Wizard of Oz Support throughout an Iterative Design Process

  • Authors:

  • Steven Dow;Blair MacIntyre;Jaemin Lee;Christopher Oezbek;Jay David Bolter;Maribeth Gandy

  • Affiliations:

  • Georgia Institute of Technology;Georgia Institute of Technology;Georgia Institute of Technology;Georgia Institute of Technology;Georgia Institute of Technology;Georgia Institute of Technology

  • Venue:
  • IEEE Pervasive Computing
  • Year:
  • 2005

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Abstract

Although the Wizard of Oz method for simulating system components is commonly used for evaluation in human-computer interaction, researchers and designers have only started to unlock this technique's potential. This article reviews the WOz method, highlights its usefulness throughout the evolution of a user interface or system, and argues that explicitly supporting WOz prototyping in pervasive computing infrastructures will improve the method's usefulness. The authors describe a design space for WOz simulation in which the wizard takes on controller, moderator, and supervisor roles. They also describe the WOz simulation features of DART, a mixed-reality design and prototyping environment, including a lightweight method for automatically generating WOz interfaces and high-level support for visualizing evaluation results. Finally, the authors use a location-aware audio experience in Atlanta's historic Oakland Cemetery as a case study to illustrate how a wizard operator can play distinct roles throughout an iterative design process.This article is part of a special issue on rapid prototyping.