Design Overview

A button that brings up a context-sensitive menu with available options that pertain to the current screen

Motivation

25 teachers commented that graphing calculators are difficult to use.
5 teachers use class sets; their students do not have enough time to learn about calculators
5 teachers mentioned that kids have trouble with long sequences of commands

Major findings

10/12 users pressed the Options button without assistance.

Past iterations and user tests

Design Background

Because allocating time for calculator instruction is difficult and remembering long sequences of commands is problematic so we simplified access to menu options and operators by creating an Options button. The goal of the Options button is to bring up 'the right' menu options at the 'right time', Rather than have users learn where to find 'the right' menu. Long sequences of commands can be shortened by creating a single button, Options, that brings up this menu. Tasks that once required several menus and/or keystrokes are shortened to highly-relevant menu options that perform the same task.

Look at evolution of prototypes to see how this evolved into our final design.

Detailed Design

For all of these examples, the options menu would be overlaid on top of the current screen with at most 6 options shown the user with an option to scroll down for more. Pressing the Options button again toggles the visibility of the Options menu.

Home Screen, with expression that can be graphed

1.		User enters an expression that the calculator recognizes as one that could be graphed.
2.		When the Options button is pressed, these options show up to the user.

Home Screen, with fractions

1.		User uses the b/c button to enter fractions and find an answer. Note that AutoSimp is always used.
2.		Options allow the user to easily convert the answer to different forms.

Y=, nothing entered

1.		User is presented with the Y= screen but does not know what to input.
2.		Options are shown with different forms to choose from.

Y= screen, with a single linear equation

1.		A single linear equation is entered.
2.		Options are shown to quickly view the graph or modify the properties of the line displayed.

Graph with single line

1.		User has entered some numbers in a list and is viewing statistics.
2.		Options let the user manipulate the list. Note some of these were once command-line operations.

Graph, 2 lines

1.		User enters an expression that the calculator recognizes as one that could be graphed.
2.		Options allow some interesting functionality from the graph. Window settings and such are also available here.

Home Screen, with expression that can be graphed

1.		User is dynamically adjusting the line on the graph.
2.		Options with shortcuts are shown. Some options are simply navigation shortcuts (e.g. Pan) while others are unique functions (e.g. Undo).

Graph, plots

1.		Points are graphed with no line of best fit.
2.		When the Options button is pressed, these options show up to the user.

Zoom

1.		User has pressed the Zoom hard button or has gotten here via an Option on another screen.
2.		Familiar zoom options are shown to the user.

Home Screen, with expression that can be graphed

1.		User enters an expression that the calculator recognizes as one that could be graphed.
2.		When the Options button is pressed, these options show up to the user.