Questions asked by SMM company to the customer to clarify the requirements
1. Appears that there are at least 3 user interface:
- NLUI (Natural Language User Interface)
- GUI (Graphical User Interface)
- CUI (Character User Interface)
- Could you prioritise these user interfaces? Could these user interfaces be delivered in different phases according to their # priority?
Answer
Can only prioritise in the sense that different UIs will be used depending on the capability of the computing environment and associated displays.
2. The proposal states that the interface must be as intelligent and simple as possible. Having multiple interfaces will increase the size of the complete application interface, increasing size will increase complexity. Also consider that the application will be more complex in terms that there are now multiple different ways to achieve the same task. How important is it to have all of these multiple interfaces? Given that the interface is suppose to be as simple as possible is the increased complexity from having multiple interfaces acceptable. Would you consider having only a minimal but complete NLUI? Alternatively would you consider having only minimal but complete GUI?
Answer
Multiple interfaces are important because of the differing capabilities of the equipment that is to be used. Yes, complexity in this case is acceptable. Yes, but must be capable of expansion in future systems. No!
3. One section details NLUI with a number of examples, however another section indicates that voice commands should be considered for incorporation (suggesting that they are not the highest priority?) How important is the NLUI?
Answer
NLUI is assumed to include voice capability and the suggestion lower priority is not intended.
4. For the NLUI is a limited set of phrases are OK or do you require SMM to understand the semantics of any speech? If you propose that it should be able to understand the semantics of any speech then how would you propose that we agree on acceptance tests? How would we determine whether the application is meeting this requirement?
Answer
Yes
5. In one of the NLUI examples it shows different levels of precision. How is the level of precision is determined? From the example; is a precision of "Sydney" useful to the user?
Answer
Such words will be either automatically added to a dictionary as the system learns.
6. In one of the NLUI examples it cancels a meeting which doesn't exist and responds with the 2 closest matches. Does the dialogue continue and the user specifies one or does the user have to start a new dialogue to cancel the correct one?
Answer
Such strange logic should not occur!
7. Why does SMM need to be able to determine the phase of the meeting? What are the phases of a meeting? Is this the same for all meetings or do different meetings have different phases? How are the different phases of a meeting delimited (by time in to the meeting)?
Answer
Need to determine these.
8. With each user setting conditions for meetings (ice for all meetings) is it possible that the SMM will become unusable and unable to schedule meetings? Should there be any constraints on the conditions that users can set?
Answer
I guess this is possible. Maybe we should talk about ways to overcome this potential problem.
9. What is the purpose of the SMM keeping a list of docs associated with each meeting? How does SMM get this information for each meeting? In that way is the user able to use this list of docs (e.g. can they click on the docs to open?)
Answer
Need the list of docs for history and reference. Not sure what the intent of the remaining questions!
10. Do we need to support a user participating in more than one meeting at the same time? I know that I certainly can be in two "meeting" at once on my desktop.
Answer
No. But it seems like a good idea.
11. Another related and less technical example is the case where two meetings overlap, perhaps by 10 minutes. I want to be able to leave the first meeting early (which is OK because the topics relevant to me covered) and attend the second. Do we need to cater for this sort of thing?
Answer
Hadn't thought of this! Another good idea.
12. When the SMM informs user and other meeting attendees of absence/lateness to a meeting, is this derived from physical location and (learned) travel times, or the fact that current time > meeting schedule time?
Answer
Yes to the first part if away from office and yes to the second part if within office and also (potentially) activity is known.
13. How is agreement reached for a particular meeting time and place? Is it first come first served, so that the last person to acknowledge has limited choices, or are the choices recursively narrowed until one time and location is left? Or another method?
Answer
Haven't fully worked this out yet! Any Suggestions.