The group meet to evaluate Synote Mobile
A small group of potential Synote mobile users met over lunch bringing with them a collection of devices. The Synote Linkddata home page for the application was provided with an introduction by Yunjia. The desktop and tablet version of Synote mobile work from these pages and the specific version for smaller screen (those around 4 inch diagonal) is provided by a link from the Mobile Access paragraph. Everyone was happy to comment and agreed to some pictures being taken for the blog. We knew there were several issues that still had to be overcome and explained the barriers to full use due to browser and mobile device problems with video downloads and HTML5.
Just play the video for a few seconds
On all the devices it was essential to stress that there was a need to buffer the video for a few seconds before any of the menus would work – this is because mobile phones are set to avoid the download large amounts of data and no optimisation is possible.
Comments were taken from the users – headings in the table below show the devices used and the browsers chosen. A few areas were covered but it was not possible to track all the comments made during the lively exchanges!
The overall opinion of the website was good and the main purpose was to discover what further issues were arising and whether users had any other requests from the point of view of the look and feel as well as usability and accessibilty.
iPhone Safari |
iPhone Opera mini |
iPad Safari |
iPad Chrome |
Android Galaxy native browser |
Android HTC built in browser |
Android HTC Opera Mobile |
|
Website homepageLook and feel |
Web page too wide. | Needs to be more resposive | Looking good | Good | Clear and easy to use | Easy to reach link | Easy to reach link |
Website homepageEase of Use |
login needs page width to be responsive – Onscreen keyboard works well. | Login in good | Login easy to use | Log in good | Log in issue need to be in portrait mode otherwise the edit boxes are hidden by onscreen keyboard | Login possible but small screen means not easy. | Login hampered by onscreen keyboard |
Synote mobile get to video |
Download and the pause. Both central button and play button below works does tracking | Total failure with video – just presents as a download | Tracking, pause and start do not working on player | Tracking, pause and start do not working on player | video needs to buffer. | -video needs to buffer. | Video plays well from both buttons on the video and below |
Play video |
Once a video had been played the buttons stop responding . Needed to refresh the page | Main play works but Play button below the video is not working. | Play button works well play button below video tried to load it. | Can’t get out of full screen mode without pressing back button which takes the video player out of ready mode. Affects jumping to media fragments | Can’t get out of full screen mode without pressing back button which takes the video player out of ready mode. Affects jumping to media fragments | ||
Read transcription |
That worked well but transcript box could take more text, depending on the screensize – needs to be clicked on to make bigger. | Possible to reach trancript and return to video but no point as it did not play | Some of the buttons seem to lack response or maybe very slow | From video to transcription can be slow – plays video but blank page shown | Went relatively quickly | Jumps back to beginning not to position of that section of transcript. | |
Add/Edit transcription |
N/A | N/A | Works well in portrait mode for editing | Video to transcript section and vice versa works well. | N/A | N/A | |
Read annotation |
Easy to reach once video buffered. | Possible to reach synmakrs | Easy to read | Should the 7 inch screen be considered as a mobile device rather than a tablet as it looks better in landscape but a lot of white space | Can access synmarks | Can access synmarks | |
Add/Edit annotation |
N/A | N/A | Should always use pause button when working with annotations – causes confusion as the stop button – then restarts at the beginning. | Can annotate and better in portrait | It is all possible just takes time and rather temperamental – seems to be linked to issue with J-Query library | N/A | N/A |
Log in on the Samsung Galaxy - Android OS.
One of the most annoying issues was the Android onscreen keyboard was not as responsive and the iOS version which never fails to stay below edit boxes whereas the Android OS is happy to cover them on the Samsung Galaxy.
Anyone willing to annotate this media fragment?