MY REALTORTASK ANALYSISProject Introduction:The application that we propose to develop provides a user interface that allows users to analyze real estate statistics in different areas that would assist them in purchasing property. Itwill provide a general overview of the fluctuations in the current residential real estate market. Also, it will provide relevant information including details about the neighborhood, increases and decreases in prices, and other pertinent data. Hana KimKenneth WongSerena HserAnson Tsai0Tyler ChangTable of Contents1) Six Tasks for basis of design: Pg. 22) Contextual Inquiry Pg. 53) Analysis Pg. 74) Observation Notes:1. CJ Chang – Real Estate Investor2. Kathy Wang – Apartment Renter3. Steven Lothrop – Condo/Apartment PurchaserPg. 11Pg. 13Pg. 1511) Six Tasks for basis of design:1) Task #1a. Task Description: User needs to figure out what criteria are important to him/her before searching for real estate.b. Method: Users decide about most housing preferences while on site. i. Steven Lothrop notifies realtor about his price range stated by broker (Steven Lothrop, 1.f.i).ii. Steven Lothrop attends open house and decides on the spot his preferences.c. Objects and Communication:i. Phone – call real estate agent.ii. Car – drive to open house.iii. Newspaper – scan through apartments for rent.iv. Internet – visit real estate websites to look for housing.d. Environment: This task can be performed in any location based on the user’s preference. During the open house, Steven Lothrop decided what criteria were important.2) Task #2a. Task Description: User wants to be connected to a specialized human resource, ie. realtor, loan officers.b. Method: Users currently use several methods to find realtors and loan officers:i. Enter a real estate/loan office and ask to speak to someone (Steven Lothrop, 1.a.i), (CJ Chang, 1.a.ii).ii. Research from home using the internet, phonebook, etc (CJ Chang,1.a).iii. Ask friends and family for a reference to a trusty realtor (CJ Chang, 1.g.1).c. Objects and Communication:i. Phone- call a real estate office or a friend.ii. Computer- e-mail real estate office.d. Environment: Users can be in either a real estate office or their own home while using their phone or computer. A real estate office is an environmentwhere relatively few distractions exist for the user. The real estate agent may be distracted if he/she is particularly busy. At home, there may be a wide range of distractions present.3) Task #3 a. User wants to be able to calculate monthly payments. i. Steven Lothrop (1.f.4) mentioned that he wanted to input a single number and find out what type of housing he could afford.b. Methods: i. Steven Lothrop obtains a pre-approved loan from a loan-officer.ii. User will work with a broker to refine loan details.c. Objects and Communication:2i. User contacts a loan-officer.1. Personal information must be on hand to determine loan details.ii. User contacts a broker. d. Environment: This task can be performed either at the office of a broker orat the home of the user. The office of the broker will probably be free of distractions, and the social situation will be a business setting. At home, calculating monthly payments might not be a pressing issue, so the user may be distracted.4) Task #4a. Task Description: User wants to compare side-by-side geographically specific statistical data. i. Kathy Wang mentioned in (1.g.iv) that she had trouble comparing multiple places, and would like a utility to compare places based on qualities that are important to her (1.g.iii).b. Methods: Users currently look up data on individual areas/units through local publications, and selected professional resources.i. When comparing prices and housing data:1. Steven Lothrop initially determines budget by getting a pre-approved loan plus monthly income after taxes.2. With this information, Steven Lothrop contacts realtors andis returned with listing of homes with price and other data.3. Using this data and housing list, Steven Lothrop looks up other relevant data on selected locations through Google-Earth, city-hall website, and other business websites.c. Objects and Communication: i. In determining prices, Steven Lothrop and CJ Chang make use of human resources, in particular realtors to get initial prices of real estate.1. CJ Chang supplements this information by looking into literature at a library. ii. Kathy Wang makes good use of publications including Newspaper classified ads, Wall Street Journal, and the online Craig’s List to compare prices.1. To compare descriptions and details, Kathy Wang utilizes the Guide to the good life of Berkeley, and open houses.d. Environment: The location will change depending on the information being gathered. CJ Chang performed his geographic research at the Chamber of Commerce, which is usually a quiet environment. Kathy Wang looked through the newspaper within her apartment, where her roommate could serve as a distraction.5) Task #5a. Task Description: User wants to find real estate that meets certain criteria (ex. Price).i. CJ Chang expressed in (1.a.i) that he would search based on a specific price range.3b. Methods: i. Steven Lothrop determines what he can afford from task #3.ii. Steven Lothrop then submits this to a realtor who returns a list of matching locations, and combines these results with a list generated from manually searching local publications.c. Objects and Communications:i. Users need whatever Objects and Communications used from task #1.ii. Users take advantage of realtors ability to search for real estate.iii. Users also make use of local publications.d. Environment: The tasks can be performed at multiple locations. If the useris researching, using the Internet, he can essentially be anywhere with either LAN or wireless Internet access. However, other methods of findinginformation may be site specific. For example, CJ Chang, in his interview (1.f.ii), said that he goes to the chamber of commerce to find information about housing area criteria.6) Task #6a. Task Description: User desires qualitative input on both area and specific housing listings. i. Steven Lothrop said in (f.ii.1) that he would go on the street and ask people questions about the area.b. Methods: All three interviewed users used some sort of first hand experience.i. Users first determine area to further examine (likely through tasks 2, 4, or 5).ii. Users then make a trip to the area (possibly to a specific
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