The user interface provided with the Burnstation prototype presents minimal information to the user. There are no icons or layout considerations in the portlet & the Add to Burn Queue link that the prototype provides.

When a video is added to the queue, the user is returned to the home page and must remember to look at the Burn Queue portlet to confirm that the video has indeed been added. As the ISO file is being produced there is no “time remaining” indication and the user has to keep refreshing the home page to see if the “Get ISO” option has appeared in the Burn Queue portlet.

We discussed options for improving the user interface but it was agreed that because this was a prototype system, the user interface could be kept to a minimum as:

• The purpose of the prototype is to confirm that videos can be combined into an ISO file that is subsequently burnt to DVD for distribution.
• A barely functional user interface is sufficient to allow testing of the concept.
• Initial users working with a basic prototype are expected to be able to review documentation & operate the system without requiring extensive user interface guidance.