Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Each end of step was shown by two columns. The
Incident
column highlighted
disrupting elements, for example the display device is out of order or there is no
information about the waiting time. The
Result
column gave the elements obtained,
for example the journey is defined, the user obtains his ticket, he waits for the Zénith
stop.
2.5.3.2.
Information use analysis
The objective of the study was to identify the information needs of travelers. The
chronological tables being purely descriptive, another table was then built to more
specifically analyze the use of information (lower part of Figure 2.6). For this
analysis, all the components of the realization of journeys were taken into account:
actions, objectives, calling on knowledge, modalities and incidents. Indeed, each
element was able to correspond to the expression of needs for the future system.
Furthermore, the profile, chronology, places and media used were standardized to
facilitate comparative processing.
Analysis later confirmed that this mode of collecting data in various situations
(real or simulated) provides very rich results. For example, around 160 needs were
defined in the observation phase of the existing network. It is also advisable to
highlight the importance of the diversity of profiles. Indeed, analysis by criteria
(age, knowledge of the network, disability, etc.) and attempts at reducing the sample
showed that it is better to increase the variability of profiles than to increase the
number of people with similar profiles. In particular, integrating people with
reduced mobility (visually impaired, in a wheelchair, etc.) greatly enriched the
identification of needs. Similarly, expertise does not necessarily guarantee the
maximum provision of information. For example, people having a poor knowledge
of the network have more needs than those who know the network well. However,
the proposals put together are potentially useful for all. For example, placing lifts on
a station map can help a person in a wheelchair, a person who has a walking stick or
a child in a pram; voice announcements in the tram are useful for the visually
impaired but also if crowds are blocking the visual displays, etc. [VAL 10b].
The
items
corresponding to similar formulations have therefore been grouped
together, for example the user compares the number of stations; he is hesitating
between two connections; “we should have taken number 30, it arrives closer to our
destination”. In these examples, the events all correspond to journey comparisons,
but on different criteria. Each event was translated by proposals. Bringing together
events of the same type also enabled us to group together proposals, for example to
provide a comparative table enabling the choice of a journey according to the length,
number of stations and connections, duration of walking, etc.
In this approach, the incidents correspond to the difficulties encountered by
certain users and missing or erroneous information during the journeys monitored in
