Research On "Scenario Timeline" In Mobile Real-time Voice Translator

As the frequency of social exchanges and culture integration are growing, the language barrier has become a great challenge for people from different language backgrounds when carrying on a cross-language dialogue. When dealing with the language barrier, mobile real-time voice translator is regarded as a low cost way to substitute the human translation which is costly. At present most of the researches on the mobile real-time voice translator focus on technology but researches in the design area are still at an embryonic stage. However, with the development of science and technology, related researches will finally become mature. This thesis focuses on the design of mobile real time voice translator and is aimed at putting forward a design model for this kind of product from the perspective of design science, which will provide an effective support for the interaction design of mobile real-time voice translator.This thesis is aimed at improving the design methods of mobile real-time voice translator and constructing a scenario-timeline design model for this kind of products. Firstly, it has made an analysis of the human computer interaction model of this kind of products and gets the essence of dialogue. Using the scenario features and time features of dialogues for reference, it has obtained the point of scenario and time design of this kind of products. By conducting the extraction experiment of scenario-timeline elements, it has extracted five constructive elements which include high frequency usage scenario, time unit, time node, user interaction behavior and product feedback. Secondly, it was divided the five elements into different layers referring to the activity theory and constructs the scenario-timeline model by comparing the interaction design of mobile real time voice translators and ordinary Internet products. It has obtained three scenario-timeline models by means of card sorting through the scenario-timeline model constructing experiment. Combining that with the target needed to meet in the context, it has finally constructed the scenario-timeline model. Thirdly, it introduces the properties and functions of the scenario-timeline model and makes an in-depth discussion about the use of the model. At last, it verifies the feasibility of the scenario-timeline combining with design cases of Microsoft mobile real-time voice translator in the ST project.The innovation and distinguishing feature of this thesis are as follows:First of all, through the elements extraction experiment of scenario-timeline model, it has extracted the design elements of mobile real-time voice translators which are used as the constructive elements of scenario-timeline model by means of expert focus group. Secondly, based on the scenario-timeline model experiment, it has obtained three kinds of scenario-timeline model by use of card sorting. Finally, it makes an explanation of the properties and functions and usage of the scenario-timeline model, which makes it convenient for designers to apply this model in the product development.