Interaction Critique

Is it ready yet?

For a much need brake from studying this week, I ventured over to the campus Einstein Bagels. It was near lunchtime and really busy. Between the long line and the ordering kiosk the workers were flying around behind the counter trying to keep up. They use the classic restaurant pagers that resemble over-sized coasters to alert customers that their order is ready for pick up at the counter. In many ways, these little devices are a great way to facilitate crowds of waiting people, and better than the alternatives. Having a person shouting out names or numbers is flawed for obvious reasons, and giving the customer a number that will flash up on a screen puts a little too much responsibility on them, plus requires them to stay within eye shot of the screen with constant attention to it. These paging devices allow the person to stray to where ever is comfortable for waiting, and requires no acute attention to the system. They are large enough that it would be hard to misplace one in the 5- 30 min span you might be in charge of it and they give the customer something tangible to stare at and fiddle with while impatiently waiting for his or her order. When the order is ready, the device vibrates and lights up wildly using bright red LEDs. The excited state of the pager is fairly satisfying after idleing waiting for your food, and there is no worry that you will miss it "blowing up". There is even a small LED that blinks periodlically to let you know it is still working properly. With out this feedback I could imagine many people would reach a point where they were sure their device was broken and would go to the counter to make sure they hadn't missed thier call out. The only complaint I have with these pagers, and one I would guess I share with the employees of Einstein, is that once you go to the counter to retrieve your food, they don't stop blowing up. So on a busy lunch rush like the one I encountered this week the whole room is filled with the obnoxious echoing buzz or 7 or 8 pagers dancing around the counter top. I believe they even have small metal feet that amplify the noise. Doesn't it seem like they could have eaisly put a sensor in to make them stop going off once they were close to home base?

Major point of pain (sometimes quite literally) in product purchasing

Though it is not a isolated design, blister packaging for consumer products often results in poor user experience. Specifically this type of packaging is referred to as a clamshell and is a result of companies trying to deter theft for small high-value products. It is formed using hard plastic (either two pre-formed plastic sheets or one sheet folded over onto itself and fused at the edges) and designed to closely fit its contents. I never seem to have a pair of scissors or knife handy, and it always seems like one would be able to oped it either by popping the two peices apart or tearing the plastic, but this is never the case. Not only can you rarely accomplish opening the package, but it can be dangerous. Wikipedia states that "Wrap rage is sometimes the result" and 6,000 Americans are sent to the emergency room each year in the attempt to conquer these packages.
On a more humorous note, there is an entire market for products designed soley for the purpose of getting into other products packaged in this way.



Product packaging that is so difficult to open that it causes user frustration (and injury) ruins the first moment you spend with your new product. Be it a pair of scissors (hope you already own one pair...) or a new tech gadget, this experience doesn’t exactly leave the user with a good impression or make them want to run out and get another one. People appreciate things that offer immediate satisfaction, and having to strategically break into the toy you just purchased does not satisfy this desire. Thumbs down!

And you thought waking up to a regular alarm clock was annoying.

This is AWESOME!

Do you ever turn off your alarm when you are half asleep? Well obviously the inventor of this had a problem with that happening.....

Clocky.
Dumb name I know, but still awesome.
Clocky is an alarm clock that runs away from you (and hides?). It is made by Nanda, a company that only appears to make this one product. It came out a couple years ago but this is the first I have ever seen of it. The alarm clock is sandwiched between to large "off roading" wheels. It isn't too big, roughly 5x3x3 inches. The clock can apparently jump off surfaces up to three feet tall without damage. The wheels are slightly larger than the clock to protect it from damage as it maneuvers around your room/house bumbling into things and randomly changing paths. The premise is that you will have to hunt for it and by the time you are able to turn it off you will be fully awake. The snooze time is adjustable from 0 (no snooze permitted) to 9 min. Clocky allows one snooze, and on the second alarm it "jumps" off your night stand and beings its spastic dance accompanied by R2-D2 like sound and flashing screen. It moves randomly, so you will not be able to adapt. The rugged wheels facilitate movement on wood or carpeted floors. For days that you aren't in the mood for a chase, there is an option to disable the wheels. It also has the nice feature of low battery warning.

While I could see it getting annoying quickly, I think this is a clever and interesting invention. There is a lot of emotion associated with waking up, so it is the perfect opportunity for Human Centered Design! The emotion was definitely played up in the marketing of Clocky. It was consistently referred to as "he" in the description and compared to a quirky pet. It comes modestly packaged, with only the small outer box and a few sheet of instructions. The box design is subtle, displaying few words, a 2-D icon of the clock, and tint reflecting the color choice of your new pet. It retails at around $40 which may be a steal for all the morning entertainment Clocky provides.

Keyboard and Mouse combo?

I came across this new keyboard and am not quite sure what I think of it.

It is not in production, but won an ITsecrets award several years ago. As you can see from the picture, the keyboard is split and the right side also functions as the mouse. To switch between stationary mode and mouse function the user simply moves their hand to grip the mouse-like contour where there is a contact sensor. While I was marveling at how bizarre it looks I began to wonder why someone wanted to create it. Further investigation led me to a portion of their webpage called Advantages, these are the reasons given:

* The combimouse provides instant and effortless transition between keyboard and mouse operation.
* A regular keyboard has its mouse situated far to the right of the keyboard. combimouse eliminates shoulder abduction - a widely documented and recognised problem - which is the unnatural opening up of the shoulder in order to reach a standard mouse.
* Minimises prime desk space usage.
* Left and right units are small enough to be easily pushed aside while not in use.
* The units can be placed to the right and left of center, leaving a clearing for books or other items.
* The right unit features an integrated numeric keypad, making the combimouse perfect for data entry and navigating spreadsheets.
* Features a multi button mouse which is convenient for gaming, CAD and most other programs. It is the best system for First Shooter Gamers.
* The combimouse right unit can be used with a notebook to provide keyboard, mouse and numeric keypad functionality.

So I suppose the feature of being able to put a document directly in front of you without covering the keyboard is useful, and though it is not explained in detail, I could buy its usefulness for running CAD and similar programs. The pleas about effort and pain associated with moving your hand to the traditional mouse seems a little far fetched though. This is a good attempt at unique design, but I'm not convinced it is really solving any problem, and from the looks of it would require a substantial behavioral change on the part of the user, something we all know is bad for successful adoption of new products. As can be said for most interesting but not-so-useful designs, at least it would be a conversation piece!

Smog Eating Concrete!

Everyone love personification....

The Italian firm Italcementi revealed TX active concrete in 2008, an environment friendly development 10 years in the making. Specifically, it is cement mixed with an agent called a photo-catalyzer, titanium dioxide, that speeds up the natural process of breaking down smog into its component parts when its exposed to sunlight. It has been implemented on several busy streets in Segrate, a town near Milan, and has reportedly reduced nitric oxides in the area by as much as 60%. Neat!

It has also been implemented here in Chicago, well Highland Park actually, in an set of townhouses designed to be affordable and "green". The concrete for this project was manufactured locally (in Aurora) by Unilock, a company approved for photocatalytic paving. Courtyards paved with this concrete are listed as one of the "environmental assets" utilized by the complex designers. The same properties that cause the concrete pavers to destroy atmospheric pollutants also makes them self-cleaning further preventing waste of resources. Additionally, they are permeable to allow rainwater to filter naturally back into the ground, rather running off, gathering pollutants, and discharging into nearby streams.

I think the best part about all of this, is that it can be implemented into affordable housing. Meaning, it will be accepted that much more easily as an alternative.

When snow can be appreciated

As I was so pleasantly reminded on my recent trip home, I really enjoy the user-centered design of my snowboard bindings. I bought the K2 cinch a couple years ago when my original strap style ones broke. They are a form of step-in bindings where the back support can be released via a cable and lever to allow the user to step into them without undoing the top straps.

Recent models can be found on their website, pictured here is the women's Cinch Vette.

Their tag line:
"A testament to classic K2 engineering ingenuity, the Vette’s quick entry and exit speed is complemented by a cornucopia of customization options that only a strap system can provide."

Wow, K2 with the fancy words. I do love these bindings though! They are very easy to use, and a great improvement from traditional strap bindings or previous step-in models. (though they still include fully adjustable 'speed ratchet' straps similar to traditional ones) I don't have to sit in everyone's way at the top of the lift to strap in for five minutes, and I don't have to take my gloves off to feed the plastic tongue into the ratchet sleeve or to make tightness adjustments. With the cinch bindings the step in action is most easily performed while standing and the release and lock apparatus uses a flexible band that is easy to slip a gloved hand into to pull the lever up or down (also without sitting). It can be done in a matter of seconds instead of minutes. The other step-ins I've mentioned alleviated these same issues, but were susceptible to other problems that made them difficult to use. These models allow you to simply step down and click in using no straps at all, but would often become snow and ice covered forcing the user to stop and clean them before they would fasten securely. Many users also complained about the diminished support from removing the top straps. Cinch bindings are the best of both versions, customization in fit from the straps which can be adjusted when needed and quick binding action per ride.