Testing the App Parts 1 & 2

 

 

We are so thrilled with the progress of the app! Keith has been working diligently to produce build after build while we constantly bring him a ton of great feedback after testing. We are nearing our deadline, and if all continues on track, we should be finished by November!

Our first trip out to test the app resulted in a couple small hurdles, mostly with using the iDive housing. It's not as easy as it may appear! Although the design is certainly innovative, it does take some adjusting to managing the appropriate amount of air in the case to allow access to the touchscreen. The other hurdle we encountered was not being able to find the right brand of CO2 cartridge anywhere close by in Puerto Rico, so we are forced to use only the first stage connection which restricts us from being able to pass the iDive off to another dive in between surveys.

 

But we worked around this for our second trip out! We took three divers, all of varying skill levels at fish ID - one was inexperienced, one moderately experienced, and one very experienced. I explained the housing and gave a brief tutorial of the layout of the app, then we jumped off the boat and settled down to a comfortable depth to let the testing begin!

I asked each diver to pay particular attention to the layout - did you find it useful? Did you find it overwhelming? Was it easy to identify the fish based on the illustration? After our dives, they filled out a survey and did a brief interview with me to provide constructive feedback.

Take a look at our video and you'll catch your first glimpse of the prototype!

In between our other school work, research, writing, presentations, contract work, and other full time positions, we work on this app project. Sometimes that involves spending hours in front of the computer, working late into the night and wee hours of the morning, drinking lots of coffee and going over tons of fish references. It involves a lot of planning for dives, scheduling with other students and volunteers to test the app, and hours spent writing and researching what features will make this the perfect teaching tool.

We really believe in using technology to make science accessible to everyone. We want this to change our community, we want this to challenge our community and we want to see others step up to help make a difference in education too! Again, a big thank you to each of you for believing in this application and for donating to make it possible. We would not be this far without your support!