Sunday, January 16, 2000 by Mike Ciman
We met for the first time today. Mike Ciman and Mike Jacene met and Ken joined us a bit later. We have not exchanged schedules yet, so it is difficult to coordinate meetings. We get along well. The meeting was not all business so that we could become more acquainted. The objective for the day was work on Appendix A. We brainstormed ideas and researched the company on the internet to no avail. We left the meeting by handing out tasks and planning to exchange schedules and phone numbers via e-mail.
Tuesday, January 18, 2000 by Mike Ciman
We had a PQP meeting with Professor Ward. Following the meeting we decided to set up a time to meet via e-mail.
Wednesday, January 19, 2000 by Mike Ciman
We set up a meeting. Mike Jacene had other obligation, so Ken and I met. I could not make the scheduled time, due to another meeting and came late to the meeting. Ken and I made a list of tasks to get accomplished in the next week. The next meeting is for the 20th at 8:30.
Sunday, January 23, 2000 by Mike Jacene
Our group met today at 4pm to go over and split up the subtopics of our problem statement for our literature review. We came up with seven different subtopics including engineering, interface design, visual techniques of communication, public contact & current applications. Mike Jacene is taking engineering, Mike Ciman is taking interface design and visual techniques, and Ken is taking public contact and current applications. Group moral seems high. No problems meeting. We scheduled for four and everybody was there by 3:55. The group's chemistry seems very strong. Three opposite personalities that are all contributing equally and without conflict. One member was away for the weekend, but told the others well in advance so plans could be made. Emails to contacts, consortium and non, have gone out attempting to schedule interviews and get information for Appendix A.
Sunday, Jan 23rd Ken Gagne
Looked up online smoke detector companies First Alert, BRK Brands, and
KIDDE. BRK turned out to be a subsidiary of First Alert. Met with team
to research literature relevant to our projects. Looked up IKEA and Underwriters Laboratory (UL) on the web and got contact company for the IHS Group which supplies the standards for UL.
Monday, Jan 24th Ken Gagne
Received negative contact by Mike Ciman regarding IKEA. Will try myself
tomorrow.
Tuesday, Jan 25th Ken Gagne
Team met with Prof. Avram to discuss research techniques. Looked up "Scriptographics" online; only references found were to a company now called Summa Graphics, specializing in computer printer hardware. Called First Alert, KIDDE, IKEA, and UL. First Alert will mail manuals. KIDDE closed due to "inclement weather"; email contact established. No answer at IKEA. UL determines document needed is #1730, available on floppy disk for $350.00.
Wednesday, Jan 26th Ken Gagne
Called IKEA. On hold for 45 minutes; hung up. Called UL again. Document #1730 available in hardcopy or email for $312.
Friday, Jan 28th by Ken Gagne
Third meeting with faculty advisors. Got email addresses for two additional SSL employees; forwarded to them the original email sent to Dr. Ramsey. Constructed a preliminary project team web page.
Saturday, Jan 29th by Ken Gagne
Received sample manuals from smoke detector manufacturers KIDDE and First Alert.
Sunday, Jan 30th by Ken Gagne
Read the proposal for Visual Inter Lingua (VIL), advised by Prof. Lee Becker. Downloaded and ran a Macintosh program called CD-Icon, an attempt at another visual language, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Sunday, Jan 30th by Mike Ciman
We intended to meet today, but could not because I was sick and Mike J. had obligations at his fraternity. Because of the conflicts, we had a phone meeting to get our bearings and plan our meeting for Monday.
Monday, Jan 31st by Ken Gagne
Interviewed Prof. Lee Becker in the CS department, got some good ideas about how to design our manual. Prof. Trimbur's car broke down and our interview was cancelled. Mike C. scanned the manuals I received in the mail, and emailed me the images and also our progress report so I could put both on our web page. The team met to produce a research frame.
Monday, Jan 31st by Mike Jacene
I could not attend the interview because I had class during the only time that Prof. Lee Becker could meet. I got the notes from Mike C. and Ken later. We met later in the day to put together our research frame.
Tuesday, Feb 1st by Ken Gagne
Went to Clark University. Met with Prof. Avram to discuss the lit review and also to get contact information for a psychology professor at Clark for a potential interview. Checked out some sources from the Clark library
Tuesday, Feb 1st by Mike Ciman
I was late picking up Mike and Ken to go to Clark, but luckily we arrived right at 3:30. We are really struggling at what exactly to include in the Lit Review we all have different opinions. The meeting with Professor Avram really helped us and gave us direction.
Wednesday, Feb 2nd by Ken Gagne
Major work on lit review. Fifteen pages written between the three of us.
Wednesday, Feb 2nd by Mike Jacene
We met early in the day to come up with a plan of attack for getting our ideas down on paper into the lit review. We each went our separate ways after meeting and communicated via e-mail and telephone the rest of the night. We were all very accessible until 1:30 in the morning or so.
Thursday, Feb 3rd by Ken Gagne
Web page updated, intro written, progress reports compiled, Mahmut
emailed.
Sunday, Feb 6th by Ken Gagne
Met with Mike J. to work on research frame, questionnaire, and interview report. Mike C. joined us later, then Mike J. left.
Sunday, Feb 6th by Mike Ciman
Weekends are hard for us to meet. Mike J. has fraternity obligations, Ken has Glee Club and I am off campus almost every weekend. We seem to manage a Sunday meeting on the weekends, even if it can only be two at a time. It has not caused a problem yet. We are so flexible during the week, that we can manage abbreviated meetings on the weekends.
Monday, Feb 7th by Ken Gagne
Web page updated: research frame, lit review, and questionnaire added, contact info for Mike C. and myself added, activity log updated.
Tuesday, Feb 8th by Ken Gagne
Timeline of activities from now until the first week of May drawn up.
Wednesday, Feb 9th by Ken Gagne
Since Mike C. and I will be unavailable on Friday, we had our weekly meeting with Prof. Ward today. First draft of methodology devised.
Wednesday, Feb 9th by Mike Jacene
I met up with Mike C and Ken at the PQP meeting with Prof. Ward. Ken had class immediately following, so Mike and I went to the computer lab to work on the methodology that the three of us had outlined previously. Ken was supposed to meet us after his class, but we sent him an email instructing him not to since we were almost finished. We emailed the methodology to Ken so he could add to it.
Thursday Feb 10th by Mike Ciman
I met with Ken today to work on our outline for Ivana's group. Mike J. was in lab and could not make it. Ken had already started it while Mike J and I were working on the methodology yesterday, so we reviewed together and added to it. We will all go over it after class tonight.
Friday, Feb 11th by Ken Gagne
No PQP meeting today, as Mike C. and I are both out of town.
Sunday Feb 13th by Ken Gagne
Went to Clark University to find the Tufte books recommended to us by Prof. Trimbur. Couldn't find anything I hadn't already found at WPI.
Tuesday Feb 15th by Ken Gagne
Met with team members to devise a script for tomorrow's meeting with the Quinsig adult education class.
Tuesday Feb 15th by Mike Jacene
We met today to go over a plan for tomorrow's class. We all met on time. Things seem to keep coming up with all of us, but the group understands and we have not encountered any problems or significant drawbacks. Everyone is doing about equal work.
Wednesday Feb 15th by Ken Gagne
Went to the Adult Outreach Program at St. Paul's to speak to Mrs. Gordy's adult students, many of whom were ESL. They weren't very outspoken but we got some general ideas as to how to approach our manual as compared to the one we discussed in class.
Wednesday Feb 15th by Mike Ciman
We met with the Adult Education class. The meeting with them went OK. They were a little shy, mostly because most of them were ESL and most likely felt that they couldn't contribute. It was interesting to see our group in action. We had planned for me to talk, Ken to help out and pass things out and Mike J to record. When we were thrown into the situation and they were having trouble cooperating, we adjusted very well. Mike J went up to the chalk board and started drawing to help them visualize. I was planning last minute changes and thinking about what Mike could draw and how we could adapt and just whispering to him real quick in the middle. Ken was recording. This is the first true test our group faced and I believe we passed it well.
Thursday Feb 16th by Ken Gagne
Met with team members to finalize second draft of lit review.
Sunday, Feb 20th by Ken Gagne
Updated the web page's activity log.
Tuesday, Feb 22nd by Ken Gagne
Met with the team. Mike C has updated the methodology and I'll be incorporating our experiences in Mrs. Gordy's classroom into the methodology. We talked about freehand vs. computer design for the manual. I emailed representatives at SSL to get information regarding how we will be working there, and to make another attempt at obtaining company information necessary for our Appendix A.
Tuesday, Feb 22nd by Mike J
I updated the timeline we wrote a few weeks ago, just to make sure it was
still current with what we've accomplished and intend to do in the next week or so.
Tuesday Feb 22nd by Mike Ciman
This week will be tough for the group. We have a lot to do and since I got the dates of my sister's wedding confused, it puts even more of a strain on the week. I feel bad about leaving the group for the three week days. I have been doing extra work during the beginning of the week such as revising the methodology so I and my group doesn't feel that I am not contributing. We have been pro-active about the circumstances by dividing up the tasks and planning out a schedule. Mike J will start the design and we will all work intensively on it the beginning of next week and the end of the week will be geared to our presentation.
Wednesday, Feb 23rd by Ken Gagne
Got some notes taken in Mrs. Gordy's class from Mike J.
Thursday, Feb 24th by Ken Gagne
Updated the lit review on our web page; also made sure the formatting was good, which it wasn't in the first version we posted. Updated the methodology regarding our trip to Mrs. Gordy's room.
Thursday, Feb 24th by Mike J
Started laying out a prototype manual.