This version is the second release of PostureCorrector. While the core computer vision
algorithm remains the same, two major changes have been introduced. First, the user interface
and user experience (UI/UX) have undergone drastic improvements. These changes provide a much
smoother and customized experience for all users. Second, the internal implementation of the extension
have been optimized, resulting in a much smaller extension size and more efficient processing of video frames.
Lastly, critical bugs related to user statistics calculation have been fixed.
UI/UX:
The previous popup page was too cluttered, causing the following issues:
- Users had to scroll down to click the "Save Best Posture" button.
- After switching to the capture page, users had to reopen the popup page to access the "Save Best Posture" button again.
To resolve this, a dedicated settings page have been created for configuration options that users do not frequently change. The
posture detection frequency settings have been moved to this new settings page. Additionally, the "Save Best Posture"
button has been moved to the capture page. This creates a clear separation of functionality between the popup
page, the capture page, and the settings page. Users can now perform tasks with less page switching and button fewer clicks. The
navigation inside the popup has also been redesigned to provide more compact and assessible links for navigation between the extension
pages and the official website. Finally, the warning method where browser tab gets blurred has been removed. Implementing this feature
required access to all browser tabs, which is a powerful permissions. Even though PostureCorrector never misused this permission, it was
a security and privacy concern for users and deterred potential new users. Moreover, the feature was not reliable. Some tabs blurred
immediately while others required a refresh. As a result, the feature became more distracting than helpful. Users now recieve warnings
only through desktop notifications. This is a simpler, less instrusive option that does not require powerful permissions.
Performance Optimization:
The most noticeable change is the significantly reduced extension size. In the uncompressed form used by the browser, the previous
version was 36.6 MB, while the new version is 15.8 MB. This is a reduction of 20.8 MB, or 56%.
User Statistics Bug Fix:
PostureCorrector updates user statistics quite frequently during each session to avoid losing any value insight. Typically, statistics are recorded
in intervals of 10 minutes or less. The previous version contained a bug that could cause the total duration, duration for a time window, or duration
for an activity type being "undefined". Once this occurred, future statistics would also become invalid because "undefined" cannot be combined with
numeric values. This bug has now been fixed, and user statistic calculations should much more robust and accurate.
