Design and evaluation of an image visualisation interface for a life-logging camera

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to explore how a web-based image visualisation interface can be designed to complement an existing product. To achieve this purpose a study was conducted at Narrative, a small independent developer. Their newly released product, the Narrative-clip, is a small automatic camera that takes two pictures every minute. The camera is accompanied by cloud storage functionality and a mobile application which lets the users view their images. Due to the large amount of pictures taken by the camera, voices have been raised for a web-based system to be developed to increase the accessibility of the user content. The goal of the study was to identify requirements, develop a design suggestion for a web-interface and evaluate the interface from a stakeholder perspective. The study employed a hybrid design method, drawing on strengths from several recognised and popular design methods. Interviews were conducted with both users and employees at Narrative to identify demands and expectations of the system. The information gathered was later concretised in a design workshop with the goal of producing ideas and solutions to the system. The gathered material was used in three iterative steps, resulting in a final high-fidelity prototype. Each of the iterations used usability testing to identify design issues and to motivate improvements on the system. The conclusion is two-fold: three characteristics important for the final design and two key aspects for the design mindset. The characteristics found to be central for the web-interface were a simple design over multiple features, familiarity with the design and a good overview of one's uploaded content. Furthermore, the design process mindset was equally important. Identified aspects of the mindset that were important for the final design were a broad context and follow-up work.