The users of the service are the adepts of the secret sect shown on the video scenario. Because the system is distributed among the adepts of this movement in conditions of absolute trust and privacy, they are very trustworthy.
At the end of a period when they use a trial version of the service, new adepts are given access to the whole secret system of the sect. They then become one of an élite of cultured people bent on restoring freedom to Venice.
The main threats to the secrecy of the service are policemen, spies and malicious hackers.
So security is an important aspect of our service.
To enter the service the user uses a secret word. Using another word causes to switch to a fake mode. This hides the real state of the secret sect. In this way the adepts can monitor the threats to their aims.
The main mission of the service is to allow users to initiate conversations and have information about the topics of other conversations, in order to meet and plan secretly how to restore freedom to Venice.
The main goal is to keep secret the conversations of the adepts, and giveo them a way to know where to meet secretly.
Adepts allows you to:
- recognize the user’s voice in order to start using the application
- recognize the topic of the users speech by a speech recognizer system
- share the tags of a conversation
- watch all available conversations
- read an abstract of a conversation
- know more about the people involved in a specific conversation
- localize the discussions
- monitor the new adepts
- monitor the spies
- mark the position of a policemen or a generic threat
- alert the users to nearby threats
The final goals that we set can be divided into four categories:
Concept
The concept of service that we developed starts from the study of a hypotheticalhistorical scenario that we imagined.
Assuming a scenario and studying its possible variations and consequences we identified several needs associated with the users of this scenario, and so we assumed the presence of Adepts, to help people to return to the city to democracy of the past.
Graphics
Since the scenario was set in the ’50s, we chose a graphic style representative of that period.
The hard challenge was to design graphics that reflected the style of the 1950s and early modernism, but could also be linked to the mood of our scenario: dark, secret, and cautious.
Interactions
Another criterion for success very important for us was the design of the interactions.
We paid close attention to the design of the interface of our application: how many features introduced, what, where the menus were positioned, how to give feedback to the user, and how to arrange all these elements in a small screen.
Very important was also the usability of the system: to select the right interaction, giving to icons and actions of users the right meaning, think about what actions the user then takes, and design the interface to be as functional and immediate as possible, which will allow him to have the total control of the application in a simple and intuitive way.
Programming
Finally, another important aspect concerned the development of the prototype, for which we used Processing.
On this, our ultimate goal was to be able to develop a mockup of the application in its main and most interesting points, and increase our knowledge of programming as well.
Even though we are in the 1953, we suppose that an adept has developed secretly an advanced technological system like a portable device, in which the application runs. We therefore decided to use the screen resolution and the interactions of an iPhone to simulate the device used by the adepts.