joyeUX
the joy of user experience design
Feedback for Five Senses
Jul 2nd
The Aria hotel in Las Vegas pumps Vanilla scent into its lobby, to calm and invite guests.
I’ve been spending a lot of time on racing sims lately. I’m a huge fan of Kart racing, but I’ve given the simulation genre the pass until recently. I started out using a standard game controller, and found the experience less-than-satisfying: it required a lot of concentration, and I still wasn’t getting a decent feel for the game. It seemed that no matter how I adjusted my controls and speed, I would still spin out at almost every turn.
That’s when I started using a force feedback wheel and pedals.
And oh, what a difference it made.
Suddenly, the metaphor was complete; I’d already been receiving audio feedback from the engine and tire sounds, and visual feedback from the screen display, but the wheel also gave me the tactile sensation of the tires peeling away from the asphalt and the feel of the steering reacting to the inertia and friction of the car. After an initial refractory period of adjusting my performance to the wheel, I was shaving 5 or 10 seconds from my best times with every new lap. What’s more, the experience was much more intuitive and enjoyable when compared to my old controller-and-thumbsticks method.
What worked so well about the change? The wheel added a vital layer of tactile feedback that contributed to the driving metaphor, allowing me to access knowledge I’ve already stored up about driving in everyday life, and fine tune my performance accordingly.
So, great, I’ve learned why my user experience of the simulation and overall performance improved. But how does this apply to interaction design beyond the wild world of gaming?
The iPhone: From 3GS to 4
Jun 9th
I love my iPhone 3GS more than any other device in the world. It keeps me from getting lost even with my terrible sense of direction, keeps my camera close at hand, and allows me to self-indulgently check my e-mail, social networks, and Twitter at least ten times a day. I also admire Apple for being the first truly successful manufacturer to take smartphones out of the business world by making them easy to use and affordable for casual home users.
With all this, I’m not blind to the limitations of the device. Some of the issues I consider most critical were addressed by the new iPhone 4/OS 4.0, and some fell by the wayside. More >
Easy User-Centered Design
Jun 2nd
T-shirt by VC Wear
I believe that user-centric testing is overlooked because designers incorrectly assume it is costly and involves complex equipment. I couldn’t agree less. Although usability labs are valuable information-gathering spaces, even independent designers with minimal resources can gather priceless data through a simple interviewing and integration process known as user-centered design.
User-centered design is an iterative process that begins at the prototyping stage. A user-centered designer runs test sessions with individuals pulled from the real end-user base, in order to gather advance feedback on the usability of the tool. The designer is then able to easily integrate this feedback into future iterations of the prototype, until he or she has reached the desired level of usability.
Tiny Spaces, Multipurpose Living
May 20th
I was proud to celebrate my sister’s newly acquired Interior Design degree this weekend. In her honor, I’d like to discuss ”Tiny Living,” a new space management design philosophy focused on creating a home in the smallest square footage possible.
We’re already familiar with temporary versions of this, the most famous being Japanese capsule hotels that provide shelter for business commuters who drank too much or simply missed their trains home.
The benefits are numerous: Tiny Living is cheaper, encourages people out of their homes and into more common spaces, and supports many people with minimum impact on our already taxed environment.
However, in a country where the average square footage of a single family home has increased dramatically over the last 50 years, actioning this philosophy into a real living space can seem daunting.
Where will you cook, where will you sleep? How can you fit a bed, a shower, and a table into 400-500 square feet? Will this effect your legal status (some states do not consider buildings under 450 square feet a residence)? Will the smaller floor plan be safe without feeling claustrophobic? Most importantly, where do you put all your stuff? More >
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