes, Vu Ngo, Peter Hsieh, Daniel Kang Date: April 25th, 2006 Subject: Proposal for Instructional Computing interactive map Statement of Problem: The following is a proposal in response to the project that was assigned in class on April 18th, 2006. Instructional Computing (IC) is a chain of computer labs located all over UCSB and are meant for student use, but most students do not know much about the IC labs. IC is currently recreating their website and they need help presenting some of their information in a more efficient way. Firstly they need a way to show the location of all of the labs around campus. This includes the labs in Phelps and the remote labs that are not used nearly as much as the Phelps labs. Secondly, the labs have a lot of software available for the students, but not all of the software is offered in each of the labs. Consequently, a majority of students have trouble finding the programs that they need. Finally, the hours of operation varies in each of the labs on campus, leaving some students confused as to when each lab is open. Need: IC is looking for a way to present the availability of software, the hours of operation, the operating system and the location each lab in an organized and professional manner. We would like to make an interactive map of the IC labs on campus which can present all of the information IC would like the students to have. This map would help IC’s targeted audience, the students but it will also help IC as well. Our project, if granted to be worked on, will solve problems for the two audiences. Both IC and the students will find this very useful Benefits: When completed, this interactive map will be a great asset to IC’s new website. Students will no longer be dumbfounded when trying to find software at IC. The misled students will be guided by our map and will easily be able to find the information they are seeking. At the same time, we are saving IC time and money because they will not have to hire someone to make this map because they will be receiving our services free of charge. Many students are clueless as to where the remote labs are located on campus. By making this map and making it available to the students, the attendance at these labs will increase because students will realize that computers are available all over campus, some of which are more convenient to certain students. If attendances of these remote labs increase, funding will also increase for IC. Once again, both the students and IC will benefit for out project. Data: We can obtain the information necessary to complete this project from IC’s current website at www.ic.ucsb.edu. This website has all the information that we need but it just needs to be compiled then put into our map. We will also be keeping in contact with the Director of IC, Alex Sanchez, so that we can obtain the most recent information necessary. Objectives: Using Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004, we will create an interactive map for IC. We make the map such that when the user scrolls over each lab, a window will pop up with that labs information. We will do this for the six labs in Phelps, the Life Sciences lab, the Kerr Hall Media lab, the Language lab, and the Athletics lab. The information in the pop up window will be: the hours of operation, the operating system, and a list of software offered in that lab. Each of the buildings that has a lab will be red so that they are easy to locate. Materials That Will Be Used: The computers at IC, as well as personal computers will be used in completing this project, but most of the work will be done in the labs due to the fact that those computers have Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004, which is the software we will be using to create the map. We have obtained several books on Flash that we will be reading so that we can master the program. We will obtain a map of the campus from the school website to use as our basis. We will also be using Adobe Photoshop to edit the map to our liking. IC’s website will also be providing us with the pertinent information that we will be including in our map. Because we are working closely with IC on this project, we will be using their feedback in order to sculpt the map to their liking. Personnel Involved: Peter Hsieh and Ben Mendes will be working on the intricacies of the Flash program. Their assignment is to create the map, and tailor it to the image that IC is looking for. Vu Ngo and Daniel Kang will be organizing all of the information that will be put in the map. This includes sorting out the information on IC’s website into an easily comprehensible list. They will then give the information to Ben and Peter to input into the interactive map. After this is complete, we will be using some of IC’s personnel to test the map for flaws and usability. Timetable: We will complete the project by the assigned date of May 28th, 2006. Between now and then, we have set several important objectives to complete by certain dates. By May 11th, 2006, we will have completed a first draft of the flash document. We can then present this to the IC management for their review. We will then spend the next week refining and revising our map, making any changes that IC deems necessary. By May 18th, we would like to be finished with our map, so that we can submit it to the IC web manager to test on the website. We will spend the next week running usability tests to so we can make any final changes necessary.  Facilities Required: A majority of the work will be performed at the IC labs because our personal computers lack the software required. IC’s labs are open seven days a week, so availability will not be a problem. The computers at IC have an extensive list of software available which our group will utilize to create the interactive map. If for some reason a problem arises with using the Phelps labs, there are other labs around campus which we can use which have the necessary software. Our personal computers will just be used primarily for research. Total Cost: We are not charging anything for working on this project, but in completing this project, we estimate that we will spend around forty hours of our time over the next three weeks. The average Flash designer makes about thirty five dollars an hour. If we were to charge a fee for our services, we would only charge a discounted price of thirty dollars an hour because we are amateurs. This will total in 1,200 dollars of manpower. The books that we have obtained are valued at thirty dollars each but we will not be including that either. As for use of computers and software, we will be using what is provided by IC for the majority of the time so that will also be free. 30 $/hour x 10 hours x 4 people = $ 1,200 Expected Results: When this project is completed, we expect to have a fully updated interactive map of the IC labs on campus. We want to make the map flashy to stand out, but at the same time professional and organized. If we do the job correctly and to IC’s liking, they will use the map on their new website. We expect that once our map is made available, IC will see a decrease in the amount of students who ask about the location of the labs, availability of software and the hours of operation. Our personal gain from the project is twofold. We will be learning new software, while at the same time, helping out our fellow classmates. Summary of Key Points: Our main goal in completing this project is helping IC become more organized. Students who frequent the labs generally have to ask a consultant about the availability of software in each lab. Also, the hours of operation and operating system is not presented in an organized fashion on the website. Most students know where the Phelps labs are, however, there are also several remote labs located around campus which are not used as often. By creating this map, we hope to improve IC’s image on campus. If we can solve some of these problems, students will look more favorably upon IC which will consequently mean that IC will get more money because of their increased popularity. Request for Action: We request to be allowed to proceed with this project as planned. We firmly trust that our project will help a lot of people if put to use. We also believe we are the best people for the job, and we will work hard to complete it exactly as stated in this report. |