Jen Edwards

Getting some ideas of what the actual thing might look like.

not THIS messy D:

In the top left corner!: Home diagramming, and the challenges that explaining some of this stuff will present. Also, some wires.

In the top right corner!: Ideas of how the “site” should be represented, ideal viewing angles for tutorial purposes, and What Stuff Looks Like

Bottom Left: Cultural ideas of who the “repairer” Is.

Bottom Right: Representational strategies for appliances, etc.

I recently went to talk to a friend of my Dad’s–who he knows from his church–about my assignment. Walt Brothers co-owns a home repair company called Glasco Ventures, does a lot of repair work for the church, and advises working teams on the church’s mission trips.

Walt is incredibly knowledgable and had a lot of experiences that he wanted to share. I’ve recorded a few of the things he talked about here:

He began the discussion by talking about some of his efforts to conserve energy and reduce energy costs in his home. Progress Energy apparently reduces prices for off-peak energy usage. During the school year, peak hours begin at 6am, go to about 1pm, and start again from 4pm until about 9pm. During the summer, 9am-9pm hours are considered peak hours. He suggested that it may be a good idea to try to wash clothes and do other tasks that require a lot of energy after 9pm. He also related how he installed a device called “Ted the Energy Detective” in the circuit breaker to tell him how his energy was being used. He installed it himself without problem, but didn’t reccommend that a novice or non-technically inclined person try to install one–his vast amount of experience in electrical gave him the confidence to do it himself.

When I asked about the repairs he usually did, he talked about roof leaks–something I hadn’t thought about much before, since they’re not something I’ve ever really dealt with. Drawing a diagram on a small piece of paper to explain, he told me about the soffit and fascia. The soffit is a horizontal piece of wood that hangs over the side of the building, with the shingle hanging a bit over that. If the soffit is not completely covered by the shingle, water will run into it and eventually rot it out. The fascia, which is a vertical “small wall” under the roof, is what the gutters are attached to. Should the soffit rot, the fascia could also be exposed to rot–which could lead to a gutter replacement becoming necessary. It’s also a difficult job to replace the fascia. It can’t just be ripped off without planning, or it’s leaving an opening for varmints to get into the house!

Mr. Brothers related to me that a lot of home repair work is common sense–but only after proper preparations are made. It’s sometimes hard to tell in advance what kind of supplies and tools you’ll need, and many home repairers, novice and expert, wind up going back to the home improvement supply store multiple times!

He told me a story about his son’s Jacuzzi tub, and how the solution–a simple “try turning it off, leaving it for a while, and then on again”–was complicated by the circumstances. While taking off the paneling to have a closer look at the machine, he accidentally dropped a metal screw into it, sending sparks flying. He didn’t think much of it at first, but later found out that the screw reset the tub’s breaker and turned it back on unintentionally. When developing my app, I should think about situations where the user may unintentionally complicate things for him/herself.

He gave a basic explanation of how wiring works. Cables for electronic devices usually have at least four wires–bare, white, red, and black. The bare wire is actually the ground wire–no electricity flows through it, contrary to the fact that people who aren’t as knowledgable tend to be more afraid of the “bare” part of a downed power line than the rubber-coated wires that are actually “hot”. The white wire is neutral, and also should have no electricity. The black wire is almost always the “hot” wire, with the red wire as a supporter. Some light switches (3-way and other complex light switch systems) work by swapping current between the black and the red wires.

He told me about the concept of “scope creep”, which originates from someone starting a sentence with “while you’re at it…”. Home improvement projects in particular, but also home repair and maintenence, tend to become larger and more expensive as time goes on. He related a story about how replacing one cracked tile lead to re-tiling the whole bathroom and shower (though of course, this is mostly because tile laid a long time ago was set directly into concrete poured into the floor of the bathroom, rather than the concrete sheeting system used today). He joked with me that I should avoid “scope creep” in developing my iPod application, and may want to focus on a specific range of home maintenence tasks if things got out of hand (good advice, I think!)

I asked him about projects he would and would not reccomend to novices. He explained that plumbing is becoming a more and more do-it-yourself-friendly area of home repair thanks to the latest developments in connectors–the newer connectors work like “Chinese finger traps” in that they hold tighter as force pulls them apart.

He also explained why all drains have the little bend in them. Apparently, the bend is there to trap water. Because the pipe eventually leads down to the septic tank, a seal of water is necessary to prevent sewage gasses from coming back up into the house. It’s a good idea to run the water in underused bathrooms every now and then!

When I asked about what would not be a good project for a novice, Mr. Brothers immediately mentioned sheetrock. It is a difficult material that takes quite a bit of skill to work with and look nice, and he tends to try to avoid working with it himself, if he can.

He also discussed that a lot of people are afraid to work with electricity, even though it’s not so dangerous if handled carefully.

As one last story, he told me about how his son’s water heater stopped working once when he was in college. Mr. Brothers was able to troubleshoot over the phone systematically–first he had his son get a voltometer and check if the black and red wires were getting power. When his son found out that both were, Mr. Brothers instructed his son to check for continuity, which it didn’t have. This was an indicator of a broken heating element, which would necessitate either replacing the tank (very expensive!) or replacing the heat element (which required draining the tank… very work intensive!)

At the end of the interview, Mr. Brothers expressed interest in seeing the finished application and welcomed me to call him if I had any further questions. I think being forced to interview someone has helped me find a great resource!

Jen is in her apartment late one night, getting the water running for her shower. She figures it’s about ready and sticks her hand under the stream to test it, only to find that it’s ice-cold!

She thinks for a moment. She COULD call the landlord in to help, but it’s the middle of the night. She’d either have to wake someone up or go without a shower, and neither sounds great to her. Instead, she decides to take matters into her own hands and try out this cool new app for her iPod touch that says it can teach her how to maintain her home.

As per the app’s suggestion, Jen goes to check the water heater. Sure enough, the pilot light is out! With the handy step-by-step instructions on the iPod (equipped with an animated image of the pilot lighting!) Jen is able to successfully get the pilot lit.

After a while, she tries running the shower water again. Success! The water now gets warm!

Service Purpose:

Teaches users to be self-sufficient and independent in solving problems in and taking care of their own home, and to be well-informed in home care and maintenance.

Service Goals:

Provide users step-by-step instructions in diagnosing and solving problems they may have within their own homes. These step-by-step instructions are presented in a way that is easy to follow along with while doing the task, with the iPhone sitting somewhere nearby. The app also teaches relevant terminology and general knowledge information about each appliance. It gives a general framework for maintaining a house, telling users when to check things, what to look for, and where to go to get help. It also encourages good practices such as safety, sustainability, and responsible handling of chemicals.

Outcomes:

Knowledge Remembers previously learned material

-builds a knowledgebase of terms and tasks necessary to home upkeep

-learns to read meters and discuss home problems intelligently

Comprehension Grasps the meaning of the material

-learns which sets of tasks apply to which appliances around the house

-(hopefully) recognizes tasks that are similar across different appliances and does these more easily

Application Uses learning in new and concrete situations

-Step-by-step walkthroughs of solving problems and performing maintenance tasks

-Builds a “working memory” of tasks so as to know how to do them in the future

Analysis Understands both the content and structure of material

-recognize when instructions may need to be adapted to fit current situation

-weigh options when they arise

Evaluation Judges the value of material for a given purpose

-Learns when not to attempt a task alone

-Understands what is necessary to maintain one’s investment (house) or be a good tenant (apartment)

Good news! there isn’t an app that does exactly what I’m thinking (at least, not that I’ve been able to find)! Most of what’s out there seems to be either an organizer/to-do-list thing, or a phone book of home repair technicians. That said…

Who: All homeowners, renters who want more independence and/or to be a good tenant.

What: Get a feel for what to look for to see if something’s going wrong with home utilities. Build a general understanding of one’s own home. Have a resource available to walk through solving a problem the first time it occurs, with the idea that the user will now know how to handle it in the future. Encourage better home care practices emphasizing safety, proper caretaking, and greener living.

When: Upon arriving in the home or apartment, the user would customize the app and get a general feel for how to take care of the house. The app would then become something to refer back to if there’s a problem or if the user would like more info about cleaning/repairing an appliance.

Where: The iPod/iPhone would  ideally be carried with the user as s/he walks about the house.

Why: Many home repair and maintenence situations are only a problem to handle the first time they occur. JensApp focuses on getting the user through the current situation (hopefully on their own, but would also reccommend getting help or a professional in situations where it is warranted) and teaching them to know exactly what to do if the problem crops up again. Having JensApp as a teacher would give the user reassurance that s/he will either be able to handle it on his/her own, or find the help needed.

How: Step-by-step tutorials, mainly, accompanied by animations when appropriate. Ability to expand outward and ask questions. Pop-up hints and recommendations?

HomeKeeper (home maintenence planner/organizer)

“HomeKeeper is a robust application that gives homeowners the tools they need to make sure they’re doing everything they can to keep their house in tip-top condition. A database of over 100 home maintenance tasks is included, with brief descriptions, pictures and suggestions for how often to perform the task.

Users can add tasks to their home with notes specific to each task. Have a task we didn’t include? New tasks can be created and added to HomeKeeper with your own description and picture.

The To Do List displays your home’s upcoming tasks, based on when they’re due. Not ready to fertilize the lawn this weekend? Click on “Postpone” and enter a new due date. A quick glance at the HomeKeeper icon on the iPhone or iPod touch’s app screen will show the owner how many tasks are currently due.

In order to avoid going back and forth to the hardware store 4 times on a Saturday, we’ve built the Shop List. Add items like batteries and light bulbs to the list. Sort by store name, price, or date needed. Click on “Purchase” and the item is added to your purchase history for future reference.

HomeKeeper can’t change your furnace filter for you, but it can remind you when you need to. And tell you the last time you changed it. And tell you what type of filter to buy. And add it to the shopping list for your next trip to the store. And tell you where you bought it last. And tell you how much you paid. And, well, you get the idea.”

iGuide Home Improvements

“In today’s uncertain financial times everyone is looking to save in any way they can. Home improvements are no exception. The good news is that there are many effective ways to improve your home without breaking the bank.
From adding a deck to remodelling the bathroom, this all-in-one guide for your home is a must see for anyone thinking about home improvements. Don’t spend more than you need on these upgrades. Learn about Accessorizing your home, and even closet organization. Make the most of this season. Get yours today!

WHAT’S DIFFERENT?
• Lowest price ever!
• Easy direct link to all the iGuides you will ever need.
• Most complete source for information.”

Home Stuff

“Home Stuff is an easy-to use, quick, and convenient way to find a home improvement or repair service near you. “

SpringClnChecklist

“Could you use a list of all the things you need to do to complete Spring Cleaning?

This application provides you a complete list of everything you will need to complete your task. It is also broken down by categories to make it easy for you to navigate through the application.”

How to:

-Knit

-Basic home/apartment maintenence (lighting a pilot, etc.)

-Etiquitte (setting a table, tying a tie, making a bed “properly”, etc.)

-Apply to Law School

-Fly a stunt kite

-Repair clothing/sew

-training a pet (esp. pets other than dogs?)