Abstract
This presentation describes the Kodak Boston
Development Center Usability Laboratory and its
collaborative work within the larger Eastman Kodak
Company corporate environment. The unique product
development process, resultant user interface guidelines
and subsequent products are discussed. In addition, a
description of the collaborative work within the larger
corporation is described.
Keywords
Interaction, research organizations, user testing, design
guidelines, collaborative development, organizational
context, development tools and methods
Introduction
Eastman Kodak Company is one of the world's largest
manufacturer of conventional photography film and
processing. With the introduction of PhotoCD in 1992
Kodak became immersed in the electronic imaging
business. Today Kodak offers 5 different formats of
PhotoCD and numerous software programs to support the
technology.
Within Kodak's large Imaging Division lie many smaller
digital imaging groups in both Rochester, NY and Boston,
MA. During the past year these groups have been
coordinating and cooperatively contributing to the
development of many projects, introducing the Voice of
the Customer into the process, bringing the quality of
both the development process and resultant product up.
Eastman Kodak Company's Kodak Boston Development
Center(KBDC) is a self-sufficient entity which can
design, develop and launch desktop software products for
Kodak's PhotoCD technology. Part of that group is the
Usability Laboratory whose mission is to insure that all
products
meet the needs of the users being targeted. The usability
Lab staff also participates in Committee and projects from
different areas of the company to insure high quality,
usable products. Rochester , NY is the home of the
Design Resource Center, a group that houses the Human
Factors group. Together the Usability Group at the
KBDC and the Human Factors Group have enabled
Kodak to become more centered on their users, to find the
Voice of the Customer and integrated it clearly in their
products.
Some of the projects the Usability staff have been
involved with are Desktop Software User Interface
(DSUI) Guidelines- a publication produced for in-house
user to insure a common look and feel across Kodak
products. Other projects include user interface design on
PhotoCD Access, a product for working with images on
PhotoCD, PhotoEdge, Shoebox, Create-it, all software
products working with image files from various sources,
including PhotoCD.
POLICIES
The KKBDC Usability Laboratory works on alm,ost any
project Kodak would like to have the user input on. The
Lab generally requests that the development group
produce a specification describing the goal of the product
and the target user group. Only after the Lab receives
those descriptions does the Usability study begin. This
insures that the developers and the Usability team are
working together and their goals are the same.
PROJECTS
The KKBDC has worked on a variety of above mentioned
products and been able to shared some of the knowledge
from one to another.
One example of this is the color ring around. This piece
of functionality was originally developed for the
ColorSense product. It's purpose was to allow users to
view different color versions of an image to aid in color
correction. The dialog box was set up so that the original
image was in the center of the screen and the variations
were displayed in a ring around the image. This allowed
the user to visualize the changes before they effected
them on the image file.
This concept was then carried over for brightness and
contract correction. It was designed and tested with users.
Initial tested showed users many different screen designs
while other tests looked at interaction in both human and
computer behavior. The data was integrated into a
prototype and tested with users. Once the user group
finally liked the function it was integrated into the
product.
The ring around was so successful it was used in the
Create-it and then the Access 3.0 product. IT was also
cited in the DSUI Guidelines as an example of good
design.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KKBDC AND KODAK
The relationship between KBDC and the greater Kodak
community has developed slowly over time. Initially, the
Usability group worked only with software products that
were being developed by the KBDC. The Imaging Group
worked independently in Rochester NY, with the
philosophy that it was not workable to collaborate with
groups in different geographical locations.
The Human Factors Group (HFG) at the Design Resource
Center in Rochester worked primarily with hardware
products developed in Rochester. Later on they also
worked on systems which included software and finally
they moved into work involving desktop software. HFG
was working closely with the developers in Rochester and
there was no contact with the Boston group.
During the past year the KBDC was chartered to develop
guidelines for desktop software to achieve a common
look and feel across Kodak products. This effort brought
the groups together, along with other development and
marketing groups in the Imaging Division The result was
the DSUI Guidelines, mentioned above and considered a
success by all parties involved. As a result of that work
the two groups have started to work together on
developing products, taking turns doing user interface
design and usability testing.
HOW DO MULTIPLE PROJECTS FIT TOGETHER?
The Usability Lab looks to provide the perspective of the
user to every project it works on. The Lab strives to
insure continuity across product lines. Since Kodak's
desktop products provide user's with different aspects of
solving their imaging and desktop problems it is
important that the products work together and have a
common look and feel.
The Usability Lab often works on more then one product
at a time. This approach helps maintain the consistency
that is desired because often times a piece of user
interface can fit into another. A function from one
product can be reused effectively in another.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE
ORGANIZATION
Kodak's size and resources are particularly helpful in the
field of Usability because, although it is a relatively new
discipline, Kodak has been working on Human Factors
and Ergonomics for years. Usability was therefore, the
next logical step as the company moved into Digital
Imaging.
The size of the Imaging division provide the company
with the luxury of bring staff with specific expertise. The
different geographical location and demographics of this
staff balance the perspective of the overall group.
Although there are inevitable frustrations that come with
so many people working together (things like difference
of opinion, different methodology, different
communication styles) there are the benefits of extensive
resources that enable more efficient systems to be put into
place.
FUTURE
Kodak is continually working to develop more efficient,
interesting, useful and fun digital imaging products.
Kodak has made a strong commitment to listening to the
voice of its customers and developing the products that
they want. To that end, the KBDC Usability Group and
the HFG group in Rochester have begun to work more
closely together. They even attend a joint weekly staff
meeting.
The development and marketing arm of the Digital and
Applied Imaging Group has also made a commitment to
working closely with all the Usability people on staff.
This insures that the future development of products will
be on the right track and include the user as a primary
design consideration.
